5/25/2004 White River Watershed Assessment White River Watershed Assessment Prepared by Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District For White River Watershed Council Principal Authors: Karen Lamson Jennifer Shannon Clark, Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District The Dalles OR. Walkin’plow near Pine Grove from Chaff in the Wind, published by Friends of Maupin Library Copies of the White River Watershed Assessment are available in electronic or paper format from [email protected], or by contacting Wasco County SWCD at 2325 River Road, Suite 3, The Dalles OR 97058 or (541) 296-6178 x119. 1 5/25/2004 White River Watershed Assessment 2 5/25/2004 White River Watershed Assessment Introduction This Assessment has been undertaken by the White River Watershed Council, in partnership with the Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District. The purpose of the Assessment is to provide a description of conditions and trends in the White River Watershed relevant to conservation of its natural resources. The objective is to discover where natural resources or processes are working, and where they need to be restored, particularly in regards to fish habitat and water quality. The term “watershed” describes an area of land that drains downslope to the lowest point. A watershed consists of a network of drainage pathways that can be underground, or on the surface. These pathways converge into a stream and river system as the water moves downstream. The White River Watershed includes all of the waters that drain into the White River, between its headwaters on the flanks of Mt. Hood, to its mouth where it joins the Deschutes River. Because of the connectivity between groundwater, wetlands, streams and rivers within a watershed, any activity that affects the water quality, quantity, or rate of movement at one location may influence characteristics of the watershed at locations downstream. Everyone who lives, works, or plays within the watershed is part of this system. The format used in this Assessment follows the Oregon Watershed Assessment Manual, developed for the Governor’s Watershed Enhancement Board (July 1999). The assessment examines the history of the watershed, describes its features, evaluates its resources, and identifies issues within the watershed. Characteristics and processes of the watershed as a whole are analyzed, as well as conditions specific to individual streams. Humans have used the resources of the White River Watershed from as early as 10,000BC. Fish, wild game, and plant foods supported inhabitants for thousands of years. Many people lived and fished along salmon-bearing rivers and streams in the region, including the lower White River. In the mid 1800s the Barlow Road was established along the Oregon Trail through the White River basin. This overland route was the only alternative for emigrants to finishing the cross-continent journey via rafts down the Columbia river from present-day The Dalles. Thousands of people and their animals and belongings passed over this toll road. Today the Barlow Road is designated as a National Historic District. In 1855, the US Government signed a treaty with the tribes of Middle Oregon. As a condition of this treaty, the Tenino and Wasco Indians ceded most of their traditional lands to the United States of America, and moved to the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. The Tribes reserved exclusive right to fish within reservation boundaries and the right to hunt, fish and gather in common with citizens of the USA at all other usual and accustomed places, including ceded lands. Following this treaty, American pioneer families began to move into the White River Watershed. With the Donation Land Act of 1850 and the Homestead Act of 1863 Euro-Americans settled and built towns in the valleys, bringing livestock, and establishing logging operations in the upland forests. Forest Reserves were established by the federal government in 1891, leading to the establishment of the Oregon National Forest in 1908, renamed as the Mt Hood National Forest in 1924. In 1988 the White River was designated by Congress as a National Wild and Scenic River. Today lands in the watershed are predominantly used for agriculture, timber, and recreation, with a local economy developed around irrigated agriculture. Agriculture in the basin is centered on production of livestock, hay, and dryland and irrigated grains. Irrigation provides important pasture and winter feed for livestock, with most of the water coming from tributaries of the White River. Public lands represent over half of the acreage of the Watershed, and include the Mt. Hood National Forest and Badger Creek Wilderness Area, the Barlow Trail National Historic District, and the state owned White River Wildlife Management Area. Visitors from the surrounding region make increasing use of public lands for recreational assets and scenic beauty. It is the intent of this Assessment to provide a reference point from which the stakeholders in the White River Watershed, those who live and work here, can continue to plan for the health of its lands and waters into the future. 3 5/25/2004 White River Watershed Assessment CONTENTS: 1) WATERSHED DESCRIPTION.......................................................................................................8 1.1) PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS ........................................................................................................8 1.2) SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BACKGROUND .......................................................................................12 2) SETTLEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT ......................................................................................14 2.1) NATIVE AMERICAN INHABITANTS AND LAND USE ......................................................................14 2.2) HISTORIC LAND COVER TYPES ....................................................................................................16 2.3) SETTLEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE...............................................................................18 2.4) LAND USE....................................................................................................................................21 3) STREAM FLOW AND WATER RIGHTS ...................................................................................21 3.1) STREAM FLOW.............................................................................................................................21 3.2) WATER RIGHTS............................................................................................................................21 4) IRRIGATION AND WATER MANAGEMENT..........................................................................21 4.1) IRRIGATION DISTRICTS ................................................................................................................21 5) RUNOFF AND EROSION..............................................................................................................21 5.1) RUNOFF DUE TO LAND USE .........................................................................................................21 5.2) NONIRRIGATED CROPLAND EROSION ..........................................................................................21 5.3) ROADS .........................................................................................................................................21 6) WATER QUALITY.........................................................................................................................21 6.1) TEMPERATURE.............................................................................................................................21 6.2) SEDIMENT ....................................................................................................................................21 6.3) WASTEWATER .............................................................................................................................21 7) CHANNEL TYPES..........................................................................................................................21 7.1) CHANNEL HABITAT TYPE CLASSIFICATION .................................................................................21 7.2) CHANNEL MODIFICATION ............................................................................................................21 8) RIPARIAN AND WETLANDS CONDITIONS ...........................................................................21 8.1) RIPARIAN VEGETATION ...............................................................................................................21 8.2) WETLANDS ..................................................................................................................................21 9) AQUATIC HABITAT .....................................................................................................................21 9.1) NATIVE SPECIES ..........................................................................................................................21 9.2) INTRODUCED SPECIES ..................................................................................................................21 9.3) HABITAT CONDITIONS .................................................................................................................21 10) UPLAND HABITAT .....................................................................................................................21 10.1) PLANT COMMUNITIES ................................................................................................................21