Biological Opinions - Bureau of Reclamation

must include adequate substrate, water quality, water quantity, water temperature, and water
velocity to ensure successful redd building, egg deposition and egg to fry survival. Coho salmon
spawn in smaller tributary streams from November through January in the ESU.
The action area encompasses habitat for one entire diversity stratum (out of seven) as well as one
population in another stratum in the SONCC coho salmon ESU. Coho salmon that inhabit the
action area occupy temperate coastal regions as well as arid inland areas stretching from IGD to
the north, all the way to the estuary, roughly 190 river miles to the southwest. The geographic
distribution of coho salmon in the Klamath Basin covers approximately 38 percent of the entire
ESU. Thus, the conservation value of the designated critical habitat in the action area is
important for the species.
The Lower Klamath River is not discussed here in the critical habitat section because it falls
within the boundaries of the Yurok Tribe Reservation, and tribal lands are excluded from the
critical habitat designation. Similarly, habitat above IGD is not discussed here because the
current critical habitat designation includes accessible reaches of the mainstem only up to IGD.
11.3.1 Habitat Conditions in the Action Area
This section will address habitat conditions and factors affecting conditions for coho salmon
within the west side of the action area, which includes the mainstem Klamath River to the Pacific
Ocean and the major tributaries of the Klamath River between IGD and the Salmon River
(inclusive).
11.3.1.1 Water Quality
Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act requires States to identify water bodies that do not meet
water quality objectives and are not supporting their designated beneficial uses. Much of the
Klamath basin is currently listed as water-quality impaired under section 303(d) of the Clean
Water Act (Table 11.3). As such, total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) have been developed by
Oregon, California, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for specific
impaired water bodies, with the intent to protect and restore beneficial uses of water. TMDLs
estimate a water body’s capacity to assimilate pollutants without exceeding water quality
standards and set limits on the amount of pollutants that can be added and still protect identified
beneficial uses. Additional information regarding Oregon TMDLs can be found on the Oregon
Department of Environmental Quality website
(http://www.deq.state.or.us/WQ/TMDLs/klamath.htm) and California TMDLs on the North
Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (NCRWQCB) website (http://www.swrcb.ca.
gov/northcoast/water_issues/programs/tmdls/index.shtml).
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