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Water Quality Monitoring at Sixes Estuary
From the left: Beth Pietrzak, Cindy Myers, Lisel Coleman.
Active Monitoring Program
The Lower Rogue and South Coast Watershed Councils, in conjunction with the Curry Soil and Water Conservation District, have had an active monitoring program since 1997, when the Governor's Watershed Enhancement Board (now the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board) provided funds to hire a monitoring coordinator. The original program was composed of three components: project effectiveness monitoring, water quality monitoring, and road inventory. Six years later these three components still define the program's focus, though data management through GIS has become an increasingly important task.
The intent of our project effectiveness monitoring is to determine if the Councils' projects are producing the intended results, and if not, to identify what aspect of the project design and/or implementation needs to be modified. Presently the Councils' have over 600 projects on the ground, so we've chosen to monitor a representative sample of each project type: riparian restoration, road stormproofing, large wood placement, fish passage, and bio-engineering. For each project that we monitor the site is surveyed before implementation, and then at various increments (1, 2, 5, 10yrs) depending on the project type and objective. Our findings are documented in a series of reports, which are available on this web page. Look at the drop down menu extending to the right from the "Monitoring" tab to find the reports by project type.
The water quality monitoring component began by deploying continuous recording thermometers throughout the watersheds of Curry County during the summer months to develop baseline water temperature data. This information has helped the Councils' understand where and how the water is warming, and because it meets the Department of Environmental Quality's (DEQ) collection standards, the data can be used to improve the accuracy of the Department's expectations. In addition to baseline data, thermometers have also been used to identify cold water tributaries, and to document reductions in stream temperature associated with shade produced by the Councils' riparian plantings. In 2002 the water quality component expanded into a range of new parameters, including; nutrients (nitrate+nitrite and total phosphorus), E.coli bacteria, pH, conductivity, turbidity, total solids and dissolved oxygen supply/demand. This information will help us understand how rural residential and agricultural activities influence water quality, and how conditions vary from natural differences in soil and rock type across the county. In turn this will enable the Councils to identify projects where they can work with landowners to improve impaired water conditions.
The road inventory component is focused on identifying sediment sources on private road networks that will deliver to the streams of Curry County. In 1998 we developed a road survey protocol similar to the Oregon Department of Forestry's protocol, which systematically looks at the road drainage, stream crossings, and at the stability of the road fill. The information is analyzed for high priority sites based on the quantity and likelihood of sediment delivery. A proposal is then presented to the landowner, and if they're interested, the sites are upgraded utilizing grant funds on a cost share basis. Since 1998 we've worked with 15 ranchers, 7 industrial timber companies, and the County's largest cranberry operation to inventory over 250 miles of road. The Councils have treated 110 of those road miles.
In the spring of 2003 the Councils hired a GIS technician to assist with the storage and presentation of data generated through the monitoring program. Well designed data storage, where the information can be easily accessed, sorted, and manipulated, is critical during the data analysis phase. Likewise, displaying data through GIS generated maps improves our ability to convey the information, and enables us to account for other factors in the watershed that could be effecting a project or sampling site.
For more information on the Councils' monitoring program please contact:
Matt Swanson, 541.247.2755 or matt-swanson@or.nacdnet.org, or
Cindy Ricks Myers, 541.247.2755, or cricks@currywatersheds.org