U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service DeSoto and Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuges Water Resource Inventory and Assessment (WRIA) Summary Report U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 3 (Midwest Region) Division of Biological Resources; Bloomington, MN 55437-1458 Cover photograph: Brian Newman (USFWS) The mission of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System is to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management and, where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans. Authors: Brian Newman Mary Susan Gerlach Josh D. Eash Correspondence: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 3 (Midwest) Division of Biological Resources 5600 American Blvd. West, Suite 990 Bloomington, MN 55437-1458 [email protected] Authors’ Note: There are embedded links throughout this document within the table of contents and indicated by underlined text. A database of the presented data, additional data, documents and the referenced studies will be available as part of a digital document library housed on the Environmental Conservation Online System (ECOS). Geospatial data layers were obtained from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USGS seamless server, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Missouri Spatial Data Information Services website. Disclaimer: All data is provided “as is.” There are no warranties, express or implied, including the warranty of fitness for a particular purpose, accompanying this document. Use for general planning and informational purposes only. (This page intentionally left blank) Table of Contents List of Figures .......................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables ............................................................................................................................iii Executive Summary ................................................................................................................. 1 Findings .................................................................................................................................... 1 Recommendations ................................................................................................................... 2 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 4 2. Refuge Information .............................................................................................................. 6 DeSoto NWR ............................................................................................................................. 6 Boyer Chute NWR .................................................................................................................... 8 3. Natural Setting ....................................................................................................................10 The Missouri River ..................................................................................................................10 Historical Fluvial Geomorphology .................................................................................................. 14 River Alteration ............................................................................................................................... 15 Current Conditions ......................................................................................................................... 17 Restoration Efforts ......................................................................................................................... 18 Topography and flood inundation .........................................................................................19 Geology and Surficial Landforms ..........................................................................................24 Soils .........................................................................................................................................24 Climate Trends ..................................................................................................................................... 29 4. Water Resource Features ...................................................................................................36 Wetlands ..................................................................................................................................36 DeSoto NWR ............................................................................................................................36 Boyer Chute NWR ...................................................................................................................38 NHD Flow Lines (Streams, Creeks, and Ditches) ..................................................................41 Infrastructure Water Control Structures ................................................................................42 5. Water Resource Monitoring ...............................................................................................46 Water Monitoring Stations and Sampling Sites ....................................................................46 Surface Water Quantity ..........................................................................................................46 Hydro-Climatic Data Network ......................................................................................................... 46 Missouri River Models .................................................................................................................... 48 Groundwater Elevation and Water Quality ............................................................................51 Surface Water Quality .............................................................................................................54 305(b) Reporting and 303(d) Assessments ................................................................................... 54 Missouri River ................................................................................................................................ 54 DeSoto Bend Lake ......................................................................................................................... 55 Boyer River .................................................................................................................................... 57 Deer Creek ..................................................................................................................................... 57 Rand’s Ditch, Brown’s Ditch, and Brown’s Pond ........................................................................... 58 6. Water Law ............................................................................................................................59 Iowa ..........................................................................................................................................59 Nebraska ..................................................................................................................................63 7. Geospatial data ...................................................................................................................65 8. Literature Cited ...................................................................................................................66 9. Additional Hydrologically Applicable References from CAP, CCP ..................................70 Appendix A National Wetland Inventory ...............................................................................71 Appendix B Water Monitoring Sites (STORET) .....................................................................72 Appendix C Water Rights Registered in Nebraska ...............................................................76 DeSoto and Boyer Chute NWRs—Water Resource Inventory and Assessment (WRIA) Summary Report i List of Figures Figure 2-1: Location of DeSoto NWR and Boyer Chute NWR relative to local stream networks ................. 7 Figure 2-2: DeSoto NWR and Boyer Chute NWR Hydrologic Unit Codes for HUC 8, 10, and 12 boundaries..................................................................................................................................................... 9 Figure 3-1: Land use of DSBCNWR and upstream watersheds from 2006 (NLCD ................................... 11 Figure 3-2: River channel types (from: USACE and USEPA 2002) .......................................................... 14 Figure 3-3: Monthly mean streamflow for Missouri River, pre and post regulation for U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stream gage at Omaha, NE .............................................................................................. 15 Figure 3-4: Typical changes in in habitat due to channel modifications, from Missouri River Natural Resources Committee Environmental Assessment brochure USGS-Biological Resources Division Environmental and Contaminants Research Center .................................................................................. 16 Figure 3-5: DeSoto NWR LiDAR Digital Elevation Model (DEM) ............................................................... 21