Water Quality Restoration Plan Southern Oregon Coastal Basin Big Butte Creek Watershed Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Medford District Butte Falls Resource Area January 2008 Big Butte Creek Watershed at a Glance Hydrologic Unit Code Number 1710030704 (Big Butte Creek) WQRP Area/Ownership Total: 158,330 acres BLM: 29,544 acres (19%) U. S. Forest Service: 58,168 acres (37%) City of Medford: 1,427 acres (1%) Private: 69,144 acres (44%) Oregon Dept. of Forestry: 40 acres (<1%) 303(d) Stream Miles Assessed Total: 54.2 miles BLM Ownership: 17.2 miles 303(d) Listed Parameters Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, E. Coli Key Resources and Uses Salmonids, domestic, aesthetic Known Human Activities Agriculture, forestry, roads, recreation, rural residential development Natural Factors Geology: volcanic Soils: various series and complexes Water Quality Restoration Plan for BLM-Administered Lands in the Big Butte Creek Watershed – January 2008 Statement of Purpose This water quality restoration plan is prepared to meet the requirements of Section 303(d) of the 1972 Federal Clean Water Act. i Water Quality Restoration Plan for BLM-Administered Lands in the Big Butte Creek Watershed – January 2008 Table of Contents Page Element 1 Condition Assessment and Problem Description ................................................. 1 A. Introduction........................................................................................................ 1 B. Watershed Characterization................................................................................. 4 C. Temperature....................................................................................................... 15 D. E. coli ................................................................................................................ 24 E. Dissolved Oxygen.............................................................................................. 22 Element 2 Goals and Objectives............................................................................................. 26 Element 3 Proposed Management Measures........................................................................ 29 Element 4 Time Line for Implementation............................................................................. 30 Element 5 Responsible Parties ............................................................................................... 30 Element 6 Reasonable Assurance of Implementation.......................................................... 31 Element 7 Monitoring and Evaluation .................................................................................. 31 Element 8 Public Involvement ............................................................................................... 33 Element 9 Costs and Funding .............................................................................................. 34 Element 10 Citation to Legal Authorities................................................................................ 35 References .................................................................................................................................... 36 List of Preparers .......................................................................................................................... 38 ii Water Quality Restoration Plan for BLM-Administered Lands in the Big Butte Creek Watershed – January 2008 List of Tables Page 1. Beneficial uses in the Big Butte Creek Watershed.......................................................................... 1 2. Sensitive Beneficial Uses in the Big Butte Creek Watershed ..........................................................1 3. 2004/2006 303(d) Listings in the Big Butte Creek Watershed........................................................ 2 4. Ownership within the Big Butte Creek Watershed ..........................................................................6 5. Summary of Watershed Conditions on BLM-Administered Lands in the Big Butte Creek Watershed............................................................................................................14 6. 303(d) Temperature-Listed Reaches in the Big Butte Creek Watershed .......................................16 7. Temperature Summary for the Big Butte Creek Watershed...........................................................17 8. Percent-Effective Shade Targets for BLM-Managed Lands in Big Butte Creek Watershed .........21 9. 303(d) E. Coli-Listed Reaches in the Big Butte Creek Watershed.................................................23 10. 303(d) DO-Listed Reaches in the Big Butte Creek Watershed ......................................................25 11. Recovery Goals for BLM-Administered Lands in the Big Butte Creek Watershed ......................27 List of Figures Page 1. Location of the Big Butte Creek Watershed.....................................................................................4 2. Rogue Basin and the Upper Rogue Subbasin...................................................................................5 3. Watersheds in the Upper Rogue Subbasin .......................................................................................6 4. BLM Land Ownership in the Big Butte Creek Watershed...............................................................7 5. Coho Distribution in the Big Butte Creek Watershed ....................................................................10 6. Chinook Distribution in the Big Butte Creek Watershed ...............................................................11 7. Steelhead Distribution in the Big Butte Creek Watershed .............................................................12 8. Resident Trout Distribution in the Big Butte Creek Watershed.....................................................13 9. 2004/2006 303(d) Temperature-Listed Streams in Big Butte Creek Watershed............................17 10. 2004/2006 303(d) E. coli-Listed Streams in the Big Butte Creek Watershed................................23 11. 2004/2006 303(d) DO-Listed Streams in the Big Butte Creek Watershed ....................................25 iii Water Quality Restoration Plan for BLM-Administered Lands in the Big Butte Creek Watershed – January 2008 Element 1. Condition Assessment and Problem Description A. Introduction This document describes how the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will meet Oregon water quality standards for 303(d) listed streams on BLM-administered lands within the Big Butte Creek Watershed. It contains information that will support the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) development of the Rogue Basin Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). Its organization is designed to be consistent with the DEQ’s Rogue Basin Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP) when it is completed. The area covered by this Water Quality Restoration Plan (WQRP) includes all lands managed by the BLM Medford District within the Big Butte Creek Watershed. Beneficial Uses The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission has adopted numeric and narrative water quality standards to protect designated beneficial uses (Table 1). In practice, water quality standards have been set at a level to protect the most sensitive uses. Cold-water aquatic life such as salmon and trout are the most sensitive beneficial uses (Table 2) in the Rogue Basin (ODEQ 2004:5). Seasonal standards may be applied for uses that do not occur year-round. Table 1. Beneficial Uses in the Big Butte Creek Watershed (ODEQ 2004:5) Beneficial Use Occurring Beneficial Use Occurring Public Domestic Water Supply 9 Anadromous Fish Passage 9 Private Domestic Water Supply 9 Salmonid Fish Spawning 9 Industrial Water Supply 9 Salmonid Fish Rearing 9 Irrigation 9 Resident Fish and Aquatic Life 9 Livestock Watering 9 Wildlife and Hunting 9 Boating 9 Fishing 9 Aesthetic Quality 9 Water Contact Recreation 9 Commercial Navigation & Trans. Hydro Power 9 Table 2. Sensitive Beneficial Uses in the Big Butte Creek Watershed Sensitive Beneficial Use Species1 Salmonid Fish Spawning and Rearing Coho (t), summer and winter steelhead trout (c), spring chinook Resident Fish and Aquatic Life Resident Fish: Rainbow trout, cutthroat trout (c), sucker, sculpin Other Aquatic Life: Pacific giant salamander, western pond turtle (s), beaver, and other species of frogs, salamanders, and snakes 1/ Status: (t) = threatened under Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA); (c) = candidate; and (s) = sensitive. Listing Status Section 303 of the Clean Water Act of 1972, as amended by the Water Quality Act of 1987, provides direction for designation of beneficial uses and limiting discharge of pollutants to waters of the state. The DEQ includes streams that do not meet established water quality criteria for one or more beneficial uses 1 Water Quality Restoration Plan for BLM-Administered Lands in the Big Butte Creek Watershed – January 2008 on the state’s 303(d) list, which is revised every two years, and submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for approval. Section 303 of the Clean Water Act further requires that TMDLs be developed for waters included on the 303(d) list. A TMDL defines the amount of pollution that can be present in the waterbody without causing water quality standards to be violated. A WQMP is developed to describe a strategy for reducing water pollution to the level of the load allocations and waste load allocations prescribed in the TMDL. The approach is designed to restore the water quality and result in compliance with the water quality standards, thus protecting the designated