National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Program Center Water Resources Stewardship Report Denali National Park and Preserve Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NRPC/WRD/NRTR—2007/051 ON THE COVER Photograph: Toklat River, Denali National Park and Preserve (Guy Adema, 2007) Water Resources Stewardship Report Denali National Park and Preserve Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NRPC/WRD/NRTR-2007/051 Kenneth F. Karle, P.E. Hydraulic Mapping and Modeling P.O. Box 181 Denali Park, Alaska 99755 September 2007 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resources Program Center Fort Collins, Colorado The Natural Resource Publication series addresses natural resource topics that are of interest and applicability to a broad readership in the National Park Service and to others in the management of natural resources, including the scientific community, the public, and the NPS conservation and environmental constituencies. Manuscripts are peer- reviewed to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and is designed and published in a professional manner. The Natural Resources Technical Reports series is used to disseminate the peer-reviewed results of scientific studies in the physical, biological, and social sciences for both the advancement of science and the achievement of the National Park Service’s mission. The reports provide contributors with a forum for displaying comprehensive data that are often deleted from journals because of page limitations. Current examples of such reports include the results of research that addresses natural resource management issues; natural resource inventory and monitoring activities; resource assessment reports; scientific literature reviews; and peer reviewed proceedings of technical workshops, conferences, or symposia. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations and data in this report are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the U.S. Department of the Interior, NPS. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the National Park Service. Printed copies of reports in these series may be produced in a limited quantity and they are only available as long as the supply lasts. This report is also available from the NPS Water Resources Division technical reports website on the internet, or by sending a request to the address on the back cover. (http://www.nature.nps.gov/water/wrdpub.cfm) Please cite this publication as: Karle, K.F. 2007. Water Resources Stewardship Report, Denali National Park and Preserve. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NRPC/WRD/NRTR—2007/051 National Park Service. Ft. Collins, Colorado. NPS D-381, September 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES.............................................................................................................iii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................ 1 Water Resource Goal-Water Quality.............................................................................. 2 Water Resource Goal-Functional Morphology............................................................... 3 Water Resource Goal-Navigability Determination......................................................... 3 SECTION 1.0 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 5 1.1 Scope and Purpose of Report.................................................................................... 6 1.2 New NPS Planning Overview................................................................................... 6 SECTION 2.0 FUNDAMENTAL WATER RESOURCES.............................................. 9 2.1 Policies and Legislation ............................................................................................ 9 2.2 Fundamental Water Resources ............................................................................... 10 SECTION 3.0 WATER RESOURCE GOALS ............................................................... 12 3.1 Guidelines For Water Resource Goals.................................................................... 12 3.2 Water Resource Goal-Water Quality...................................................................... 14 3.3 Water Resource Goal-Functional Morphology....................................................... 15 3.4 Water Resource Goal-Navigability Determination................................................. 15 SECTION 4.0 SUMMARY OF WATER RESOURCE INFORMATION..................... 17 4.1 General Water Quality Studies ............................................................................... 17 4.2 Long-Term Ecological Monitoring......................................................................... 21 4.3 Kantishna Hills Studies........................................................................................... 24 SECTION 5.0 EXISTING WATER RESUORCE CONDITIONS................................. 28 5.1 Streams and Rivers-Water Quality ......................................................................... 29 5.2 Streams and Rivers-Morphology ............................................................................ 31 5.3 Lakes and Ponds ..................................................................................................... 34 5.4 Groundwater Aquifers ............................................................................................ 34 5.5 Glaciers ................................................................................................................... 34 5.6 Wetlands ................................................................................................................. 35 SECTION 6.0 MANAGEMENT ACTIONS THAT IMPEDE WATER RESOURCE GOALS ............................................................................................................................. 36 6.1 Issues Currently Affecting Fundamental Water Resources.................................... 36 6.2 Management Issues-Potential Impacts To Water Resource Goals ......................... 40 6.3 Proposed Actions From Outside Entities................................................................ 42 SECTION 7.0 STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING WATER RESOURCE GOALS ...... 45 7.1 Water Resource Goals............................................................................................. 45 7.2 Water Resource Goal: Water Quality ................................................................... 46 7.3 Water Resource Goal-Functional Morphology...................................................... 55 7.4 Water Resource Goal-Navigability Determination................................................ 62 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 65 APPENDIX A TREND ANALYSIS FOR WATER RESOURCES.............................. 71 ii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Key elements for Water Resource Goal: Water Quality.................................... 46 Table 2. Key elements for Water Resource Goal: Functional Morphology .................... 56 Table 3. Suspended sediment and turbidity data sets for the Kantishna Hills............... 733 iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. The new NPS framework for planning and decision making............................. 7 Figure 2. Mean pH and alkalinity values for north side versus south side streams......... 18 Figure 3. Cumulative mass balance at the Traleika Glacier index site............................ 25 Figure 4. Sampling sites for the Edwards and Tranel water quality study. ..................... 30 Figure 5. Cross-sections from Rock Creek, DENA Long-Term Monitoring Program. .. 32 Figure 6. Typical existing conditions for stream channel and floodplain disturbed by placer mining. ................................................................................................................... 38 Figure 7. Healy basin proposed exploration license area. ............................................... 42 Figure 8. Three potential transportation corridors for the proposed State of Alaska North Access road. ...................................................................................................................... 44 iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The objective of this Water Resources Stewardship Report is to build from the “Water Resources Information and Issues Overview Report” (The Mangi Environmental Group, 2005) and develop an interim set of water resource goals for the fundamental water resources at Denali National Park and Preserve. This report identifies issues preventing the achievement of the water resource goals, and develops strategies that work through those issues and towards the goals. These goals and strategies are intended to be reviewed and updated every five to ten years. The Denali General Management Plan (GMP) was completed in 1986. Though fundamental resources of the park were not described as such, descriptions of resources in the document enforced the importance of various landscape components as part of a more complete ecosystem. One of the most important components of the ecosystem at Denali is water. Its physical availability and quality are critical determinants of a park’s overall natural resource