FY07-09 proposal 200717800
Jump to Reviews and Recommendations
Section 1. Administrative
| Proposal title | Monitoring fine sediment delivery in the Entiat subbasin |
| Proposal ID | 200717800 |
| Organization | US Forest Service (USFS) - Pacific Northwest Research Station |
| Short description | Develop and test improved protocols for monitoring fine sediment in salmonid habitat. |
| Information transfer | Workshops, Presentations at professional and client meetings, Refereed publications. |
| Proposal contact person or principal investigator | |
Contacts
| Contact | Organization | |
|---|---|---|
| Form submitter | ||
| Richard Woodsmith | USDA, Forest Service, PNW Research Station | rwoodsmith@fs.fed.us |
| All assigned contacts | ||
| Richard Woodsmith | USDA, Forest Service, PNW Research Station | rwoodsmith@fs.fed.us |
| Richard Woodsmith | USDA, Forest Service, PNW Research Station | rwoodsmith@fs.fed.us |
| Richard Woodsmith | USDA, Forest Service, PNW Research Station | rwoodsmith@fs.fed.us |
Section 2. Locations
Province / subbasin: Columbia Cascade / Entiat
| Latitude | Longitude | Waterbody | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 47* 57' | 120* 28' | Entiat River | Three catchments, tributary to the Entiat River, are included: McCrea Cr., Burns Cr., and Fox Cr. |
Section 3. Focal species
primary: Chinook Upper Columbia River Spring ESUprimary: Steelhead Upper Columbia River ESU
secondary: Cutthroat Trout
secondary: Pacific Lamprey
secondary: Bull Trout
Section 4. Past accomplishments
| Year | Accomplishments |
|---|
Section 5. Relationships to other projects
| Funding source | Related ID | Related title | Relationship |
|---|
Section 6. Biological objectives
| Biological objectives | Full description | Associated subbasin plan | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sediment | Decrease or maintain sediment loads to less than 12% fines (0.85 mm) in spawning gravels throughout the Assessment Unit by 2020. Contribute to this objective by developing and testing the efficiency and accuracy of coordinated measurement of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and turbidity as a tool for status and trend monitoring of fine sediment delivery from headwater streams to the Entiat River. | Entiat | Continue monitoring sediment yield on an annual basis. Monitoring of fine sediment yield on an annual basis should continue. |
Section 7. Work elements (coming back to this)
| Work element name | Work element title | Description | Start date | End date | Est budget |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Develop RM&E Methods and Designs | 1. Site selection | Sample sites will be selected in a manner consistent with most stream gauging programs, including ongoing gauging within the Entiat subbasin. Rather than sampling randomly throughout the subbasin, measurements of discharge, SSC, and turbidity will be made at a point near tributary catchment outlets. Therefore, measurements will integrate processes and process rates occurring within the upstream catchment area. Approximately 8-10 streams will be monitored. This objective requires only sampling over a range of tributary sizes to test efficiency and accuracy of this monitoring approach. Nevertheless, site selection will maximize future opportunities for more detailed monitoring that could examine cause and effect relationships between specific restoration measures and fine sediment delivery rates, stratified by ecological subregion and land use category. | 11/1/2006 | 4/30/2007 | $25,990 |
|
Biological objectives |
Metrics |
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| Develop RM&E Methods and Designs | 2. Instrumentation deployment and testing: | Existing stream gauging stations will be utilized wherever possible. At other sites, stream gauging stations will be established employing semi-portable flumes, weirs, or open-channel flow instrumentation as appropriate for the stream size. Gauging stations will be instrumented with stage height recorders and sensors to measure water temperature and turbidity, all recording to data loggers. Suspended sediment samples will be collected using portable, automated samplers, allowing quantification of turbidity-suspended sediment relationships. Meteorological stations will be established near each monitoring site to characterize climatic events that trigger sediment transport. Measurements will include precipitation, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and wind speed. This will document the range of climatic events during testing of monitoring methodology. | 5/1/2007 | 7/31/2007 | $210,160 |
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Biological objectives |
Metrics |
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| Develop RM&E Methods and Designs | 3. Data collection | Sediment samples will be drawn from thoroughly mixed and uniform streamflow. All large discharge events will be sampled. Turbidity thresholds will be established, and data loggers programed accordingly, for triggering sediment sampling. Frequency and interval of turbidity sampling and instrument specifications suggested in Hillman (2004) will be treated as minimum requirements. Accuracy of SSC and turbidity measurements will be checked against manual grab samples and calibrated portable instrument measurements respectively, using instrumentation that meets or exceeds specifications suggested in Hillman (2004). Meteorological stations will be established near each monitoring site to characterize precipitation, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and wind speed. | 8/1/2007 | 9/30/2009 | $329,260 |
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Biological objectives |
Metrics |
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| Develop RM&E Methods and Designs | 4. Data analysis | Efficiency and accuracy of this monitoring approach will initially be assessed by comparing time series of SSC, turbidity, and discharge in order to qualitatively determine consistency among them and that they represent reasonable values compared to data from similar streams. Consistency with QA/QC grab samples will be assessed. Statistical power analyses will be employed to estimate the period of record required to quantitatively establish trends in SSC and turbidity. Differences in regression models of these variables against discharge will be tested for evidence of different trends among catchments, subregions, and land use categories. Duration and intensity of monitoring required to detect a trend will be analyzed. Results will be assessed to generate hypotheses to guide more detailed future studies of relationships linking watershed condition to fine sediment delivery. | 1/1/2009 | 4/30/2009 | $0 |
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Biological objectives |
Metrics |
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| Develop RM&E Methods and Designs | 5. Report preparation | Results will be reported in progress reports, presentations at professional and client meetings, and refereed publications, including peer-review journals. Professional meetings may include workshops, meetings of interested parties, such as subbasin planning units, or meetings of professional, scientific societies. These presentations are intended to convey the context of the work in terms of its application to salmon recovery efforts in the interior Columbia River basin (ICRB), actual analyses and results, and recommendations for further studies to continue clarification of scientific uncertainties associated with monitoring of status, trends, and effectiveness of recovery actions. Metadata will be stored and made available on a USFS, PNW website. Data will be made available on this website following peer-review publication and agency QA/QC approval. Long-term data and metadata storage will be in USFS, PNW and other databanks as appropriate. | 5/1/2009 | 9/30/2009 | $0 |
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Biological objectives |
Metrics |
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Section 8. Budgets
Itemized estimated budget
| Item | Note | FY07 | FY08 | FY09 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel | Hydrologic Technician, GS-6, 0.5 to 1.0 FTE | $20,470 | $42,980 | $45,130 |
| Personnel | Hydrologic Technician, GS-5, 0.5 to 1.0 FTE | $15,950 | $33,480 | $35,150 |
| Capital Equipment | Stream sampling: flumes, water level loggers, turbidity sensors, automatic samplers, data loggers | $124,950 | $3,090 | $3,240 |
| Capital Equipment | Meteorological stations: precipitation, wind speed/direction, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, data loggers, structural components | $23,020 | $440 | $460 |
| Capital Equipment | Laboratory: analytic balance, laptop computer, vacuum pump | $4,980 | $0 | $0 |
| Supplies | Laboratory: glassware, filter paper | $2,750 | $2,340 | $2,460 |
| Other | Direct facilities costs (per FTE basis), 1.2 to 2 FTE | $23,640 | $41,360 | $43,440 |
| Travel | Vehicle charges (GSA) | $4,010 | $4,210 | $4,420 |
| Travel | Vehicle mileage costs | $2,590 | $2,720 | $2,860 |
| Overhead | Indirect costs @ 11% direct | $26,240 | $14,370 | $15,090 |
| Personnel | GIS Professional, GS-11, 0.2FTE | $16,170 | $0 | $0 |
| Travel | Co-PI (McDonnell) travel to field site, presentations at meetings | $800 | $840 | $1,760 |
| Totals | $265,570 | $145,830 | $154,010 | |
Total estimated FY 2007-2009 budgets
| Total itemized budget: | $565,410 |
| Total work element budget: | $565,410 |
Cost sharing
| Funding source/org | Item or service provided | FY 07 est value ($) | FY 08 est value ($) | FY 09 est value ($) | Cash or in-kind? | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon State University | Co-PI (McDonnell) 0.1 FTE (salary & benefits | $19,520 | $20,500 | $21,520 | In-Kind | Under Review |
| USFS, PNW Research Station | PI (Woodsmith) direct facilities costs, 0.25 FTE | $4,920 | $5,170 | $5,430 | In-Kind | Under Review |
| USFS, PNW Research Station | Field supplies (safety equipment, batteries, field notebooks, hand tools, etc.) | $500 | $500 | $500 | In-Kind | Under Review |
| USFS, PNW Research Station | Travel - PI travel to OSU, presentations at meetings | $800 | $840 | $1,760 | In-Kind | Under Review |
| USFS, PNW Research Station | PI (Woodsmith) 0.25 FTE (salary & benefits | $34,790 | $35,480 | $37,260 | In-Kind | Under Review |
| Totals | $60,530 | $62,490 | $66,470 | |||
Section 9. Project future
|
FY 2010 estimated budget: $231,500 FY 2011 estimated budget: $231,500 |
Comments: [Outyear comment field left blank] |
Future O&M costs: The project should continue beyond FY-09 at similar costs adjusted for inflation.
Termination date: Indefinite
Comments: The value of this data set will increase with its duration. Therefore the study will be maintained as long as funding allows.
Final deliverables: The project will continue to generate refereed (including peer-review journal) publications and presentations at professional and client meetings. Metadata will continue to be stored and made available on a USFS, PNW website and other sites as appropriate. Data will be made available on this website following peer-review publication and agency QA/QC approval. Long-term data storage will be in USFS, PNW and other databanks as appropriate.
Section 10. Narrative and other documents
Reviews and recommendations
| FY07 budget | FY08 budget | FY09 budget | Total budget | Type | Category | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPCC FINAL FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS (Oct 23, 2006) [full Council recs] | ||||||
| $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Expense | ProvinceExpense | Do Not Fund |
| NPCC DRAFT FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS (Sep 15, 2006) [full Council recs] | ||||||
| $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Basinwide | ||
| NPCC DRAFT FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS (Sep 15, 2006) [full Council recs] | ||||||
| $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ProvinceExpense | ||
ISRP PRELIMINARY REVIEW (Jun 2, 2006)
Recommendation: Fundable (Qualified)
NPCC comments: The ISRP’s qualification for this “fundable” recommendation stems from the need for this study to examine the relationship between particle size distributions of deposited and suspended sediment in order to verify their assumption that suspended sediment provides a good surrogate measure for sediment levels in streambed gravel. There is additional discussion of this point below. Addition of this component would make this a very strong proposal, and this research would be relevant systemwide. Technical and scientific background: This proposal does a fairly thorough job of discussing the background of this issue. The importance of sediment to the quality and productivity of freshwater habitat is generally appreciated, so this topic is one of considerable importance to restoration and salmon recovery efforts. However, the proposal makes a major, the ISRP believes, unsupported assumption that suspended sediment levels are a good indication of levels of sediment deposited on the streambed. The relationship between levels of suspended sediment and fine sediment deposited in streambed gravel or in pools has not been well established. In fact, there are some studies that suggest that the two are not very closely associated. The Zimmerman and Lapointe study cited in the proposal apparently found a relationship between suspended sediment and infiltration of fine sediment into gravel baskets. However, there was no mention of whether or not the particle size distributions of the suspended sediment and that captured in the basket samplers were similar. It is possible that this relationship could have been caused by both suspended sediment and bedload being mobilized by the elevated flows, with the bedload movement being the process responsible for the deposition. The ISRP believes there are several studies that have examined the correspondence between particle size distribution of suspended sediment and fine sediments in streambed gravel and found little overlap. The suspended material is typically extremely fine, often dominated by clay-sized particles, whereas the fine sediment in the gravel was dominated by sand, a size fraction comprising a very minor component of the suspended load. This criticism is not intended to imply that this project is not worthwhile. On the contrary, a better understanding of suspended sediment dynamics at a watershed scale would be very useful. But to make the linkage to potential biological impacts, a characterization of the particle size distribution of streambed fines and suspended sediment should be included in the study. The proposal indicates that some streambed sampling is already ongoing in the Entiat as part of another project. Expansion of this program to cover a wider array of channel types and inclusion of particle-size distribution analysis on a subset of suspended sediment samples (those with the highest concentrations) would address this question. Were this comparison done across the range of channel types to be examined in this study, it might be possible to delineate where in the watershed suspended sediment levels are a good index of deposited sediment and where they are not. This understanding also would help to guide restoration efforts as particle size distribution varies among sediment sources (e.g., road surface erosion tends to produce very fine material, bank erosion and mass failures a wide range of particle sizes). Rationale and significance to subbasin plans and regional programs: This project does address an issue deemed important to salmon recovery in the Entiat Subbasin Plan. Fine sediment also is identified as an important issue in many other subbasin plans in the Columbia Basin. Relationships to other projects: There are ties with ongoing USFS projects as well as BPA funded RME projects in nearby subbasins (e.g., Wenatchee). The relationship of this effort to the objectives of the PNAMP process also is described. Objectives: The objective section should better reflect the actual technical objectives of the study. The objective presented simply repeats the subbasin plan goal of reducing fine sediment levels in stream gravel to <12%. The work elements described in the proposal do not directly address this objective. In fact, sampling of stream gravels is not included, so this study will not provide information indicating whether or not progress is being made against this objective. The objectives should be expanded and made explicit to the work elements included in the study. For example, a primary objective appears to be a characterization of the relationship between flow and suspended sediment concentration and load in streams of varying size, land uses and disturbance history. Tasks (work elements) and methods: Work elements are clearly stated and outlined with summary of methods to be used. Monitoring and evaluation: This entire project is a RME effort. It is generally very strong from a technical perspective. The monitoring and evaluation protocols developed should be useful for other projects. Facilities, equipment, and personnel: Personnel are well qualified. No justification is provided for equipment costs for this project, which are high (approx. $125,000). Information transfer: Information transfer appears adequate with dissemination through scientific channels plus the data will be made available on the USFS website. Benefits to focal and non-focal species: A better understanding of suspended sediment dynamics, especially the watershed-scale approach being proposed for this study, will provide information relevant for efforts to restore populations of the fishes listed as primary and secondary focal species. An improved understanding of sediment is likely to have large benefit, assuming the relationship between suspended sediment measurements and actual gravel sediment is real. Adverse effects to non-focal species are not likely.
ISRP FINAL REVIEW (Aug 31, 2006)
Recommendation: Fundable (Qualified)
NPCC comments: The ISRP’s qualification for this “fundable” recommendation stems from the need for this study to examine the relationship between particle size distributions of deposited and suspended sediment in order to verify their assumption that suspended sediment provides a good surrogate measure for sediment levels in streambed gravel. There is additional discussion of this point below. Addition of this component would make this a very strong proposal, and this research would be relevant systemwide. Technical and scientific background: This proposal does a fairly thorough job of discussing the background of this issue. The importance of sediment to the quality and productivity of freshwater habitat is generally appreciated, so this topic is one of considerable importance to restoration and salmon recovery efforts. However, the proposal makes a major, the ISRP believes, unsupported assumption that suspended sediment levels are a good indication of levels of sediment deposited on the streambed. The relationship between levels of suspended sediment and fine sediment deposited in streambed gravel or in pools has not been well established. In fact, there are some studies that suggest that the two are not very closely associated. The Zimmerman and Lapointe study cited in the proposal apparently found a relationship between suspended sediment and infiltration of fine sediment into gravel baskets. However, there was no mention of whether or not the particle size distributions of the suspended sediment and that captured in the basket samplers were similar. It is possible that this relationship could have been caused by both suspended sediment and bedload being mobilized by the elevated flows, with the bedload movement being the process responsible for the deposition. The ISRP believes there are several studies that have examined the correspondence between particle size distribution of suspended sediment and fine sediments in streambed gravel and found little overlap. The suspended material is typically extremely fine, often dominated by clay-sized particles, whereas the fine sediment in the gravel was dominated by sand, a size fraction comprising a very minor component of the suspended load. This criticism is not intended to imply that this project is not worthwhile. On the contrary, a better understanding of suspended sediment dynamics at a watershed scale would be very useful. But to make the linkage to potential biological impacts, a characterization of the particle size distribution of streambed fines and suspended sediment should be included in the study. The proposal indicates that some streambed sampling is already ongoing in the Entiat as part of another project. Expansion of this program to cover a wider array of channel types and inclusion of particle-size distribution analysis on a subset of suspended sediment samples (those with the highest concentrations) would address this question. Were this comparison done across the range of channel types to be examined in this study, it might be possible to delineate where in the watershed suspended sediment levels are a good index of deposited sediment and where they are not. This understanding also would help to guide restoration efforts as particle size distribution varies among sediment sources (e.g., road surface erosion tends to produce very fine material, bank erosion and mass failures a wide range of particle sizes). Rationale and significance to subbasin plans and regional programs: This project does address an issue deemed important to salmon recovery in the Entiat Subbasin Plan. Fine sediment also is identified as an important issue in many other subbasin plans in the Columbia Basin. Relationships to other projects: There are ties with ongoing USFS projects as well as BPA funded RME projects in nearby subbasins (e.g., Wenatchee). The relationship of this effort to the objectives of the PNAMP process also is described. Objectives: The objective section should better reflect the actual technical objectives of the study. The objective presented simply repeats the subbasin plan goal of reducing fine sediment levels in stream gravel to <12%. The work elements described in the proposal do not directly address this objective. In fact, sampling of stream gravels is not included, so this study will not provide information indicating whether or not progress is being made against this objective. The objectives should be expanded and made explicit to the work elements included in the study. For example, a primary objective appears to be a characterization of the relationship between flow and suspended sediment concentration and load in streams of varying size, land uses and disturbance history. Tasks (work elements) and methods: Work elements are clearly stated and outlined with summary of methods to be used. Monitoring and evaluation: This entire project is a RME effort. It is generally very strong from a technical perspective. The monitoring and evaluation protocols developed should be useful for other projects. Facilities, equipment, and personnel: Personnel are well qualified. No justification is provided for equipment costs for this project, which are high (approx. $125,000). Information transfer: Information transfer appears adequate with dissemination through scientific channels plus the data will be made available on the USFS website. Benefits to focal and non-focal species: A better understanding of suspended sediment dynamics, especially the watershed-scale approach being proposed for this study, will provide information relevant for efforts to restore populations of the fishes listed as primary and secondary focal species. An improved understanding of sediment is likely to have large benefit, assuming the relationship between suspended sediment measurements and actual gravel sediment is real. Adverse effects to non-focal species are not likely.