2015-2016 Water Year Report Summary of Thurston County Precipitation, Groundwater, Stream and Lake Data from October 2014 to September 2016 Thurston County Water Resources – Environmental Monitoring Program April 2017 Acknowledgements: Thank You to the following people who greatly assisted in preparing this report Howard Hama - Water Resource Specialist 2 – Collection and processing of almost all field data used in this report. Nat Kale – Water Resource Specialist 2 – Data analysis, graphics, text and review Sue Stedman - Admistrative Assistant 1– Compiling, editing and formatting the entire report Pat Allen, P.E. – Senior Civil Engineer – Review and editing Comments questions, suggestions or errors please contact: Mark Biever, L.G. L.E.G. –Water Resource Specialist 3 [email protected] SUMMARY REPORT and ANALYSIS for WATER YEARS 2015 -2016 including Atmospheric, Streamflow, Groundwater and Lake Level Data – Thurston County Environmental Monitoring Program Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................................1 General ...................................................................................................................................................................1 Weather and Atmospheric Monitoring ......................................................................................................................3 Notable Events .......................................................................................................................................................3 Drought (March-December, 2015) .....................................................................................................................3 Status and Trends ...................................................................................................................................................4 Wet Early On ...........................................................................................................................................................4 Stations and Equipment .........................................................................................................................................5 Other Notable Attributes of 2015 and 2016 Water Years: ................................................................................. 13 Frost Free Days ................................................................................................................................................ 13 Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) and Shifts in Temporal Distribution of Rainfall .......................................................... 13 Streamflow .............................................................................................................................................................. 15 General ................................................................................................................................................................ 15 Inter-Local Monitoring Agreement Streams ....................................................................................................... 16 Water Year 2015 and 2016 Observations ........................................................................................................... 16 Rivers ................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Water Temperature ............................................................................................................................................. 20 Groundwater ........................................................................................................................................................... 21 General ................................................................................................................................................................ 21 Groundwater Levels for the 2015 -2016 Water Years (Salmon Creek Basin) ..................................................... 22 Lakes – Lake St. Clair, Long Lake and Black Lake ..................................................................................................... 25 Overview .............................................................................................................................................................. 25 Observations ........................................................................................................................................................ 25 Lake St Clair ......................................................................................................................................................... 25 Long Lake ............................................................................................................................................................. 27 Black Lake ............................................................................................................................................................ 28 Summary of Water Year 2015 and 2016 ................................................................................................................. 30 Closing ................................................................................................................................................................. 30 Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Thurston County Water Resources Annual Report toc i Water Years 2015 and 2016 SUMMARY REPORT and ANALYSIS for WATER YEARS 2015 -2016 including Atmospheric, Streamflow, Groundwater and Lake Level Data – Thurston County Environmental Monitoring Program Table of Figures Figure 1: Map of Monitoring Locations - All (2017) ..................................................................................................2 Figure 2: Humidity – Measured at Thurston County Complex in Olympia ................................................................3 Figure 3: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ten year average, range and Water Year 2015-2016 comparison chart. ....................................................................................................................................5 Figure 4: Precipitation and Atmospheric Data Collection Stations ............................................................................6 Figure 5: Rainfall Distribution Chart by Station WY 2015 ..........................................................................................8 Figure 6: Deviation form Long Term Average Chart WY 2015 ...................................................................................9 Figure 7: Rainfall Distribution Chart by Station WY 2016 ....................................................................................... 10 Figure 8: Deviation from Long Term Average Chart WY 2016 ................................................................................ 11 Figure 9: Streamflow Data Collection Stations ALL (ILMA and GEM) ...................................................................... 16 Figure 10: Black Ditch Outlet (44a) - WY 2015 Stage and Temperature Data Chart .............................................. 17 Figure 11: Black Ditch Outlet (44a) - WY 2016 Stage and Temperature Data Chart ............................................... 17 Figure 12: Woodland Creek (18a) WY 2015 at Pleasant Glade Rd - Stage and Temperature Chart ...................... 18 Figure 13: Woodland Creek (18a) WY 2016 at Pleasant Glade Rd - Stage and Temperature Chart ....................... 18 Figure 14: Examples of Stream Stages for Water Years 2015 and 2016 in other Creeks in Thurston County – Eaton Creek (10a) flows into Lake St Clair, Woodard Creek (20a) flows to Henderson Inlet. ........................................... 19 Figure 15: Location of Groundwater Monitoring Wells in the Salmon Creek Basin............................................... 21 Figure 16: Groundwater well elevation data from LRS-08, Walter Court SW ......................................................... 22 Figure 17: Groundwater Elevations for the Eastern Basin Groundwater Monitoring Wells (Interstate 5 to Brooks Ln SE) ....................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Figure 18: Groundwater Elevations for the Western Basin (Interstate 5 to Littlerock Road) ................................ 24 Figure 19: Lake St. Clair Surface elevation Chart 1988 - 2016 ................................................................................ 27 Figure 20: Long Lake Surface Elevation Data 2011 – early 2017 ............................................................................ 28 Figure 21: Stage Chart for Black Lake for Water Years 2015 and 2016. There is a noticeable difference in the lake level between the two years in magnitude, shape, and duration of the distribution curve. The repeated peaks and drops of the level in the summer months is due to very active beaver dam construction and removal from the Black Ditch Outlet. .................................................................................................................................... 29 Thurston County Water Resources Annual Report toc ii Water Years 2015 and 2016 SUMMARY REPORT and ANALYSIS for WATER YEARS 2015 -2016 including Atmospheric, Streamflow,