Kelsey Creek Watershed Assessment A Document of the Big Valley Watershed Council Prepared for: West Lake and East Lake Resource Conservation Districts 889 Lakeport Blvd Lakeport, CA 95453 (707) 263-4180 Funded by Proposition 50 through the CALFED Watershed Program Administered by the California Department of Water Resources Prepared by: County of Lake Department of Public Works Water Resources Division 255 North Forbes Street Lakeport, CA 95453 Tel. 707-263-2341 and West Lake and East Lake Resource Conservation Districts 889 Lakeport Blvd. Lakeport, California 95453 Tel. 707-263-4180 February 2010 Acknowledgements Author Erica Lundquist, Lake County Division of Water Resources Plates by Greg Dills, West Lake and East Lake Resource Conservation Districts Glossary by Alisa Carlson, Scotts Creek Watershed Council Project Partners Lake County Division of Water Resources Natural Resources Conservation Service Bureau of Land Management Upper Lake Habematolel Pomo Indians Robinson Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians Big Valley Watershed Council Middle Creek Coordinated Resource Management and Planning Group Scotts Creek Watershed Council Technical Advisors and Reviewers Voris Brumfield, Lake County Code Enforcement Division Caroline Chavez, Lake County Public Services Department Kim Clymire, Lake County Public Services Department Richard Coel, Lake County Community Development Department Diane Coulon, California Department of Fish and Game Greg Dills, West Lake and East Lake Resource Conservation Districts Rachel Elkins, University of California Cooperative Extension Pamela Francis, Lake County Water Resources Division Gregory Giusti, University of California Cooperative Extension Steve Hajik, Lake County Agriculture Department Paul Hofmann, California Department of Fish and Game Kevin Ingram, Big Valley Watershed Council Linda Juntenen, Lake County Fire Safe Council James Komar, Natural Resources Conservation Service Perry LeBeouf, California Department of Water Resources Chuck March, Lake County Farm Bureau Jay Rowan, California Department of Fish and Game Ray Ruminski, Lake County Division of Environmental Health Carolyn Ruttan, Lake County Water Resources Division Fraser Sime, California Department of Water Resources Tom Smythe, Lake County Water Resources Division Robert Stark, Cobb Area County Water District Korinn Woodard, Natural Resources Conservation Service James Wright, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Ron Yoder, Lake County Community Development Department Funder CALFED Watershed Program Proposition 50 Funds Administrator California Department of Water Resources Program Manager West Lake and East Lake Resource Conservation Districts 889 Lakeport Blvd. Lakeport, California 95453 Tel. 707-263-4180 Fax. 707-263-0912 lakecountyrcds.org TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. 0 BACKGROUND ..............................................................................................................1 1.1 HISTORY OF THE BIG VALLEY WATERSHED COUNCIL .....................................................1 1.2 WATERSHED ASSESSMENT PROCESS............................................................................3 2.0 WATERSHED DESCRIPTION........................................................................................4 3.0 WATERSHED HISTORY ................................................................................................6 4.0 GEOLOGY....................................................................................................................12 5.0 SOILS..........................................................................................................................13 6.0 HYDROLOGY...............................................................................................................14 6.1 PHYSICAL CONDITIONS ...........................................................................................14 6.2 DIVERSIONS AND BARRIERS.....................................................................................14 6.3 CLIMATE ................................................................................................................17 6.4 STREAMFLOW .........................................................................................................18 6.5 GROUNDWATER ......................................................................................................20 7.0 HILLSLOPE AND STREAM CHANNEL GEOMORPHOLOGY ........................................21 7.1 SOIL EROSION AND SEDIMENTATION.........................................................................21 7.2 EROSION HAZARD ANALYSIS....................................................................................23 7.3 STREAM CHANNELS .................................................................................................24 7.3.1 Kelsey Creek Stream Channel Studies .....................................................27 7.3.2 Lower Kelsey Creek Channel Conditions .................................................27 7.3.3 Upper Kelsey Creek Channel Conditions..................................................31 7.4 FLOODING AND FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT ...............................................................31 7.5 DEBRIS JAMS .........................................................................................................32 8.0 WATER QUALITY........................................................................................................33 8.1. STREAM WATER QUALITY ........................................................................................33 8.1.1 DWR Stream Water Quality Samples.......................................................34 8.1.2 Watershed Loading Estimates .................................................................37 8.1.3 Pesticide Monitoring .................................................................................39 8.1.4 Bioassessment and Benthic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring...................40 8.2. GROUNDWATER QUALITY.........................................................................................42 8.3. CLEAR LAKE WATER QUALITY...................................................................................44 8.3.1. Nutrients, Algae, and Plants.....................................................................44 8.3.2. Mercury......................................................................................................46 8.3.3. Aquatic Pesticides .....................................................................................46 9.0 WATER SUPPLY.............................................................................................................................. 47 9.1. UPPER WATERSHED ................................................................................................47 9.2. LOWER WATERSHED................................................................................................47 10.0 TERRESTRIAL HABITATS AND SPECIES .................................................................51 10.1 NATURAL HABITATS ................................................................................................51 10.2 WILDLIFE...............................................................................................................54 10.3 SENSITIVE SPECIES.................................................................................................54 11.0 AQUATIC HABITATS AND SPECIES..........................................................................56 11.1. UPPER KELSEY CREEK..............................................................................................56 11.1.1. Aquatic Habitat .........................................................................................56 TOC - 1 11.1.2. Past and Present Fish Species..................................................................56 11.2. LOWER KELSEY CREEK.............................................................................................57 11.2.1. Aquatic Habitat .........................................................................................57 11.2.2. Past and Present Fish Species..................................................................58 11.2.3. Clear Lake Hitch ........................................................................................59 11.3 CLEAR LAKE FISHERIES ...........................................................................................61 12.0 INVASIVE SPECIES....................................................................................................63 12.1 TERRESTRIAL INVASIVE SPECIES ..............................................................................63 12.1.1 Plants.........................................................................................................63 12.1.2 Animals ......................................................................................................65 12.1.3 Diseases and Parasites .............................................................................66 12.2 AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES.....................................................................................66 12.2.1 Plants........................................................................................................66 12.2.2 Animals .....................................................................................................67 13.0 FIRE AND FUEL LOAD MANAGEMENT .....................................................................68 13.1. FIRE CYCLES ..........................................................................................................68