Whychus Creek Restoration Project at Camp Polk Meadow Preserve June 29, 2007 A collaborative project of the: Upper Deschutes Watershed Council Deschutes Basin Land Trust Deschutes National Forest Project design funding provided by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation, Deschutes River Conservancy and The Nature Conservancy. Technical design prepared for the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council by the Deschutes National Forest under Collection Agreement No. 06-CO-11060120-011. Please direct project inquiries to Ryan Houston, Upper Deschutes Watershed Council, www.RestoreTheDeschutes.org TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................2 Background .......................................................................................................2 Development and Planning ...............................................................................4 Project Goal and Objectives..............................................................................6 Alternatives .......................................................................................................7 PROJECT ANALYSIS..........................................................................................9 Previous Assessments ......................................................................................9 Project Team Assessment ..............................................................................10 Soils and Groundwater ................................................................................10 Flow Regime................................................................................................11 Channel Pattern and Dimension..................................................................16 Sediment Regime ........................................................................................21 Vegetation....................................................................................................27 Fisheries ......................................................................................................32 Peer Review....................................................................................................34 RESTORATION DESIGN ...................................................................................35 Overview .........................................................................................................35 Design Principles.............................................................................................36 Channel Restoration Reaches.........................................................................40 Reach 1 .......................................................................................................40 Reach 2 .......................................................................................................46 Reach 3 .......................................................................................................48 Reach 4 .......................................................................................................50 Reach 5 .......................................................................................................50 Reach 6 .......................................................................................................53 Eliminating the Existing Channel.....................................................................55 Revegetation ...................................................................................................55 Planting Zones and Species ........................................................................56 Potential Wetland Creation ..........................................................................74 Transplanting...............................................................................................76 Browse Protection........................................................................................76 Irrigation.......................................................................................................77 Weed Control...............................................................................................77 Implementation Phasing..................................................................................83 Monitoring .......................................................................................................86 REFERENCES ...................................................................................................87 Whychus Creek Restoration Project i FIGURES Figure 1. Project location. ..................................................................................3 Figure 2. Restoration alternatives ......................................................................8 Figure 3. 2006 average daily flow of Whychus Creek. .....................................12 Figure 4. Photo of Whychus Creek at Cyrus property. .....................................13 Figure 5. Annual instantaneous peak discharges, 1909-1994. ........................14 Figure 6. 1943 aerial photo ..............................................................................16 Figure 7. 1943 aerial photo (showing modifications)........................................17 Figure 8. Study sites in the Camp Polk Meadow area......................................18 Figure 9. Downstream view of cross section #1 in the relic channel. ...............19 Figure 10. Delineative criteria and characteristics for the major stream types ...20 Figure 11. Comparison of 2000 and 2006 longitudinal profiles. .........................23 Figure 12. Pavement / sub-pavement samples in the relic channel. ..................24 Figure 13. Modified Shields diagram..................................................................25 Figure 14. Soil pit in Reach 3. ............................................................................26 Figure 15. Soil pit in Reach 4. ............................................................................26 Figure 16. Proposed meadow channel...............................................................41 Figure 17. Longitudinal profile of meadow channel............................................42 Figure 18. Three dimensional schematic of meadow channel ...........................43 Figure 19. Reach 1 proposed channel alignment...............................................44 Figure 20. Reach 1 three dimensional schematic. .............................................45 Figure 21. Reach 2 proposed channel alignment...............................................47 Figure 22. Reach 3 proposed channel alignment...............................................49 Figure 23. Reach 4 proposed channel alignment...............................................51 Figure 24. Reach 5 proposed channel alignment...............................................52 Figure 25. Reach 6 proposed channel alignment...............................................54 Figure 26. Revegetation plan: Overview ............................................................59 Figure 27. Revegetation plan: Reach 1..............................................................60 Figure 28. Revegetation plan: Reach 2..............................................................61 Figure 29. Revegetation plan: Reach 3..............................................................62 Figure 30. Revegetation plan: Reach 4..............................................................63 Figure 31. Revegetation plan: Reach 5..............................................................64 Figure 32. Existing and created wetlands ..........................................................75 Figure 33. Project implementation phases .........................................................84 Whychus Creek Restoration Project ii TABLES Table 1. Source of design parameters...............................................................37 Table 2. Channel dimension and pattern design parameters.............................38 Table 3. Plant Palette.........................................................................................65 Table 4. Plant Indicator Status...........................................................................74 Table 5. Weed species known to occur in project area......................................78 Table 6. Weed control summary ........................................................................79 Whychus Creek Restoration Project iii APPENDICES A Alternative Comparison: General B Alternative Comparison: Anadromous Fish Habitat C Soil and Groundwater Report D Existing Vegetation and Photos E Existing Condition Stream Survey and Fish Population Report F USFS Region 6 Restoration Review G Channel Design Parameters H Channel Design Schematics I Channel Design Typical Drawings J Monitoring Plan Whychus Creek Restoration Project iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Land management activities in the lower Whychus Creek watershed and stream alterations within Camp Polk Meadow have resulted in significant degradation to Whychus Creek. Since European settlement began in the 1860’s, there has been an estimated net loss of 4,200 feet of mainstem stream channel, 4,800 feet of side channels, 75 acres of wetland area and a lowering of the groundwater elevation by three to 10 feet within Camp Polk Meadow. The Deschutes Basin Land Trust, owners of the