Sediment Sampling Techniques for Environmental Conservation Practices

1. Introduction to Sediment Sampling Siletz, Coquille, Umatilla and Cowlitz Tribes Siletz, OR May 20 – 23, 2013 U.S. Geological Survey TEchnical training in Support of Native American Relations (TESNAR) - 2013 Mark Uhrich, USGS, Portland, OR (mauhrich@usgs.gov) Glen Hess, USGS, Portland, OR (gwhess@usgs.gov) MacKenzie Keith, USGS, Portland, OR (mkeith@usgs.gov)

3. Fluvial-Sediment Data Needs in the U.S. • Historical: Maintenance of reservoirs, channels, and hydraulic structures/bridge piers • Today’s needs include but are not limited to: - Legal requirements – TMDL’s -Salmon recovery on Tribal Lands (Siletz and Klamath Basins, White Salmon & Elwha River, WA) (Dam decommission and removal) - Contaminated sediment management - Best Management Practice (BMP) Evaluations; Env-Imp-Stat - Fire-burn hydrology/sedimentology - Stream restoration/geomorphic assessments - Physical-biotic interactions - Global carbon budget - Sand budget and bar maintenance - Productivity of agricultural lands -

4. * • Built in 1909 for hydropower • Head = 7 Meters • Abandoned for power generation in 1960’s • Blocked American shad and striped bass • from reaching historic spawning grounds • Environmental benefits of dam removal • justified demolition by Federal Government

6. Embry Dam DemolitionFredericksburg, VA, USAFebruary 23, 2004

7. And in our backyard-the Marmot Dam BreachSandy River, OR, October 19, 2007 955,000 yd3 stored behind reservoir ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 458,000 yd3 released by March 2008 (45%)

8. And just started- the Elwha River Dam RemovalOlympic National Park, WA September 17, 2011 Largest removal in U.S. history ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 70 miles of river and tributaries will be restored -brings cultural, spiritual and economic healing to the Lower Elwha Klallum Tribe

9. NF Toutle Station

11. Many Sediment Sources

12. Toutle River Basin monitoring stations 1 2

13. MSH background and NF Toutle Sed Volumes • Eruption of May 18, 1980 deposited over • 3 billion yd3of sediment in NF Toutle valley • SRS designed to trap 250 million yd3 until 2035, so far trapped over 105 million yd3- yet sediment has filled to level of spillway • Issues: Cowlitz/Columbia R sedimentation, flooding hazards, navigation for shipping commerce, salmon recovery/hatchery • NF Toutle SSLs in million tons and total Q in 1000 cfs (avg Q 786 cfs): • 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 • SSL 7.0 4.0 1.5 1.2 2.2 2.2 • Q 275 283 234 320 386 355

14. Sediment Retention Structure - SRS Raising spillway 7 feet, Sept 2012 Spillway

15. Structures built upstream of SRS USACE - Summer 2010

16. Sediment Damages are Costly • Physical, Chemical, and Biological Sediment Damages in North America Total >$20-$50 Billion*Annually (Most in the USA; AGU-EOS, 10/5/2004; Science, V.267, pp. 1117-11123; Osterkamp et al. 1998) • Given a 1% Reduction in Damages Through Better Resource Management, a Continental Sediment Monitoring Program WouldPay for Itself at least 40 TimesOver

17. Scope of course Instruction and field practice of USGS methods for the safe collection of quality-assured fluvial-sediment data: • streamflow measurement • suspended-sediment sampling • bedload sampling

18. Scope of course (cont) As underpinnings for this we provide instruction on: • Streamflow is everything- must start here • Basic fluvial sediment concepts • Sediment-sampling equipment & deployment • Overview of computational methods • Overview of sediment-surrogate technologies • Bedload Sampling

19. Primary Assumption • For instructional purposes, our assumed goal is to collect sufficient data to compute sediment loads and store the data in the USGS National Water Information System. • In reality, reasons for collecting sediment data may be quite different – regardless, the following factors remain of primary importance: • Consistency • Reliability • Comparability • Database integrity

20. Upon Departure, Students Should: • Understand basic streamflow and fluvial-sediment concepts • Understand and appreciate the value of a representative sample and consistent methods • Be familiar with more common tools for collecting sediment data, and their limitations • Be able to safely collect representative • streamflow • suspended-sediment samples isokinetically • bedload samples • Understand basic sediment load calculations

21. What we will not cover: • Database considerations (such as the USGS National Water Information System; NWIS) • Sediment lab instrumentation and techniques • Network design and developing a sediment monitoring program • Bed-material and pebble-count sampling • Producing a suspended-sediment and bedload record • Best to attend the USGS Sediment Data-Collection Techniques class, in Castle Rock, WA- March 2014 for more detail on the above

22. Points to remember… • Historical sediment needs- channel & reservoir • Todays needs- more complex; dam removals, restoration, TMDLs, contaminated sediment, etc • Sediment damages are more expensive than establishing a monitoring network • Be consistent with your methods and database • Collect a representative sample for your site • Data should be reliable and comparable site-to-site

23. Field training tomorrow

25. One of our class sampling sites is the Siletz River on Hwy 229

26. Stage and Flow at Siletz River

27. D-74 sampler 4-wheel crane setup on bridge with B-reel and two counter weights