Highlights Hydrologic Year 2000

Watershed Watch
:
The Sunny Brae Sediment Lab processed over 1200 turbidity and suspended sediment samples from over 6 watersheds including tributaries in Freshwater Creek, Elk River, Headwaters Grove, South Fork Eel, South Fork Trinity, Jolly Giant Creek and Humboldt Redwoods State Park. All these samples were taken with the help of residents of these watersheds and other volunteers.

Storm Monitoring Results:
This winter there were 13 storm events in the Freshwater watershed. This year has been characterized as a moderate rainfall year in Northern California. Suspended sediment load estimates would be even greater in a wetter year. This year more than 4.5 million kilograms of sediment went down the mainstem of Freshwater Creek. This is equal to over 220 truckloads of dry sediment. The drainage upstream of the station equals 13.3 square miles, therefore an estimated 375 tons per square mile.

Each of the 3 biggest storms moved more than a million kilograms of sediment past the sampling station in Freshwater. (A million kilograms of sediment is equal to 1100 tons or 49 ten-yard truckloads.) The storm of 1/11 produced 2.0 inches of rain and 1.2 million kgs of sediment mobilized. The storm of 1/14 produced 2.0 inches of rain and mobilized 1.1 million kgs of suspended sediment. The storm of 2/14 produced 1.6 inches of rain and 1.0 million kilograms of sediment. Each of these storms resulted in extended periods of turbidity levels where salmon can't see to feed, growth is stunted and young fish have less of a chance for survival in the open ocean. These storms also flooded the roads in Freshwater, created a public nuisance and blocked access by residents to their homes and families.

These storm events, compared to similar storm events in the past, should not have resulted in the flooding and is an adverse cumulative effect of filling of the channel due to land use activities upstream. Pacific Lumber has released a follow up report to it's discredited first report on flooding in Elk River and Freshwater Creek and admits logging practices have contributed sediment and caused increased flooding in Freshwater Creek.

This is clearly magnitudes above " background " levels of turbidity and suspended sediment. Imagine adding the contributions from Graham Gulch, McCready, Cloney and the south fork of Freshwater Creek. This watershed is clearly impaired from its turbidity and suspended sediment load.

Thanks to Residents:
Salmon Forever would like to thank the residents of Elk River, Freshwater Creek and the S. Fork Eel River for collecting samples and helping volunteers. We would especially like to thank Michelle Anderson, Tisa Cook, Bob London, Terry Roelofs, Rand Eads, Joyce King, Wendy Ring, Paula Rhude, Liza Gagnon, Neil Mock and all the other field and lab volunteers. They braved the elements to collect samples and worked long hours in the lab. Thanks to Redwood Community Action Agency for providing lab supplies and equipment. A special Thank You goes to Redwood Sciences Lab for support and Ben Bray for conducting the data analysis and setting the Website up.

Headwaters - BLM:
Some of our monitoring has been a cooperative effort with the BLM and landowners in the Elk River watershed. We would like to thank the BLM for supporting any and all monitoring in the Headwaters Preserve.

Turbidity and Suspended Sediment sampling has been done on both the North and South Fork Elk Rivers. Salmon Forever wishes to continue these efforts and urges the BLM to expand it's water quality monitoring in the Headwaters Forest Preserve. Salmon Forever intends to install an ISCO sampling station downstream of the preserve this fall.

The Headwaters Preserve is a very valuable example of an un-managed old growth watershed. An opportunity exists to collect baseline data on water quality parameters for this stand and soil type. Baseline sampling of this type can allow effects of recreation, restoration and land management activities to be monitored and trends be developed. Salmon Forever has initiated sampling at over 20 sites on the South Fork Elk River. These sites range from just above the confluence of the North and South Fork Elk Rivers to into Headwaters Grove.

Grab Sampling:
Salmon Forever has been working on an alternative method of monitoring, "grab sampling", which is an inexpensive technique that can be readily performed by trained community volunteers, students, and agency personnel. Salmon Forever volunteers have used this method to take thousands of samples from north coast streams since 1997. A rigorous evaluation of grab sampling methods that is sufficient to determine the number of samples needed to adequately characterize watershed response would allow this valuable tool to be confidently relied upon for watershed assessment and restoration prioritization.

Grab sampling methods will be evaluated in the context of the continuous baseline record to develop an effective and efficient monitoring protocol. Sufficient data will be collected to test and refine grab-sampling methods. Preliminary evaluation of data, by Dr. Leslie Reid, collected at the Freshwater site during hydrologic year 2000, indicates that between 25 and 100 samples are needed to confidently characterize watershed response, depending on protocol parameters. From the data collected by this project, a protocol for Grab Sampling that provides reliable, reproducible results can be produced.

Control Watersheds - Soil Types:
Salmon Forever is trying to use grab sampling to answer the question -
Are the turbidity levels, using rating curves of study tributaries, significantly higher than the "baseline" turbidity levels of less-disturbed tributaries (such as that which can be defined using information being collected by Redwood National Park at Little Lost Man Creek or Godwood Creek in Prairie Creek State Park or collected by Salmon Forever at Headwaters Forest or Humboldt Redwoods State Park or Standish-Hickey State Park) on similar soil types/geologic parent material/physiography/vegetation type in the region?

Salmon Forever is measuring suspended sediment concentration, turbidity and discharge during storm runoff in undisturbed tributaries of Humboldt Redwood State Park, Headwaters Forest, Redwood National Park, and Standish-Hickey State Park to use as a baseline to determine natural background levels for a suite of soil types.

Raw Data and Analysis Report on CD:
The raw data and the results of Salmon Forever's monitoring program in Freshwater watershed are available on a CD. These PC format CD's can be obtained by mailing the Freshwater Working Group at 341 Howard Heights Drive Eureka Ca 95503. It can also be down loaded off the Redwood Sciences Lab Website. Go to the link on this page.

Funding:
Salmon Forever needs your support to continue and to expand water quality monitoring in watersheds in Northern California. $20 will buy a box of 6 turbidity sample bottles.
Please send contributions or to find out how you can help by writing to
Salmon Forever - PO Box 1304 - McKinleyville Ca 95519