YAKIMA RIVER FLOODPLAIN MINING IMPACT STUDY RESOURCES by the Yakima River Floodplain Mining Impact Study Team WASHINGTON NATURAL DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES Open File Report 2004-8 June 2004 location map YAKIMA RIVER FLOODPLAIN MINING IMPACT STUDY by the Yakima River Floodplain Mining Impact Study Team Centennial Clean Water Fund Grant No. G0100193 WASHINGTON DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES Open File Report 2004-8 June 2004 DISCLAIMER Neither the State of Washington, nor any agency thereof, nor any of their em- ployees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any informa- tion, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or other- wise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the State of Washington or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the State of Washington or any agency thereof. WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Doug Sutherland—Commissioner of Public Lands DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES Ron Teissere—State Geologist David K. Norman—Assistant State Geologist Washington Department of Natural Resources Division of Geology and Earth Resources PO Box 47007 Olympia, WA 98504-7007 Phone: 360-902-1450 Fax: 360-902-1785 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/geology/ Published in the United States of America iv Study Team Members Yakima County Yakama Nation Kelly Clark – Project Lead Dave Fast Steve Erickson Scott Nicolai Anne Knapp Tom Ring Washington State Department of Ecology Other Cooperators Rob Plotnikoff Jason Alvord Robert Raforth (Central Pre-Mix Concrete Co., Inc.) Chad Wiseman Wayne Kalbfleisch (Central Pre-Mix Concrete Co., Inc.) Washington State Department of Nick Martinez Natural Resources (Central Pre-Mix Concrete Co., Inc.) Chris Johnson Dave Norman Team Assistants Karl Wegmann Pat Irle (Washington State Department of Ecology, Contract Manager) Washington State Department of Katherine Reed (technical editor) Fish and Wildlife Jim Cummins John Easterbrooks Jonathan Kohr Acknowledgments Benton County Washington State Department of Ecology Mary Phillips (cont’d) Mike Shuttleworth Cindy Price Jeff Killelea Consultants David Brown & Associates Washington State Department of Pat Monk Fish and Wildlife Eric Anderson U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Noel Ferguson Dan Church Gina McCoy Jim Esget Todd Pearson Jeff Graham Robert Hilldale –TSC Washington State Department of Scott Kline Natural Resources Ralph Klinger –TSC Cindy Preston Ed Young Lorraine Powell U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Yakima County Steve Croci Richard Anderwald Joel Fruedenthal Washington State Department of Ecology Maria Godines Chris Coffin John Knutson Randall Doneen Cynthia Kozma Chris Hall Floodplain Mining Impact Study v CCWF Grant No. G0100193 Yakima County (cont’d) Yakama Nation Julie Lind Pauline Peasley Michael Martian Willard Maldinado John Marvin Dean Patterson Funding Contributors JoLena Sampson Washington State Department of Ecology Michael Vachon IAC/Salmon Recovery Funding Board U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Yakima County Initialisms BOR, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation BMP, best management practice CCWF, Centennial Clean Water Fund CMZ, channel migration zone CWA, Clean Water Act DOE, Washington State Department of Ecology DOT, Washington State Department of Transportation EIS, environmental impact study ESA, Endangered Species Act GMA, Growth Management Act HPA, Hydraulic Project Approval MRTF, Mineral Resources Task Force SEPA, State Environmental Policy Act SMA, Shoreline Management Act SMP, Shoreline Master Program RCW, Revised Code of Washington WAC, Washington Administrative Code WADNR, Washington State Department of Natural Resources WDFW, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife YRBWEP, Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project Conversion factors Acre x 0.40468 = hectare Cubic foot per second x 1699.3 = liters per minute Cubic yard x 0.7645 = cubic meter Degrees Centigrade (Celsius) x 1.8 + 32 = degrees Fahrenheit Inch x 25.4 = millimeter Foot x 0.3048 = meter Mile x 1.6093 = kilometer Suggested citation: Yakima River Floodplain Mining Impact Study Team. 2004. Yakima River Floodplain Mining Impact Study. Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources Open File Report 2004-8, 270 p., 14 appendices. Floodplain Mining Impact Study vi CCWF Grant No. G0100193 CONTENTS Page Executive Summary............................................................................................................. ES1 Summary............................................................................................................................... S1 Chapter 1. OVERVIEW OF THE FLOODPLAIN MINING IMPACT STUDY......................... 1 Introduction................................................................................................................ 1 Statement of the Problem........................................................................................... 1 Project History ........................................................................................................... 3 Project Objectives...................................................................................................... 4 Roles, Responsibilities, and Goals of Study Partners................................................ 6 Summary.................................................................................................................... 8 2. MANAGEMENT AND REGULATION OF FLOODPLAIN MINING .................... 10 The Permit Process .................................................................................................... 10 The Regulatory Dilemma........................................................................................... 15 Policy Issues and Concerns........................................................................................ 16 3. OVERVIEW OF THE YAKIMA RIVER BASIN AND FLOODPLAIN MINING ................................................................................................ 17 Status of Anadromous Salmonids in the Yakima River Basin .................................. 20 Floodplain Mining in the Yakima River Basin.......................................................... 21 Geomorphic Consequences of Floodplain Mining .................................................... 21 Impacts to Riparian Vegetation ................................................................................. 24 Impacts to Water Quality .......................................................................................... 25 Changes in Water Quality.......................................................................................... 25 Hydrologic Changes .................................................................................................. 26 Wastewater Discharge Characteristics....................................................................... 27 Exotic Fish ................................................................................................................. 28 Exotic Vegetation ...................................................................................................... 29 Social Impacts of Floodplain Mining ........................................................................ 30 4. METHODS ....................................................................................................................... 31 Pit Bathymetry and Sediment .................................................................................... 31 Thermal Investigation ................................................................................................ 36 Fish Assemblages....................................................................................................... 40 Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Water Quality ........................................................ 45 5. HANSON PONDS (Site 1)............................................................................................... 52 Location and Site Information ................................................................................... 52 Pond Bathymetry and Sediment Sampling ................................................................ 53 Site Sample Information ............................................................................................ 62 Thermal Investigation ................................................................................................ 63 Fish Assemblage ........................................................................................................ 68 Floodplain Mining Impact Study vii CCWF Grant No. G0100193 Page 5. HANSON PONDS (Site 1) (cont’d) Benthic Macroinvertebrates, Water Quality, and Macrophytes ................................ 70 Site 1 Comments and Recommendations .................................................................. 76 6. GLADMAR (Site 2) ......................................................................................................... 77 Location and Site Information ................................................................................... 77 Pond Bathymetry and Sediment Sampling ................................................................ 78 Site Sample