WRIA 30 - Klickitat County Home

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Klickitat River BasinWatershed Management Planstream flow conditions in Swale Creek are unchanged relative to conditions prior todevelopment.Columbia Tributaries Subbasin The Columbia River is listed on Ecology’s 1998 303(d) listdue to exceedances of the State standards/criteria for total dissolved gas, temperature, andinstream flow.2.8.2 GROUND WATERMost ground water data were collected by water purveyors as part of their routine monitoring ofwater supply wells. Since the mid-1990s, one time testing of newly constructed residential wellshas been required, and this testing provided another source of ground water quality data. Thereis no large-scale ground water monitoring plan in place that can be used to evaluate potentialeffects of land use on ground water quality or long-term trends in water quality. The availabledata indicate that most ground water and monitored water supplies are well within drinking waterstandards, although some aquifers have high concentrations of sediments and the alluvial aquiferin the Swale Creek and lower Little Klickitat Subbasins has localized areas of elevated nitratelevels. Higher concentrations of nitrate tend to be found in wells that tap the upper 150 feet ofthe aquifer. Wells with elevated nitrate concentrations are correlated with elevated chlorideconcentrations, suggesting a septic source for the nitrate. A study conducted primarily in theSwale and Little Klickitat Subbasins (but also included samples from the middle and LowerKlickitat Subbasins) found no detectable fecal coliform concentrations in ground water samplesdrawn from wells.2.9 FISH HABITATActual data documenting fish population distributions, fish population size, and habitat qualitywithin the WRIA are sparse within the published record. A watershed analysis conducted in theupper Little Klickitat Subbasin provided in-depth information for that portion of the WRIA.Another study provided geomorphic information regarding the Swale Creek Subbasin. A studyaddressing the distribution of bull trout in the basin was also completed. Other published studiesprovided generalized descriptions or habitat conditions with limited reported data. The reader isreferred to the WRIA 30 Watershed Assessment, Appendix A, Section 3 for further discussionon this issue. Studies designed to document current fish distribution, habitat quality, and landuse interactions with aquatic habitat are highly recommended to fill this information gap.2.9.1 FISH POPULATIONSCurrently, there are three stocks of chinook salmon (spring, tule, upriver bright), coho salmon,two stocks of steelhead (summer, winter), bull trout, rainbow/redband trout, and mountain whitefish in the Klickitat watershed (Table 7), as well as several non-salmonid fish species. Winterand summer steelhead and bull trout are listed under the Endangered Species Act as threatened.Summer steelhead are known to be native to the Klickitat watershed. Winter steelhead were notobserved in the basin before the early 1980s, but are presumed in various documents to havebeen present historically. Tule fall chinook and coho were introduced starting in the 1940s andearly 1950s. Upriver bright fall chinook are also considered to be an introduced stock. Theywere first found in the basin in 1989. Information on current population size is not available.Existing Conditions 26 May 3, 2005
Klickitat River BasinWatershed Management PlanCurrently, hatchery spring and fall bright chinook salmon, coho salmon, and summer steelheadare released into the Klickitat River, and hatchery rainbow trout are released in the Goldendalearea of the Little Klickitat River. These hatchery released are primarily, if not entirely, forharvest augmentation purposes.Table 7: Klickitat River Watershed Salmon, Steelhead, and Bull Trout Stock Profiles(WDF and WDW 1992; WDFW 1998).Stock Major Subbasin(s) EndangeredSpecies ActSASSIStatus 4(ESA)Status 3Spring Chinook Lower and Middle Klickitat, Portions of UpperDepressedKlickitat, Little Klickitat, Swale Creek 2Fall (Tule)Lower and Middle KlickitatDepressedChinookFall UpriverLower and Middle KlickitatDepressedBright (URB)ChinookSummerLower and Middle Klickitat ?ChinookCoho 1Lower and Middle KlickitatDepressedPortions of Upper Klickitat, Little Klickitat 2WinterLower and Middle Klickitat, Upper Klickitat, Little Threatened UnknownSteelheadKlickitat, Swale Creek 2Summer Lower and Middle Klickitat, Upper Klickitat, Little Threatened UnknownSteelheadKlickitat, Swale Creek 2Bull Trout Upper Klickitat Threatened Unknown1 Note coho were introduced to the watershed starting in the 1940s and early 1950s and are not a native. Stockdepressed indicates that current numbers are lower than previous years.2 Distribution is limited to the lower 14 miles of Swale Creek. Distribution of chinook and coho in the LittleKlickitat is limited to the lower 6.1 miles of the stream. Passage of steelhead upstream of river mile 6.1 in the LittleKlickitat is uncertain, see text.3ESA status as of April, 20044 State Salmon and Steelhead Stock InventoryTo date, the carrying capacity of the watershed for salmonid species has not been determined andthe risks to indigenous wild fish populations posed by the release of large numbers of hatcheryfish have not been evaluated. A recent evaluation (Independent Scientific Review Panel (ISRP),2005) of proposed changes to hatchery programs and hatchery and fish passage facilities in theKlickitat basin indicates that the hatchery releases and fish harvest levels in the Klickitat Rivermay be limiting recovery of the indigenous wild spring chinook and steelhead stocks. Additionaldata and information on the fish aquaculture programs in the Klickitat basin is needed.Twelve races of four species of anadromous salmonids are found in the Columbia River withinthe WRIA waters (including those passing through to upstream watersheds) (Table 8). Seven ofthese races are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. TheExisting Conditions 27 May 3, 2005
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