Rob Schanz and daughter Sarah embark on the Centralia Reach.
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By Margaret Rader and Rob Schanz, Chehalis River Council
Intrepid Chehalis River Council paddlers met at Borst Park on October 5th to float the dreaded Centralia Reach. At the boat launch we were greeted by a very large and very dead Chinook salmon. It was not clear if this salmon was spawned out or a casualty of fishing efforts. The adipose fin was present, indicating this is not a hatchery fish.
Rob Schanz and daughter Sarah embark on the Centralia Reach. |
According to the Chehalis River Basin Action Plan (1992), the Centralia Reach is the stretch of the Chehalis River from the Newaukum River downstream to the mouth of the Skookumchuck (RM 75.2 to RM 66.9) and is probably the most heavily studied area in the upper Chehalis Basin. Problems with low dissolved oxygen in the river have been identified for at least 25 years. It has been observed that in the Centralia Reach, the Chehalis River is like a lake, with deep, slow-moving water and stratification of temperatures -- cold, oxygen-starved water at the bottom and higher temperatures, which in summer can exceed what is healthy for salmonids, on the upper level.
In 1972 a researcher observed that, "Automobiles which have been used to rip rap the River banks to retard erosion are unsightly, but they are obvious mostly to the limited numbers of boaters who use this section of river. Garbage has been dumped at some areas. Cows still have free access to the river. The improved water quality, of course, improved the general esthetics of the River but the general area is still somewhat of an eyesore."
We found that the old autos could still be seen, looking more like historical artifacts than junked cars, but no cows, living or dead, were in the river. Stream side buffers were quite extensive in some places, with large big leaf maples, Oregon ash, red osier dogwood and willows.
Especially on the west side, we saw some eroded banks. We had quite a debate over whether the bank erosion was simply a function of natural processes that cause erosion on the outside of a bend or were caused by agricultural practices that cleared and plowed up to the stream bank. I-5 was roaring but out of sight in the very parts that were "prettiest."
Rob Schanz and daughter Sarah used equipment acquired by the CRC for the monitoring project to measure dissolved oxygen and temperature. The Centralia Reach historically has had lots of problems due to poor mixing and low flows.
Results were as follows:
All of these dissolved oxygen values fail to meet standards. Even for Class B waters, DO is supposed to exceed 6.5 mg/l. The Skookumchuck brings in lots of cold, oxygenated water, which is why the DO value is higher downstream of its confluence.
The data don't really show any effect of the treatment plant discharge -- DO values are low at the two upstream sites mostly because there is so little flow to provide mixing. Rob registered these sites on the World Monitoring Day website: www.worldwatermonitoringday.org. This is an event that has been organized worldwide to share water quality data, and includes monitoring between Sept 18 and Oct. 18.
This stretch of the river is easy paddling and not really an "eyesore." It's attractive enough to make a pleasant afternoon family kayak or canoe trip close to home, if home is Centralia or Chehalis.
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Things you don't want any more can find a new home with the click of a mouse.
The Lewis County Solid Waste Utility is launching a new website, www.2good2toss.com, in conjunction with the state Department of Ecology and several other counties and cities. When you arrive at the main website, click on the Lewis County logo to view listings from Lewis County residents or businesses, or post one of your own, according to Melanie Case, recycling coordinator for the Utility.
"The website is like an on-line garage sale, where most of the items are offered for free or at a low cost," Case said. "We want residents to visit this site to exchange their good, reusable materials they don't want any more, instead of throwing them into the garbage."
At www.2good2toss.com, residents and businesses can list their reusable items for $99 or less. The listings will include the seller's contact information, so the two parties can work out their own exchanges. The site also accepts listings for wanted items as well. Those interested in using the site need to register and receive a password prior to listing their items. The password process doesn't take long, Case said.
"Most items that are in good, usable condition can be listed on the site," Case explained, noting that some categories on the site include surplus construction supplies, household appliances and furniture, packaging and toys." The website will not accept hazardous or illegal materials."
"Think of it as an online garage sale, where the valuable items are free or low cost," said Shelly McClure, who coordinates the online-exchange project for Ecology. "The site is a way to link the whole state as a community that benefits from extending the useful life of items and throwing less away."
The ability to post to the www.2good2toss.com site is limited to people within the participating counties and cities, but anyone can browse the site and contact owners directly to make transaction and pick-up arrangements. "We are very excited about this project and have items being posted by construction companies, re-use stores, demolition contractors and citizens every day," said McClure. "We hope people will check the new site often."
Currently, participants include Clark, Columbia, Grays Harbor, King, Lewis, Mason, Pierce, Thurston, Skagit, Snohomish and Walla Walla counties, as well as the cities of Richland, Shelton, Tacoma and Vancouver.
Any one with questions about 2good2toss.com can visit the site to post an email or phone 360-740-1452 or 1-800-749-5980.
Lewis County contacts: Melanie Case or Nicole Korpi, Recycling Coordinators, Lewis County Community Development Department, Solid Waste Utility, 360.740-1452.
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Does Your Farm Need Attention? What About Your Streambank?
We currently have three Department of Ecology Centennial Clean Water Fund grants to help serve the community's agricultural and streamside needs.
The Nutrient Reduction and Riparian Assessment grant is targeted at helping landowners establish proper fertilizer rates and assessing/restoring stream areas. We provide soil testing services to agricultural landowners who request assistance from the District. The District then determines proper application rates and provides the information back to the individual. In addition, we own a ground driven manure spreader and spin spreader, which are available for landowners to borrow. We'll even deliver the spreader and show you how to use it! Because of this grant, this service is provided to you free, upon request.
For the riparian aspect of the above grant, the District has two goals: The first, to look at the health and habitat at selected areas along streams in the county to determine needs. The second is to provide assistance to landowners who have sites in these areas where restoration or enhancement would benefit the health and habitat of the stream.
The Upper Chehalis Nonpoint Reduction grant enables the District to develop Conservation Plans with non-dairy agricultural farms in the Thurston County region of the Chehalis watershed. If you reside along the Chehalis River or a stream that drains into the Chehalis River, cost share is available to help cover the costs of purchasing materials such as fencing, native plants, and alternate livestock water facilities.
The Nisqually Delta Shellfish Response grant was developed to help improve water quality as a result of the recent shellfish downgrades. This grant, in part, enables the District to provide technical support in the development of Conservation Plans, in addition to providing expertise and assistance to landowners to reduce runoff, which causes higher fecal coliform levels in neighboring streams.
Conservation Plans look at all the natural resources on a farm under a microscope, so to speak. Then, the we work together with you to develop a plan for your farm that is aimed at implementing alternative practices that will ultimately conserve and protect those natural resources. Many people later realize cost savings in feed, footing, etc. as a result of implementing those practices. Farms often become a lot more pleasing to the eye as well.
We're here to serve the community. If you'd like to learn more about these programs and to find out how you may qualify, please call us at (360) 754-3588. 2 Check out our website for news, events, and other items of interest! www.thurstoncd.com
This article originally appeared in the Thurston Conservation District newsletter, October 2003 and is reprinted with permission from the district. For those who live outside of Thurston county, please contact your local Conservation District for similar programs.
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Pre-orders will be accepted now through January 31, 2004.
Our Cash and Carry Event will be held on Saturday, March 6th from Noon -- 4pm at our office, located at 2400 Bristol Court SW.
You don't want to miss this event!!! Mark your calendar now and plan to join us!
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Each year the District holds a native plant sale. We provide conservation grade plants at affordable prices to the public. If you live outside Thurston County, please check with your local Conservation District to see if they offer this service.
For further details or more information, please contact Kathleen Whalen, at kwhalen@thurstoncd.com or 754-3588, ext 114.
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Q. You have a library?
A. Yes indeed we do. It's in our office at 417 North Pearl Street, Centralia, in the Carpenters' Union building.
Q. Is anyone ever there?
A. You will find volunteers in the office normally on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons. Call ahead to make sure we are there or make a special appointment: 360.807.0764.
Q. What can you do at the CRC office in Centralia?
A. You can chat with the office volunteer. You can go through our extensive library. You can research online. You can look through our collection of reports and periodicals and read in a quiet setting.
Q. Is there a place to sit down and do research?
A. Yes, there's a small table and chairs.
Q. What kind of material do you have?
A. We have most of Ecology's Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) studies for the Chehalis Basin. We have various Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) that are usually full of interesting information, such as the Forest Service Roadless Area Conservation EIS of 2000 or the Northwest Pipeline EIS of 2002 or the draft Chehalis Flood Reduction Project EIS of 2002.
We have a large collection of documents on biosolids and toxic sludge.
We have rare documents like "An Evaluation of Triploid Grass Carp Grazing on Ponds and Lakes of the Pacific Northwest." Weren't you always looking for that one?
Hey, we have no idea what all we have (we do have a list though).
We have many of the documents generated by the Chehalis Basin Partnership.
We have periodicals like High Country News, South Sound Green Pages, Washington Native Plant Society Douglasia. We have back issues of Drops of Water.
We have free handouts and pamphlets on things like water conservation, native plants, disposal of toxic chemicals, etc.
We have videos. We have documents on cd. We have books. And more.
Q. I don't know a TMDL from an ATM. Does the library have anything in simple language for people who care a lot, know a little, and want to learn more? And what about my 9th grader? Can she use the library to do research for school projects?
A. Absolutely. You'll find "regular" language in many of our publications. You and your daughter can learn how watersheds work (and what a watershed is) -- the life cycles of salmon -- the role of plants in sustaining life in streams (and what we can plant on stream banks to help) -- the effects of dams made of humans or by beavers -- and more.
Our river monitoring project includes educational outreach to schools, so we have reader-friendly materials on monitoring and sustaining the health of rivers and streams.
You even can find definitions of commonly used scientific words and acronyms (like TMDLs) to help in reading the library's copies of EPA regulations, growth management plans, and efforts by citizen groups to avert harm to our rivers and streams.
Our partner the Chehalis River Basin Land Trust has tons of information on conservation easements and other ways to protect your property.
Q. Do you have maps?
A. Yes indeed, including our own Chehalis River Basin map.
Q. Can these items be borrowed?
A. Yes, most can be checked out.
Come and visit. We'd love to see you.
The Chehalis River Council
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service News Release, Pacific Regional Office
Pacific Region States benefit economically from people who want to view wildlife.
Eleven million Americans in Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, Idaho and Hawaii spent nearly $5 billion in those states in 2001 to observe, watch, photograph or feed wildlife, according to a report released recently by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The report, titled 2001 National and State Economic Impacts of Wildlife Watching Addendum relied on data collected in the Service's 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. It examines national participation in wildlife watching, expenditures associated with this activity, economic activity generated by these expenditures, employment created and income associated with expenditures, and associated state and federal tax revenue.
Nationally, a total of about 66 million Americans spent more than $38.4 billion in 2001 observing, feeding, or photographing wildlife. The report puts this number in perspective: If wildlife watching were a company, its sales of $38.4 billion would rank it 33rd in the Forbes 500 list for 2001 -- placing it just ahead of Motorola and Kmart.
Direct expenditures by wildlife watchers included expenditures for items such as cameras, binoculars and bird food, and for trip-related expenses such as lodging, transportation and food. For each $1 of direct spending associated with wildlife watching, an additional $1.49 of economic activity was generated.
Only participants whose principal motivation for the trip, activity or expenditure is wildlife-related were counted. Residential participants include those whose activities are within one mile of home. Nonresidential participants refers to people who take trips or outings of at least one mile. In the six Pacific Region states, 11.3 million people age 16 and older participated in wildlife watching activities and spent money to do so.
The survey did not include trips to zoos, circuses, aquariums, museums, or for scouting game.
"Many Americans enjoy watching wildlife; however we often overlook the positive impact these activities have on state and local economies," said Service Director Steve Williams.
A breakdown of the nearly $5 billion spent in Pacific Region states on wildlife-watching shows that California places first both nationally and locally at $2.5 billion, which created or supported 61,360 jobs. Wildlife-watchers in the other states spent like this: Washington, $979.7 million (22,439 jobs); Oregon, $769.4 million (21,535 jobs); Nevada, $250.1 million (4,207 jobs); Idaho, $227.5 million (5,938 jobs); and Hawaii, $131.6 million (2,536 jobs).
California and Washington ranked first and eighth, respectively, on a list of the top 10 states that generated the most dollars economic output and jobs because of wildlife-watching. California generated $5.1 billion and Washington generated $1.7 million for the state, respectively. Hawaii and Idaho generated significant numbers of out-of-state visitors interested in spending money to watch wildlife. In Idaho in 2001, 1% of the total economic output expressed as the gross State product was generated by wildlife-watchers.
The full report is available on-line at http://federalaid.fws.gov
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by Eric Hawkinson, Oakville
Everyone ought to have a Shangri La, a mythical paradise on earth.
I found one in 1936. Where? Garrard Creek of all places.
It was not mythical and it was a place of life and death. It was real, very real. I doubt that I or anyone else could find it now. The years and the elements have come and gone.
 Photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Image Gallery. |
One of the tributaries to the Chehalis River and Garrard Creek is a very small stream, not more than a couple of feet wide in the best of times. The Creek must be fed by many streams as it meanders from the south and the east forks. The small stream I have in mind is hidden from view as it goes up from the Creek, through the Macomber ranch, under Shafer Brothers Logging Company old railroad track bed through a culvert and up a small canyon, well even hardly a canyon. It used to be hidden by willow and alder trees.
I knew that there had been other persons up that stream in years gone by. Olson Brothers had built a wooden dam and installed a pipe to each of two houses down the track. Not working in 1936, the dam had rotted out by the mid-thirties and nothing but old rotting forest trash would slow the stream as it went to the Creek. Yet, the place was like a desert oasis, logging had long since gone through the area and laid it bare.
Each year at the appropriate time salmon would leave the distant ocean to find the place of their birth. They would wend their way from the Pacific Ocean, to Grays Harbor, by Aberdeen and up the Chehalis River. Somehow they knew they had to turn right at Garrard Creek and swim south up the Creek to my little stream to Shangri-La.
By then they were worn and tired. Their backs were sore with large red spots. We called the salmon "sorebacks." They came to my stream, really their stream, to lay eggs and die. Their golden eggs held on for a time and yielded little fish whose job was to retrace the parent streams back to the Ocean. Their parents were left to die in my Shangri La. You see, life began there and death was also to be found there.
I was witnessing a miracle. The place was a small stop in life for fish and this old man. How could anyone be so lucky?
This article originally appeared in the Oakville Cruiser, Vol. 9, Issue 3, October 2003 and is reprinted with permission.
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By Lori Morris, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District
Minimizing habitat and flood damage in the Chehalis River Basin demands well-orchestrated partnerships at the local, state and federal levels.
The cities of Centralia and Chehalis have been subject to repeated flooding for many years. This flooding has caused extensive damage to private and public property and periodic closure of critical transportation routes, resulting in significant economic losses.
In 1998, the U.S. House of Representative Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a General Reevaluation of flood damage reduction in the areas of Chehalis and Centralia. This study, commonly called the Centralia Flood Damage Reduction Project, was done in collaboration with Lewis County. Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has also been an active partner in this project.
At the same time, federal, state and local resource agencies and governments in the region (i.e., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington Department of Ecology, Governor's Salmon Recovery Office, Grays Harbor County, etc.) and the two local tribes, the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis and the Quinault Indian Nation, expressed interest in investigating the possibility of better understanding the natural functions and processes of the Chehalis Basin to determine the root cause of flooding, and to identify opportunities to restore critical habitat areas. This interest culminated in a scope of work to study the basin for a five-year period to determine where the best opportunities existed to restore the basin and how this might be accomplished This study is being conducted in partnership with Grays Harbor County.
The Centralia Flood Damage Reduction Project team (which includes members from the local sponsor team and the Corps) has worked closely with the local, federal and state agencies, local tribes and the public and developed a list of alternatives for reducing flood damages. Some of the alternatives investigated included Skookumchuck Dam modifications, floodplain modifications, levee systems, flow restrictors, and nonstructural alternatives. The selection of a recommended alternative was based on many different criteria including: Will the alternative reduce flood damage? Does it minimize environmental impacts and provide environmental benefits? Will it adversely impact the downstream communities? Is the alternative cost beneficial? Will public benefits exceed public cost?
The recommended alternative for the Centralia Flood Damage Reduction Project consists of installation of setback levees along the Chehalis and Skookumchuck Rivers and modifications on Skookumchuck Dam to create flood control storage.
A series of setback levees would be installed along the Chehalis River and its tributaries, Salzer Creek, Skookumchuck River and Dillenbaugh Creek. The levees will provide 100-year flood protection for roads and structures throughout the cities of Centralia, Chehalis and the surrounding communities, as well as Interstate 5. This alternative will cause a slight increase in flood levels in the flood plain between river miles 71 to 74 near the Chehalis-Centralia Airport. As part of the project it will be recommended that eight homes be raised that would experience an increase in flood stage.
Skookumchuck Dam would be modified to allow for 20,000 acre-feet of flood control storage while continuing to supply Centralia Steam Plant water and low flow augmentation during the summer. The modification will create 20,000 acre-feet of water storage, allowing for greater flood control and release of the water. The dam modifications will ensure lower flood levels in areas below the dam along the Skookumchuck River and downstream of the confluence of the Chehalis and Skookumchuck Rivers.
The project will also include environmental mitigation, which will restore connectivity in the floodplain in the vicinity of Scheuber ditch. The mitigation will include reconnection of oxbow, opening under State Route 6, riparian wetland habitat along Scheuber ditch and connection the with Chehalis river. No restoration activities are proposed as part of the flood damage reduction project, but are being investigated under the Chehalis Basin Ecosystem Restoration Study.
Currently, the Centralia Flood Damage Reduction Project team has completed the Final General Reevaluation Report and Final Environmental Impact Statement to submit to Congress under the Water Resources Development Act. WRDA is the bill that authorizes construction for Corps projects. The GRR and EIS have been submitted to Corps Headquarters and have undergone the initial review. The documents will be distributed to Washington State and federal agencies for a 30-day review before the end of the calendar year. After state and agency review, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works will decide whether to approve the project. If it is approved, then Congress will have the opportunity to appropriate funding for the project. Currently, the House of Representatives has included the Centralia Project in the draft WRDA bill.
If the Corps receives authorization in a timely manner and funding is approved, construction could start as early as late 2004.
Meanwhile, the Ecosystem Restoration Study has been collected information and conducting modeling within the basin to determine pre-European and current conditions for land use, streamflows, sediment transport, and stream temperatures. Modeling is necessary because there is fragmented information regarding pre-European conditions and many data gaps for existing conditions within the basin.
At the same time, the Corps provided funding to the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife to complete the Ecosystem Diagnosis Treatment for the entire basin. The EDT is a model that uses detailed sub-basin information on life history traits exhibited by salmonids and provides technical information needed to develop plans for recovery of fish habitat. It is intended that the two models be integrated into one system that will identify priority areas for restoration and actual projects that can be implemented to achieve specific goals, like flood damage reduction or increased spawning habitat for Chinook salmon.
The Corps has also been working closely with the Watershed Management Planning team in an attempt to gain local information on which studies or projects would be most beneficial for the basin, have the greatest local impact and are supported by the local governments and citizens. The Corps is awaiting approval of the Watershed Management Plan before proceeding with further modeling to ensure full collaboration between local planning efforts and the Corps study.
The Corps anticipates that the EDT and pre-European/Existing Conditions modeling efforts will be completed in 2004. A Restoration Workgroup will be reconvened in the spring of 2004 to review products developed from these efforts and to outline a strategy for identifying and further studying ecosystem restoration projects in the basin.
Additional information concerning the Centralia Flood Damage Reduction Project may be obtained at: http://www.nws.usace.army.mil/index.cfm or from Army Corps of Engineers, Project Manager, Beth Coffey, USACE, ATTN: PM-PL, 4735 E. Marginal Way S, Seattle, WA 98134-3755. (206) 764 - 4478, Frances.E.Coffey@usace.army.mil
Additional information concerning the Chehalis River Basin Ecosystem Restoration Study may be obtained at http://www.nws.usace.army.mil/index.cfm or from Army Corps of Engineers, Project Manager, Lori Morris, USACE, ATTN: PM-PL, 4735 E. Marginal Way S., Seattle, WA 98134-3755, (206) 764 - 3604, F.Lori.Morris@usace.army.mil. <
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