NOOKSACK INSTREAM RESOURCES PROTECTION PROGRAM ( WATER RESOURCE INVENTORY AREA 1 ) INCLUDING ADMINISTRATIVE RULES (CHAPTER 173-501 WAC) STATE OF WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY NOVEMBER 1985 NOOKSACK WATER RESOURCE INVENTORY AREA INSTREAM RESOURCES PROTECTION PROGRAM INCLUDING ADMINISTRATIVE RULES (WATER RESOURCE INVENTORY AREA #1) PREPARED BY WATER RESOURCES PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT SECTION WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY PROGRAM PLANNER – CYNTHIA NELSON (PRELIMINARY DRAFT – MARSHA BEERY) WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF PRINTING OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON NOVEMBER 1985 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TABLE OF CONTENTS.............................................................................................................. i LIST OF FIGURES......................................................................................................................ii LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................iii SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................. 1 PROGRAM OVERVIEW............................................................................................................ 4 Authority .......................................................................................................................... 6 Public Participation .......................................................................................................... 6 WATER RESOURCE INVENTORY AREA DESCRIPTION...................................................6 Geography ........................................................................................................................ 6 Climate ............................................................................................................................. 7 Population ........................................................................................................................ 7 Economy and Land Use ................................................................................................... 8 BASIN-WIDE WATER RESOURCES AND RELATED USES ............................................. 12 Surface Water................................................................................................................. 12 Runoff and Low Flow Characteristics ........................................................................... 13 Flooding ......................................................................................................................... 13 Storage............................................................................................................................ 17 Ground Water................................................................................................................. 17 Domestic, Municipal, and Industrial Supply.................................................................. 18 Water Quality ................................................................................................................. 20 Irrigation......................................................................................................................... 25 Hydroelectric Projects.................................................................................................... 25 Fisheries ......................................................................................................................... 28 Anadromous Fish ........................................................................................................... 31 Resident Game Fish ....................................................................................................... 31 Flow Recommendations................................................................................................. 31 Marine Fish & Shellfish ................................................................................................. 32 Wildlife .......................................................................................................................... 33 Wetlands & Estuaries..................................................................................................... 34 Recreation....................................................................................................................... 35 Navigation ......................................................................................................................36 Aesthetic & Scenic Values............................................................................................. 36 WATER RESOURCES AND RESOURCE USE BY SUBBASIN .......................................... 37 Nooksack River Basin.................................................................................................... 37 North Fork Nooksack..................................................................................................... 37 Middle Fork Nooksack................................................................................................... 43 South Fork Nooksack..................................................................................................... 46 Mainstem Nooksack River............................................................................................. 50 Fraser River Tributaries ................................................................................................. 55 Lowland Coastal Drainages ........................................................................................... 58 Lake Whatcom ............................................................................................................... 60 – i – TABLE OF CONTENTS – Continued Page CURRENT ADMINISTRATIVE STATUS.............................................................................. 64 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................................... 66 APPENDIX ................................................................................................................................ 68 A - HYDROGRAPHS, WRIA 1.................................................................................... 68 B - PROPOSED RULES.............................................................................................. 100 C - FLOW RECOMMENDATIONS FROM WDF, WDG, LUMMI TRIBE............. 114 D - WATER QUALITY CRITERIA ........................................................................... 126 E - SUMMARY OF PUBLIC COMMENT AND RESPONSES................................ 133 LIST OF FIGURES 1. Washington WRIA designations............................................................................................. 2 2. Nooksack WRIA ..................................................................................................................... 3 3. WRIA 1 Control Points........................................................................................................... 5 4. Hydrograph of the North Fork Nooksack River.................................................................... 14 5. Hydrograph of the South Fork Nooksack River.................................................................... 15 6. Hydrograph of Fishtrap, Creek.............................................................................................. 16 7. Timing of Salmon, Searun Trout, and Resident Fish Freshwater Life Phases in Nooksack Basin ................................................................................................................. 29 8. North Fork Nooksack Subbasin ............................................................................................ 38 9. Middle Fork Nooksack Subbasin .......................................................................................... 44 10. South Fork Nooksack Subbasin ........................................................................................... 47 11. Mainstem Nooksack Subbasin ............................................................................................. 51 12. Fraser River Subbasin .......................................................................................................... 56 13. Lowland Coastal Drainages ................................................................................................. 59 – ii – LIST OF TABLES Page 1. Baseline Projection, Population Trends and Forecasts 1970-2000......................................... 8 2. Land Use in Whatcom County.............................................................................................. 10 3. Baseline Projection Whatcom County Total Employment by Place of Work ..................... 12 4. Water Quality Classifications in WRIA 1............................................................................ 21 5. NPDES Permits Issued in WRIA 1...................................................................................... 22 6. Water Quality Characteristics of the Nooksack and Sumas Rivers ..................................... 24 7. Hydroelectric Proposals in WRIA 1..................................................................................... 26 8. Proposed and Operating Hydroelectric Projects with Negotiated Minimum Flows............ 27 9. Hatchery Production in the Nooksack Basin........................................................................ 30 10. Characteristics of North Fork Nooksack Tributaries .........................................................