Dungeness River Watershed
2001 Milestone Restoration and Conservation Activities
Prepared by: Dungeness River
Management Team
WATER RESOURCES:
Project
Name/Logistics
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Project Description |
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Water Conservation (Irrigation Ditch Piping) Projects Contributors: Dungeness
River Agricultural Water Users Association (WUA), Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe
(JSKT) (IAC-SRFB), Clallam Conservation District (CCD), (Centennial Clean
Water Fund and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation), Dungeness Irrig. Contact: Mike
Jeldness, WUA, 360-683-4331, Shawn Hines, JSKT, 360-681-4664, Joe Holtrop,
CCD, 360-452-1912 Project
Status: Dungeness, Agnew, Clallam, and Cline projects are near
completion. Highland projects will be
complete by April 2002. Sequim-Prairie-Tri
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As part of an on-going
effort to implement recommendations from the WUA Comprehensive
Water Conservation Plan (1999), the Tribe and CCD have been active in
administering grant funded projects which involve piping several miles of
leaking irrigation ditches within the Dungeness Watershed. The CCD, with technical assistance from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service provided engineering and design assistance for many of these projects. Primary objectives include: increasing useable salmonid habitat in the Dungeness River by improving irrigation system efficiency and thereby conserving instream flows; and to
improve habitat for salmonids by protecting water quality via lowering
instream temperatures. In some cases,
irrigation districts/ companies provided much of the work themselves, enabling
implementation of several more projects than were originally projected in the
grant application. Project site location descriptions for
2001 are available from the Tribe. Clallam Conservation District was awarded $87,000
by the Washington State Conservation Commission to provide technical
assistance to irrigators in order to improve
the efficiency of the irrigation deliver system and on-farm irrigation
practices. As much as $1.5 million could be available in 2002-03 for ditch
piping and other improvements. |
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Drought Leases
Contributors: WUA,
Department of Ecology (DOE), CCD Contact: Cynthia
Nelson, DOE, 360-407-0276; Mike
Jeldness, WUA, 360-683-4331 Project
Status: Details are included in the 2001 Drought Response Report to the
Legislature (DOE Publication # 01-11-017), a publication produced by DOE,
December 2001 (see URL: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/0111017.pdf). |
The DOE allocated funds
for water right leases to farmers in order to keep trust water in the
Dungeness River. DOE worked with the
WUA to commit more than 1,000 acres of normally irrigated land to the
temporary water trust program.
Between August 1 and September 15 (the end of the irrigation season),
irrigators removed approximately 20 percent of their acreage from
production. This action augmented
stream flows to protect spawning salmon.
Collectively, the leased water from the Dungeness River corresponded
to about 460 acre-feet. |
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Real-Time Monitoring on Dungeness Irrigation
Diversions Contributors: WUA, DOE Contact: Lyn Coleman, DOE,
360-407-0276; Mike Jeldness, WUA, 360-683-4331 Project Status: Installation was completed
Spring 2001, and measuring devices are fully functional. Data generated from these stations is
currently being managed by Ecology. |
This project entitled equipping the five irrigation outtakes with real-time monitoring devices that measure flow and temperature. The data will assist the WUA in implementing the Trust Water Right agreement with Department of Ecology. Previous day’s data can be obtained from the Department of Ecology web page: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/eap/flow/shu_dung_irrig.html |
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Seepage and
Main-stem Aquifer Characterization
Contributors: US
Geological Survey (USGS), DOE Contact: Cynthia
Nelson, DOE, 360-407-0276; Bill Simonds, USGS, 253-428-3600 x2669 Project
Status: Preliminary results were presented to DRMT in October 2001. Final report due in early 2002. |
In 1999, the USGS began conducting a study of the Dungeness River flow and the shallow aquifer in the area. Fieldwork was completed in Fall 2001. Objectives of the study include: to determine the relationship between the Dungeness River and groundwater i.e. to determine where the water is being exchanged; to examine the effects of rain and snow on the exchange; and to provide estimates of streambed conductance. |
Upper Dungeness
Acquifer Study - Final Report: Relationship Between the Upper Dungeness River
and the Bedrock Aquifer, Clallam County
Contributors: DOE’s
Environmental Assistance Program (EAP); Contact: Tom Gibbons,
EAP, 360-407-6638 Project
Status: The
project report was published December
2001 and is available at: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0103027.html |
A synoptic-flow (seepage
run) study was conducted on the upper Dungeness River in September and
October 2000, and a final report was published
December 2001. The study reach is
located between the Gray Wolf confluence (RM 15.9) and the upper USGS stream gage site (RM
11.8). The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship
between the upper Dungeness River and the underlying bedrock aquifer and to
attain synoptic-flow data to examine river gains and
losses in the study reach. A
description of the study area,
methods, results, and recommendations are all included in the study
publication. |
UPPER
WATERSHED:
Project
Name/Logistics
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Project Description |
Dungeness USFS Roads Decommissioning ~ 3.4 miles(Fall 2000 SRFB Project) Contributors: Partnership with Clallam Conservation District (CCD) (SRFB grant
sponsor), Pacific Coast Watershed Project, and Olympic National Forest
(ONF). Contact: Scott Hagerty, USFS, 360-765-2200; Joe Holtrop, CCD, 360-452-1912 Project Status: Initiated. Decommission and repair planning/survey/design and contract
awarded 2001. Implementation to begin July 2002. Publication expected 2002-2003. |
Road decommissioning in 2001 consisted of removing culverts, unstable fill-slopes, ripping
road surface, and outsloping segments.
Soil bioengineering techniques for soil stabilization will also be
performed as a component of the project in 2002-2003. The project will result in a total of
approximately 3.4 miles of decommissioned roads, of which 0.4 miles will be
converted to trail. Why is the decommissioning
and stabilization separated? The Conservation District agreed to sponsor the
SRFB proposal on the condition that in addition to decommissioning, repairs be
made to existing roads in the area that will remain. |
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Dungeness
Road Stabilization Project ~ 7.0 miles Contributors: 75% USFS (including PCWD funds), 25% SRFB; Washington Conservation
Corps (WCC); CCD is the sponsor for this Fall 2000 SRFB project. Contact: Scott Hagerty, USFS, 360-765-2200 Project
Status: Stabilization
completed July-August 2001. |
Road drainage improvement and stabilization work
was carried out to minimize road-related delivery of coarse/fine sediment
inputs to anadromous spawning and rearing habitat in the Dungeness
River. These efforts will aid to
protect salmon habitat and improve water quality. Treatments included additional ditch relief culverts; armoring
of inlets/outlets; fillslope pullback; ditch cleaning; spot road resurfacing
near stream courses. |
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Dungeness Watershed Analysis 2nd
Iteration Contract Contributors: ONF Contact: Robin Stoddard, USFS, 360-956-2433 Project Status: Contract for data collection - prepared August 2001. Development of restoration opportunities
is set for February-March 2002.
Analysis to be completed by March 2002. Updated watershed analysis document to be completed summer
2002. |
This science-based analysis contract, initiated in
2001, will focus on the relationship of roads and slope stability with stream
channel processes. It will cover
approximately 170 square miles and will consist primarily of federal lands in
the upper portion of the Dungeness River watershed. The core team will address aquatic and terrestrial issues, with
emphasis on Threatened and Endangered species, anadromous fish stocks,
aquatic habitat and water quality. The
team hopes to further science-based understanding of the watershed for the
purpose of identifying restoration opportunities on lands within the analysis
area. |
RIPARIAN LAND PROTECTION AND/OR RESTORATION:
Project
Name/Logistics
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Project Description |
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DePalma Floodplain Acquisition and Conservation
Easement Contributors: Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), Puget Consumer Cooperative
Farmland Fund (PCCFF) Contact: Randy Johnson, WDFW, 360-417-3301 Project Status: Pending. |
The project is located within the northeastern section of the Dungeness floodplain, (adjacent to the east side of Towne Road, above the Schoolhouse Bridge and the Still property). PCCFF acquired the entire 96 acres of this parcel. WDFW obtained a purchase option for the northern 22 acres of the property. Additionally, WDFW purchased a highly restrictive conservation easement on the remaining 74-acre portion, which will prohibit development practices and/or other activities that could potentially interfere with natural river processes. |
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Dungeness Riparian
Habitat Restoration Program
Contributors: North
Olympic Land Trust (NOLT), Clallam County Contact: Eve Dixon,
NOLT, 360-417-1815 Project
Status: Project began in 1997/1998 and has continued through 2001. Easements are in perpetuity and NOLT bears
the responsibility of monitoring and enforcement if necessary. |
The North Olympic Land
Trust completed acquisition of eight conservation easements on 103.5 acres,
totaling over two miles of Dungeness riparian corridor. The easements are designed to preserve
critical habitat of the Dungeness River and its associated side channels and
flood plain. The easements are
located within the entire lower river, encompassing the entire Gagnon side
channel, reaching close to the mouth and to the upstream side of Kinkade
Island. |
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Phase 1: Dungeness Estuary and Lower River
Restoration Grant Application Submittal Contributors: Clallam
County, JSKT Contact: Cathy Lear,
Clallam County, 360-417-2361 Project
Status: The SRFB Technical Panel review of the Rivers End and other projects
is scheduled for February 14, 2002.
The Technical Panel will reveal their final decisions on funding
allocation in March/April 2002. |
A grant application was submitted to the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB) for a Phase I project to restore ecological processes within the lower Dungeness River and estuary. The SRFB is the state agency authorized to guide spending of funds targeted for salmon recovery activities and projects. The Dungeness project entails property acquisition within the lower river floodplain, removal of associated infrastructure, removal of 3,400 feet of dike, and revegetation of the river’s riparian landscape. The project was recommended as the highest priority project by the DRMT and the RRWG, and it ranked highest on the North Olympic Lead Entity’s 2001 project list. |
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Large Woody Debris (LWD) Restoration Project
Monitoring Contributors: JSKT Contact: Byron Rot,
JSKT, 360-681-4615 Project Status: In progress. |
Monitoring of LWD
structures, constructed from 1997 through 2000, continued at all restoration
sites. Objectives for the restoration
projects were to add structure, stabilize banks, form pools, create complex
flow patterns, and to generally facilitate improved habitat conditions for
Dungeness River salmon. Monitoring
included annual photos and observations of jam function during high and low
flows. The 2000 Dawley side channel
project, located at RM 6.6, received more intensive monitoring including:
summer low flow cross-section surveys and photographs to monitor structural
channel change through time; summer low flow and winter base flow juvenile
surveys to determine community composition and density; and monitoring of
planted riparian vegetation for mortality. |
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Bureau of
Reclaimation (BOR) Study on the Geomorphology of the Lower Dungeness River Contributors: BOR (Lower
Colorado River Office), JSKT Contact: Byron Rot,
JSKT, 360-681-4615 Project
Status: Preliminary results presented to DRMT, DRRWG, and public in October
2001. Final report due to Tribe early
2002. |
In 1997, the BOR was asked by JSKT to complete a
geomorph-ological investigation of the Dungeness River. The overall study objective was to gain a
better understanding of altered river process due to historical and current
human activities occurring within the floodplain. Specifically, the study team aimed to: describe
the physical processes of the Dungeness river through geomorphic
investigations; identify human impacts on the River’s natural processes; and
develop predictions of future channel change and potential management
options. In October 2001, the BOR
presented results of the study and proposed several important recommendations
to the DRMT, the DRRWG, and the public. |
WATER QUALITY:
Project
Name/Logistics
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Project Description |
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Formation of Clallam
County Clean Water District
Contributors: Clallam
County Contact: Valerie
Wilson, Clallam County, 360-417-2543; Andy
Brastad, Clallam County, 360-417-2415 Project
Status: District boundaries were set and corrective actions were identified
in the Clean Water Strategy (described below). |
A Clean Water District was formed by Clallam County in May 2001. The initial impetus for initiating the District was in response to the Department of Health’s (DOH) closure of portions of Dungeness Bay to shellfish harvest due to fecal coliform contamination. The scope of the District has since broadened to include not only shellfish contamination problems, but all water quality problems. Similarly, the boundaries of the
District have expanded to encompass the entire DRMT focus area, allowing for
a watershed approach to addressing water quality issues. |
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Formation of Clean Water Workgroup Contributors: Clallam
County, JSKT, CCD, Dungeness River Management Team (DRMT), DOH, DOE, PUD,
City of Sequim, and Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge Contact: Valerie
Wilson, Clallam County 360-417-2543; Lyn Muench,
JSKT, 360-681-4631 Project
Status: Implementation actions are ongoing; outreach
tours and workshops were conducted in 2001 and are planned for 2002. |
Although participants began meeting in 1997, the Clean Water Workgoup officially formed in 2001. The group’s role is to implement activities
recommended in the Clean Water Strategy (2000), which was formally adopted by
the Board of Clallam County Commissioners (BOCCC) in May 2001. The group reports directly to the BOCCC
and also serves as a subcommittee to the DRMT. |
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Total Maximum Daily
Load (TMDL) Study
Contributors: DOE,Clallam County, DOH,
JSKT, others Contact: Debbie Sargent, DOE,
360-407-6684 Project Status: Two publications were produced in 2001: “Dungeness River / Matriotti Creek TMDL
Stud”y Preliminary “Data Results for Nov 1999 - Oct 2000,” by Debbie
Sargent, January 2001; and “Dungeness River / Matriotti Creek Fecal Coliform Bacteria TMDL Study
Streamflow Summary” by James Shedd, November 2001. Public comment on final technical report set for April
2002. Target date in early 2002 for
setting load allocations. JSKT
continues to monitor water quality at Ecology-established TMDL stations. |
In response to
consistently degrading water quality in the Dungeness Bay over the last
decade, and to the federal closure of the Bay to shellfish harvest, the
Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe and DRMT requested the assistance
of the Washington Department of Ecology in monitoring water quality within
the Dungeness River and Bay. In water
year 2000 (November 1999 through October 2000), the DOE proceeded by conducting
a TMDL study for the purpose of establishing new fecal
coliform criteria and to facilitate restoration of water quality. TMDL sample sites occur at various
locations along the Dungeness River and
Matriotti Creek. The report’s
findings will be used to set future TMDL
load allocations. |
Circulation Study -
Phase 1: Dungeness Bay Bathymetry, Circulation and Fecal Coloform Studies
Contributors: JSKT; J.E.
Jack Rensel, Ph.D. (Rensel Associates Aquatic Science Consultants), Thomas J.
Smayda, P.E. (Smayda Environmental Associates, Inc.) Contact: Lyn Muench,
JSKT, 360-681-4631; Shawn Hines, JSKT, 360-681-4664 Project Status: Phase 2 fieldwork is currently under way. Expected completion date: December 2002. |
In response to the April 2000 closure of Dungeness Bay to Shellfish harvest, and the subsequent formation of the Clean Water District and Clean Water Workgroup, the JSKT hired consultants to investigate water circulation and fecal coliform sources and losses within the Dungeness Bay. Fieldwork included bathymetric mapping, circulation studies and water quality monitoring in May and October 2000. The new data (water quality, marine fecal coliform concen-trations, bird abundance, river flow rates, tidal data) was analyzed along side previously-gathered data, which the consultants compiled from other sources. The combined data will eventually be used by DOE to establish new fecal coliform criteria for the Dungeness River. The analysis and its recommendations were completed August 2001. |
All of the
irrigation ditch piping projects that the Conservation District assisted with in
2001 were done primarily to improve/protect
water quality.
OTHER
HIGHLIGHTS:
Project
Name/Logistics
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Project Description |
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Dungeness River
Audubon Center at Railroad Bridge Park
Contributors: Partnership
among JSKT, Rainshadow Natural Science Foundation, Olympic Peninsula Audubon
Society, National Audubon Society Contact: Bob
Boekelheide, Director, 360-683-4076 Project
Status: The Center is fully functional.
A capital campaign is under way for future funding for operation and
expansion. |
Construction of the
Dungeness River Audubon Center at Railroad Bridge Park was
completed, and a full time Director/ Volunteer Coordinator was hired in
September 2001. The Grand Opening
occurred on October 21, 2001. The
Center provides exhibit, classroom, and meeting space, and it includes
computer facilities. Formal and
informal environmental education programs are also offered. Additional information can be found on the
Center’s website: http://www.dungenessrivercenter.org |
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Comprehensive
List of Restoration Projects Completed and Ranked Contributors: DRMT Members Contact: Shawn Hines,
JSKT, 360-681-4664 Project
Status: The DRMT intends to review and/or revise the project list on an
annual basis. |
The DRMT ranked/prioritized Dungeness Watershed Proposed Projects in March/April 2001. The list, created by the DRMT, consists of 10 strategic elements, which include 41 potential activities. Restoration of the Lower Floodplain and Delta ranked as the highest priority strategic element. Potential activities within this strategic element ranked as follows: land acquisition (#1), schoolhouse bridge expansion (#2), and Army Corps of Engineer dike removal/setback (#3). |
Chinook Captive Broodstock Tagging Contributors: WDFW, JSKT
(Pacific Salmon Treaty/Bureau of Indian Affairs funding), local volunteers Contact: Scott
Chitwood, JSKT, 360-681-4616 Project
Status: Annual tagging expected to continue through 2004. A progress report on the Dungeness River
Chinook Salmon Rebuilding Project (1993 - 1998) was complete January 2001 by
WDFW and is available in the Jamestown Tribal Natural Resources Library. |
The Chinook Captive Broodstock Program was initiated in 1992. State, hatchery and tribal staff, along with volunteers, removed a portion of wild chinook eggs from their river nests, raised them in captivity until they were adults, spawned them and released the offspring back into the river. The tagging program complements the broodstock program by enabling fisheries managers to track the success of Chinook stock restoration and recovery efforts. In 2001, 400,000 juvenile Chinook were tagged. |
Much of what the Conservation District did, including
outreach and education activities, conservation planning with
small-scale farmers and dairy farmers, and BMP implementation is not included
in this report. Those accomplishments were listed in the CCD Annual Report of
Accomplishments which I provided to you in January.