Assessment - Southern Oregon Digital Archives

Executive Summary
The Williams Creek Watershed Assessment contains technical information about past and present
conditions in the watershed, identifies data gaps, suggests further information gathering and
recommends restoration activities. This document updates and expands on information collected
for three watershed assessments related to the Williams Creek Watershed: Applegate River
Watershed Assessment (ARWC 1994); Williams Creek Watershed Analysis (BLM 1996); and
the Southwest Oregon Salmon Restoration Initiative (Prevost et al. 1997). The information
found in this Assessment has been compiled from these documents in addition to technical
reports, management plans, stream survey reports, aerial photographs, maps, field surveys,
agency databases and personal interviews. References have been provided at the end of each
chapter. The Williams Creek Watershed Action Plan supplements this document with a detailed
strategy for achieving restoration and protection goals. The Williams Creek Watershed
Assessment was conducted in response to a need for more detailed information on the aquatic
health of the Williams Creek watershed. The purpose of this Assessment is to identify factors that
are limiting fish productivity, water quality and aquatic health in the watershed, and to identify
areas of the watershed in need of restoration or protection.
Basis of concern:
The Williams Creek Watershed contains spawning, rearing and over-wintering grounds for
several species of anadromous fish, including coho and chinook salmon, winter and summer
steelhead, and Pacific lamprey. Over 150 miles of potential fish habitat exist in Williams Creek
and its tributaries. Declining salmon populations on the West Coast of North America have
prompted numerous federal listings under the Endangered Species Act. The Southern
Oregon/Northern California run of coho salmon, which spawns in Williams Creek and its main
tributaries, was listed as a federally ‘threatened’ species in 1997. The Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife (ODFW) has also designated coho salmon as a sensitive species, and Oregon
Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) has identified cold-water fish (salmon and trout)
as an impacted beneficial use in Williams Creek and West Fork Williams Creek. Within the
Williams Creek system, there are 25 miles of coho habitat, five miles of which are considered
‘core area’ habitat. Fall chinook, which spawn in the lower reaches of Williams Creek, were also
proposed for listing by the National Marine Fisheries Service in 1998. The listing of this species
was determined to be unwarranted at that time. Winter and summer steelhead are found in the
main stem of Williams Creek, East and West Forks of Williams Creek, Powell Creek, and
Munger Creek. The Klamath Mountain Province steelhead trout was designated as a candidate
for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act in 1998. Pacific lamprey, found in the
mainstem of Williams Creek, are considered a “vulnerable” species by ODFW.
Watershed Concerns:
• Streamflow and Water Use There are 397 water rights granted to users on Williams
Creek and its tributaries. Currently, the Williams Creek Watershed has more surface water
allocated for use than there is natural streamflow. The State holds five instream water rights on
Williams Creek and its major tributaries for supporting aquatic life and minimizing pollution.
However, streamflow levels of Williams Creek in summer do not meet fishery flow levels as
determined by ODFW. Factors contributing to this condition include: over-allocation of surface
water, illegal water diversions, inefficient irrigation systems, decreased water-holding capacity
due to land management practices. OWRD and ODFW have designated all four major
subwatersheds in the Williams Creek Watershed as “priority water availability basins (WABS)”
for flow restoration.
Williams Creek Watershed Assessment
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