Nehalem River Basin: Technical Assistance for Watershed Data Synthesis, Restoration, and Outreach Priorities 4/16/2008

Goal Support Council’s outreach campaign to recruit landowners for participation in habitat restoration projects

Tasks TaskDescriptionStatus 1Document approach 2Draft data synthesis 3Meet with TAC to review maps & approach Today 4Draft prioritization 5Meet with TAC to review prioritization 6Technical assistance 7Finalize documents

Data Synthesis TIER I: Robust Data and Spatially Extensive Coho distribution & Intrinsic Potential ODFW/Boswell Aquatic Habitat Inventory TIER II: Supporting Data (less robust/extensive) DEQ 303 (d) list for temperature and e-coli FLIR (water temperature) PSU Riparian/LWD/shade analyses DEQ Macroinvertebrate data ODFW/OWRD flow restoration priorities Tidal wetland restoration priorities – Greenpoint Consulting

Data Synthesis TIER III: Supplemental Information OWEB completed aquatic / riparian restoration projects Turbidity data (UNWC/DEQ) Summarize hydrograph (flood history; low flows) ADDITIONAL: Information to Support the Map Products Geology Aerial photography

Coho distribution & Intrinsic Potential

Aquatic Habitat Inventories ODFW ~360 reaches surveyed ( ) Boswell Consultants ~ 430 reaches surveyed ( ) Data used to prioritize reaches for:  LWD placement  Riparian enhancement  Passage barrier removal

Aquatic Habitat Inventories Large wood placement priority  Coho present  Unconstrained valley bottom (VWI >2)  Channel width small enough for wood to stay in place after floods (ACW < 12 meters)  Currently lacks LWD (<2.0 Key pieces/100m)

Aquatic Habitat Inventories

Riparian enhancement priority  Riparian vegetation dominated by hardwoods, shrubs, or grass  Low shade cover (< 70%)  Conifers not well established in riparian zone  Current land use would allow riparian enhancement

Aquatic Habitat Inventories

Artificial Fish Passage Barriers priority  Low gradient streams  Gradient of the reach made accessible  Area of land drained  Fish presence below culvert  Estimated cost of culvert replacement.

Aquatic Habitat Inventories

ODEQ 303(d) list: Water Temperature & Fecal Coliform

ODEQ 303(d) list: Water Temp. (All delisted; TMDL approved)

ODEQ 303(d) list: Fecal Coliform (All delisted; TMDL approved) Criteria: Fecal coliform median of 14 organisms per 100 ml; no more than 10% > 43 organisms per 100 ml

ODEQ FLIR data

PSU Riparian/LWD/shade analyses 1999 Watershed Analysis Used draft OWEB methods Supplemental material using final OWEB methods?

PSU Riparian/ LWD/shade analyses

DEQ Macroinvertebrate data Samples collected 1998 – 2004 DEQ evaluated aquatic community relative to temperature and fine sediment, summarized each year as 1) Impaired or 2) Equivalent to Reference Condition. Results mapped as:  GREEN:Not Impaired  YELLOW:Intermediate in evaluation.  RED:Impaired.  ROSE:Flagged as outside the predictive model

DEQ Macroinvertebrate data

OWRD/ODFW Flow Restoration Priorities

Tidal wetlands – Greenpoint Consulting

OWEB restoration inventory

Turbidity data (UNWC/DEQ)

Peak flow history

Low flows gage , Nehalem River near Foss: Priority Date: 5/9/1973 7/1 – 9/30 rate = 90 cfs gage , Nehalem R. near Vernonia: Priority Date: 5/9/1973 7/1 – 9/30 rate = 5 cfs

Low flows

Geology Volcanics / Intrusives: Higher gradient, highly bisected drainage network Larger substrate (pebbles and boulders) and fewer pools. Sedimentary: Lower gradient, more secondary channels Sandy substrate, pool rich.

Geology

Proposed 6 th -field subwatershed summaries: Coho distribution & Intrinsic potential LWD & Riparian priorities 303 (d) listed reaches Barriers Completed restoration projects Landownership Orthophotos as base map

Example 6 th -field subwatershed

Questions for TAC: Sixth field watershed maps & summaries Prioritization approach (based on summaries) Deliverables:  Sixth-field maps (hardcopies)  Habitat survey summaries  GIS data for all Tier 1-4 data  Web-based tool for downloading digital data