Natural Flow of the Upper Klamath River U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation November 2005 Mission Statements The mission of the Department of the Interior is to protect and provide access to our Nation’s natural and cultural heritage and honor our trust responsibilities to Indian Tribes and our commitments to island communities. The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public. Cover photo by J. Rasmussen— McCornac Point Marsh Natural Flow of the Upper Klamath River—Phase I Natural inflow to, natural losses from, and natural outfall of Upper Klamath Lake to the Link River and the Klamath River at Keno prepared by Technical Service Center Water Resources Services Thomas Perry, Hydrologist Amy Lieb, Hydrologist Alan Harrison, Environmental Engineer Mark Spears, P.E., Hydraulic Engineer Ty Mull, Agricultural Engineer Concrete Dams and Waterways Elisabeth Cohen, P.E., Hydraulic Engineer Klamath Basin Area Office John Rasmussen, Hydrologist Jon Hicks, Water Conservation Specialist TSC Project Management Del Holz, Manager Joe Lyons, Assistant Manager prepared for U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Klamath Basin Area Office Klamath Falls, Oregon November 2005 Base map and study area. Preface This study was undertaken to estimate the effects of agricultural development on natural flows in the Upper Klamath River Basin. A large body of data was reviewed and analyzed to obtain the results included in this assessment of the natural hydrology of the Basin. Within this report, the term natural represents typical flows without agricultural development in the basin. The term predevelopment describes watershed conditions existing during the pre-settlement period which ended in the mid-19th century. The last vestige of predevelopment watershed conditions unaffected by agricultural development was probably gone by about 1960. Changes in forest conditions and land-use management activities were considered but not addressed in this study. Only within remote alpine and some sub-alpine watersheds are present-day environmental conditions similar to those that existed before settlement began. A draft of this report was released for review and comment in December 2003. The report was reorganized and additional explanations and elements were added in December 2004 based on the comments received from the reviewers of the December 2003 draft report. During early 2005, a workgroup representing an array of Klamath Basin interests was convened by Reclamation. In three workgroup meetings (March 2-3, 2005, and April 26-27, 2005, and September 1-2, 2005), several technical aspects of the natural flow study were discussed and review comments were offered by the workgroup on the December 2004 report. Comments on the December 2004 report were documented in a comment/response matrix prepared by Reclamation’s Klamath Basin Area Office. This November 2005 report incorporates research of additional data recently collected. The Excel® model spreadsheet application, input and output files, and results are included in the CD which contains this report and all its attachments. Acknowledgments Acknowledgments Many valuable, insightful, and objective comments and suggestions have been provided by reviewers of this work, especially the following, in alphabetical order: Michael Belchik, Senior Biologist, Yurok Tribal Office, Weitchpec, California Richard M. Cooper, P.E., Oregon Water Resources Department, Salem, Oregon Larry Dunsmoor, Research Biologist, The Klamath Tribes, Chiloquin, Oregon Marshall Gannett, Hydrologist, USGS Oregon Water Science Center, Portland, Oregon Robert W. Hughes, P. E., California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento, California Jonathan La Marche, Hydrologist, Oregon Water Resources Department, Bend, Oregon Timothy Mayer, Hydrologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Portland, Oregon Michael P. Ramey, P. E., Principal Engineer, R2 Resource Consultants, Redmond, Washington Contents Contents Acronyms and Abbreviations ............................................................................ ix Executive Summary.............................................................................................xi Chapter 1 — General Overview ......................................................................... 1 Purpose and Scope ............................................................................................ 1 Study Area ........................................................................................................ 1 Geologic and Physiographic Features......................................................... 1 Climate........................................................................................................ 2 Water Supplies............................................................................................ 2 Upper Klamath Lake............................................................................. 5 Lower Klamath Lake ............................................................................ 5 Groundwater ......................................................................................... 5 Study Approach ................................................................................................ 5 Water Budget Description........................................................................... 5 Evaluation of Predevelopment Conditions ................................................. 9 Evaluation of Current Conditions ............................................................. 10 Data Sources ....................................................................................... 10 Period of Record ................................................................................. 10 Crop and Marshland Evapotranspiration ............................................ 10 Methods to Estimate Natural Flows.......................................................... 12 Natural Streamflow Development ...................................................... 13 Adjustment of Gaged Streamflow to Natural Flow ............................ 13 Restoration of Missing Climate and Streamflow Data ....................... 13 Natural Streamflow Estimates in Ungaged Watersheds ..................... 19 Transit Losses ..................................................................................... 20 Natural Lake Simulations ......................................................................... 20 Groundwater Contributions ................................................................ 20 Open Water Surface Evaporation ....................................................... 21 Assumptions.............................................................................................. 21 Chapter 2 — Natural Streamflow Development............................................. 23 Upper Klamath Lake Basin............................................................................. 23 Williamson River Watershed.................................................................... 23 Gaging Records................................................................................... 24 Net Consumptive Use Determination ................................................. 24 Upper Williamson River Watershed................................................... 25 Changes from Predevelopment Conditions .................................. 25 Natural Streamflow of Upper Williamson River.......................... 25 Sprague River Watershed ................................................................... 29 Changes from Predevelopment Conditions .................................. 29 Natural Streamflow of Sprague River Watershed ........................ 29 Lower Williamson River Watershed .................................................. 32 Results in the Williamson River Watershed ....................................... 32 v Natural Flow of the Upper Klamath River Wood River Valley and East Cascade Area ............................................. 34 Changes from Predevelopment Conditions ........................................ 34 Natural Streamflow of Wood River Valley ........................................ 36 Results in the Wood River Valley ...................................................... 38 Upper Klamath Lake................................................................................. 38 Changes from Predevelopment Conditions ........................................ 38 Inflow Assessment.............................................................................. 39 Simulation of Natural Upper Klamath Lake....................................... 39 Factors Affecting the Outflow Response of the Natural Upper Klamath Lake................................................................................ 42 Simulation of Upper Klamath Lake.................................................... 43 Losses from Upper Klamath Lake ................................................ 43 Resulting Water Balance for Upper Klamath Lake and Natural Outflow to the Link River............................................................. 44 Lower Klamath Lake History ......................................................................... 45 Lower Klamath Lake ................................................................................ 47 Changes from Predevelopment Conditions ........................................ 47 Inflow Assessment.............................................................................