1. Butte Creek Sources to Chico T. E. Chapman CE 296B Assignment #4

2. CE 296B, May 12, 1998 Butte Creek - Sources to Chico Upper Butte Creek Watershed  Watershed Overview  Waterbodies & Water Use  Land Use  Beneficial Uses  Nonpoint Source Pollution Sources  Management of Nonpoint Source Pollution

3. CE 296B, May 12, 1998 Butte Creek - Sources to Chico Watershed Overview  Upper Butte Creek Western slope of Sierra Nevada range ~ 130,600 acres  Butte, Tehema, Plumas counties Mountainous, sparsely developed region  Rugged terrain –47% less than 7% slope –30% between 7-15% slope –23% over 15% slope

4. CE 296B, May 12, 1998 Butte Creek - Sources to Chico Watershed Overview (cont.)  Population ~ 35,000 “Main” Cities –Paradise, Magalia, Centerville, Butte Meadows  Average precipitation 59.62 in/yr  Sources of water drainage from western slope of Sierra Nevada

5. CE 296B, May 12, 1998 Butte Creek - Sources to Chico Waterbodies & Water Use  Primary Streams Butte Creek, Middle Butte Creek, Little Butte Creek  296 linear miles of streams  avg. 275,200 acre-ft/yr surface water flow  ~ 127,000 acre-ft/yr surface water withdrawl for agricultural use  Man-made waterbodies Hydroelectric  1 dam & 2 canals

6. CE 296B, May 12, 1998 Butte Creek - Sources to Chico Waterbodies & Water Use (cont.)  Man-made waterbodies (cont.) Irrigation  57 dams Major Reservoirs  Paradise (irrigation) - 11,500 acre-ft  Magalia (irrigation) - 2,900 acre-ft Butte Creek flow from watershed  406 cfs average daily mean flow  911 cfs daily mean wet weather flow  81 cfs daily mean dry weather flow

7. CE 296B, May 12, 1998 Butte Creek - Sources to Chico Average Daily Mean Flow by Year

8. CE 296B, May 12, 1998 Butte Creek - Sources to Chico Land Use  7,600 acres residential urban, suburban, sprawling rural residential  10,500 acres agricultural grazing and animal husbandry  111,900 acres undeveloped forest former mining areas undeveloped lands

9. CE 296B, May 12, 1998 Butte Creek - Sources to Chico Land Use (cont.)  Mining 13 inactive mines  mine tailings common feature of streams  Habitat 476 riparian species  6 special status species 35 potential fish species  11 native species throughout watershed

10. CE 296B, May 12, 1998 Butte Creek - Sources to Chico Beneficial Uses  Primary Water supply  Agricultural –Paradise Irrigation District –Durham Mutual Irrigation District –Ranchers  Municipal Habitat  Riparian  Aquatic  Secondary Recreation  Contact –Rafting, boating  Non-contact –Fishing –Hiking  Hydroelectric power

11. CE 296B, May 12, 1998 Butte Creek - Sources to Chico Nonpoint Source Issues  Primary nonpoint sources of pollution Animal waste  biostimulants, pathogens Surface run-off  Developed areas  Historical human uses –Mining & logging  Toxic inorganics, biostimulants, sediments Septic tanks  biostimulants, pathogens

12. CE 296B, May 12, 1998 Butte Creek - Sources to Chico Nonpoint Source Issues (cont.)  Impaired Existing Beneficial Uses Habitat  Aquatic habitat sediments –biostimulants, sediments  Riparian habitat –biostimulants, toxic inorganics Recreation  depleted fisheries

13. CE 296B, May 12, 1998 Butte Creek - Sources to Chico Primary Nonpoint Source Pollutant Problems  Little Butte Creek Pollutants  Biostimulants –“Suburban” run-off –Animal waste –Septic systems  Sediments –Upstream erosion –Development –Dam operations  Other Streams Pollutants  Biostimulants –Animal Waste –Septic systems  Sediments –Upstream erosion –Development –Dam & power operations

14. CE 296B, May 12, 1998 Butte Creek - Sources to Chico Management of Nonpoint Source Pollution  Reducing Sedimentation Maintain healthy groundcover on steep slopes  restrict further logging  “buy back” lands along creek for preservation Implement BMPs for suburban and sprawling residential areas  small detention basins  construction & livestock erosion control  limit further creek side development

15. CE 296B, May 12, 1998 Butte Creek - Sources to Chico Management of Nonpoint Source Pollution (cont.)  Reducing Sedimentation (cont.) Remove dams and diversions in “key” spawning areas  probably not socioeconomically feasible Require minimum flows along creeks  also needed for restoring fisheries

16. CE 296B, May 12, 1998 Butte Creek - Sources to Chico Management of Nonpoint Source Pollution (cont.)  Reducing biostimulants implement BMPs for suburban and sprawling residential areas  improved septic systems or switch to sanitary sewers –probably not socioeconomically feasible  other BMPs –green waste –stormwater collection (towns) BMPs for animal waste –difficult due to large number of small holding areas