Bibliography Background About KRIS
Trinity County RCD Photos of Restoration and Monitoring Sites
The Trinity County Resource Conservation District (TCRCD) provided photographs of restoration projects and monitoring sites in the South Fork and mainstem Trinity River watersheds in Trinity County. The RCD has sponsored numerous projects in Hayfork Valley to help restore riparian zones and increase efficiency of water use on private lands. Photo points are also available for the RCD water quality sampling stations on Hayfork Creek. The RCD is located in Weaverville and operates in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) which supplies technical expertise for project design. Version 3.0 has evidence of a shift in emphasis for the TCRCD and NRCS in the South Fork Trinity basin with the newest photos showing widespread road rehabilitation and decommissioning in cooperation with Shasta Trinity National Forest. For more information on the TCRCD, see their website at http://www.tcrcd.net/.
Hayfork Creek Coliform Counts
Many of the disease organisms that cause serious human illness are waterborne, such as typhoid fever and dysentery. Screening for these organisms is difficult because of their low numbers but they often occur in association with fecal coliform bacteria which come from human or animal waste. Therefore, coliform counts are often conducted to test drinking water or the safety of water for other public use such as swimming. The Trinity County Resource Conservation District collected samples for both total coliform and fecal coliform counts at five locations in Hayfork Creek and Salt Creek. The purpose of the test was to establish if a problem exists with water pollution from leachate from septic systems. If a problem with fecal coliform from septic systems is established, it would be easier for the Hayfork Water District to acquire funding for a sewer treatment facility. Samples were sent to Basic Laboratories in Redding for analysis. To be specified as an impaired water body under North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board standards, five tests must be conducted over a period of a month. Consequently, this parameter was not sampled often enough to judge impairment under NCRWQCB standards.
Specific Conductance In Hayfork Creek and Lower Salt Creek
Specific conductance is a measure of the electrical conductance of water at 25 degrees C and is a function of the concentration of dissolved solids in solution. Elevated conductivity levels can result from any increase in dissolved solids. Mineralized spring water, natural soil constituents, fertilizer and animal waste can all contribute to increased conductivity. The TCRCD and Weaverville NRCS staff have collected water quality samples at five stations in the Hayfork Creek Basin since 1994. Specific conductance was calculated for samples taken at Bar 717 Ranch, Mercill Bridge, Deep Gulch, Wildwood and lower Salt Creek. Specific conductance was measured by Basic Laboratories in Reading. North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board objectives for specific conductance are 400 mhos as a 90% upper limit with a 275 mhos 50% upper limit. The upper limits represent the monthly mean for a calendar year. In the first example, 90% or more of the monthly means must be less than or equal to 400 mhos. Since there is no way to calculate the duration of high specific conductance in Hayfork Creek and its tributaries given the few samples taken, the tests cannot be used to infer compliance or non-compliance with this objective. For a more thorough discussion of specific conductance and to compare with results from the Shasta River Basin, see Gwynne (1993).
Nitrate Levels and Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen in Hayfork Creek and Lower Salt Creek
Nitrate is the most readily useable form of nitrogen for aquatic plants. Ammonia changes to nitrite (NO2) which rapidly changes to nitrate (NO3) in surface waters. An excess of nitrates in water may cause algae blooms which can produce wide swings in dissolved oxygen. Total Kjeldahl is a measurement of all sources of nitrogen including those from plant and animal sources and ammonia. For further discussion of nitrates and total nitrogen in the aquatic environment and to compare results from the Shasta River, see Gwynne (1993). All water samples collected by the Trinity County Resource Conservation District and NRCS in the Hayfork Creek sub basin were analyzed by Basic Laboratories in Redding. For more information, see the Nutrients KRIS Background page.
Hayfork Creek pH Values
The pH of water is an index of the acidity or alkalinity. More specifically, pH is a measure of the hydrogen ion activity in water. High photosynthetic activity in eutrophic waters can result in high pH levels. Data from Hayfork Creek, including its tributaries Salt and Carr creeks, was collected by the Trinity County Resource Conservation District. For further discussions on pH and a comparison of pH results in the Upper Klamath Basin, please see Winchester (1995). For more information, see also the pH KRIS Background page.
Hayfork Creek Total Dissolved Solids
Total dissolved solids (TDS) are measured as a general test for any organic or mineral elements that may be suspended in water. TDS values may be raised by agricultural runoff, leachate from mines, urban runoff or a host of other activities. The Trinity County Resource Conservation District and Weaverville office of NRCS collected water quality samples on Hayfork Creek and its tributaries and sent them to Basic Laboratories in Redding for analysis. For more information, see the Nutrients KRIS Background page.
Steelhead Population Estimates, Redd Counts, Life History Studies & Juvenile Standing Crops
The California Department of Fish and Game conducted studies on South Fork Trinity River winter steelhead in many years since 1988. In the early 1990's, adult migrants were trapped and tagged at Sandy Bar weir and at other locations to determine run timing and help with population estimates whenever river conditions during fall and winter allowed. Fish were fin clipped or tagged to help gauge harvest by sport fishermen within the South Fork Trinity basin as well as to help with population estimation. A creel census of anglers was also carried out. Most major tributaries within the South Fork Trinity River basin were also surveyed for steelhead redds annually from 1990-1995 and a subset of these was picked up after 2000. CDFG also operated downstream migrant traps for both steelhead and chinook salmon in the South Fork Trinity River Basin at three locations: Forest Glenn, Hyampom and on lower Hayfork Creek in 1994 CDFG, (1996).Recent data for KRIS Version 3.0 come from the CDFG Steelhead Research and Monitoring Project (SRAMP), which has collected data since 2000 in the Trinity River basin, including the South Fork and Hayfork Creek. The data include standing crops of juvenile steelhead estimated using electrofishing (Garrison 2000b; 2002b; 2003), continuing adult steelhead redd surveys (Garrison, 2000c; 2002a; 2002c). Garrison (2002) also reported summer steelhead dive survey results (see below).
Spring Chinook and Summer Steelhead Population Estimates and Redd Counts
Spring chinook salmon populations have been estimated by the California Department of Fish and Game. One estimate of 11,400 was made in 1964 by LaFaunce (1967) using a seine net and a mark recapture technique. Subsequently, populations were thought to have dropped into the low hundreds as a result of habitat loss triggered by the 1964 flood. Spring chinook counts by CDFG were not resumed until 1991 and counts have been made cooperatively between the U.S. Forest Service and the South Fork Trinity CRMP. From 1991 to 1994 CDFG operated Gates Weir on the lower South Fork to count and tag adult spring chinook. summer steelhead counts were kept but only incidentally. At least two dive sweeps were conducted annually, usually one in July and one in August. Subsequent spring chinook redd and carcass surveys were conducted. In the carcass surveys, the proportion of tagged fish to untagged fish was used for a statistically based population estimate. Scale samples were collected from adult spring chinook at weirs and read to understand the age structure of the population and other life history traits. For more details on adult spring chinook, see Dean (1996). In 1995, counts were conducted under a grant through the Trinity Resource Conservation District. No tagging took place so counts in 1995 are actual numbers of fish observed.Recent data for KRIS Version 3.0 come from the CDFG Steelhead Research and Monitoring Project (Garrison, 2002, 2003) which summarized the results of annual spring chinook and summer steelhead snorkel surveys in the South Fork Trinity River, and its major tributary Hayfork Creek. The data include the total number of adult spring chinook (including grilse) and adult summer steelhead (not including "half-pounders") counted each summer from 1992-2002. Data are also included for summer 2002 broken up into the 14 reaches on the South Fork Trinity River and 3 on Hayfork Creek, recording the fish as four separate categories: spring chinook adults, spring chinook grilse, summer steelhead adults, and summer steelhead "half-pounders."
Spring Chinook Juvenile Downstream Migrant Trapping and Life History Studies
Downstream migrant traps were operated in Hayfork Creek and in the South Fork Trinity at Forest Glen and Hyampom to determine out migration timing of juvenile chinook salmon and to get some index of abundance for the years 1992-1994. Fyke nets covered only part of the flow of these streams and traps were operated after February, when conditions were suitable, through early July. For more details on juvenile spring chinook run timing and relative abundance, see Dean (1996).
Lower Hayfork Creek Dive Survey in August 1994
Pacific Watershed Associates conducted a survey of four reaches of lower Hayfork Creek to determine habitat preferences of juvenile steelhead. The study included support from U.S. Forest Service personnel and volunteers from Hayfork High School. The purpose of the study was to determine if water temperature limited the distribution and abundance of juvenile steelhead in lower Hayfork Creek. Fish counts used the observation technique as described by Hankin and Reeves (1988) and habitat types used were those found in McCain et al. (1992). Age classes of steelhead were estimated by length. The data was collected to assist the Trinity Resource Conservation District and the South Fork Trinity River Cooperative Resource Management Planning group (CRMP) in adaptive management. These groups wish to gauge long term response to restoration projects which are aimed at water quality improvement. For more information on this study see Higgins (1995).
Habitat types are as follows: 1= low gradient riffle, 2 = high gradient riffle, 3 = cascade, 8 = trench pool, 9 = plunge pool, 14 = glide, 15 = run, 16 = step run, 17 = main channel pool, 20 = boulder formed pool, 21 = pocket water.
Fall Chinook Salmon Population Spawner Surveys by Six Rivers National Forest 1991-2002
The Lower Trinity Ranger District of the Six Rivers National Forest has conducted spawner counts from 1991 to 2002 on Willow Creek, Horse Linto Creek and Madden Creek, a tributary of the lower South Fork Trinity River. Lower South Fork Trinity River and Sharber-Peckham Creek near Hawkins Bar also had redd and carcass counts since 1998. Funds for the surveys has often come from CDFG. Spawner surveys in most recent years have been assisted by Americorp Watershed Stewards program. Counts are conducted weekly from the first rains in October through mid January with 1998-99 surveys extending into February. Six Rivers National Forest uses an estimate of 2.25 salmon per redd to calculate adult fall chinook salmon populations. Many streams on the Lower Trinity Ranger District have had many instream structures constructed to improve fish habitat and these surveys note when redds are adjacent to structures.
Fall Chinook Salmon Population Trends (1985-1990), Sex Ratio and Mortality Rate
The California Department of Fish and Game estimated spawning populations of fall chinook salmon in the South Fork Trinity River basin from 1985 to 1990 (Jong and Mills, 1992). The study was carried out as part of the Natural Stocks Assessment Program and also noted spawning behavior and preferences, age structure and sizes of returning fish, sex ratios and pre spawning mortality of females. Although fall chinook salmon population estimates are not available for years after 1990, weir operations related to winter steelhead studies suggest that the fall chinook salmon population in the South Fork Trinity River basin has recovered somewhat from the low escapement in 1990 through 1995. For further discussion on population trends, sex ratios and pre spawn mortality of females, see Chapter 2 in the South Fork Trinity River Restoration Action Plan (Pacific Watershed Associates, 1994).
South Fork Trinity Basin Climate Data
Rainfall and snowfall data is available for the South Fork Trinity River basin from two sources: the U.S. Forest Service and the California Data Exchange Center (CDEC). Rainfall data has been collected at the Hayfork Ranger District of the Shasta Trinity National Forest since 1945 and is available in KRIS as monthly or annual summaries. The CDEC is set up to help with flood damage prevention and is primarily concerned with delivery of real time information, however, some archival data is also available.
South Fork Trinity River Flow Data
Flow gauges have been set up for different periods at different locations in the South Fork Trinity River basin by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Flow data is recorded as a daily average in cubic feet per second (cfs). Below is a summary of information provided by the USGS at their Internet site that explains period of record, location and other parameters. For a full glossary of flow related terminology, see the Main Klamath USGS Info Link notes.# US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
# DAILY MEAN DISCHARGE DATA
# # Station name : SF TRINITY R A FOREST GLEN CA
# Station number: 11528100
# latitude (degrees, minutes, and seconds)...... 402230
# longitude (degrees, minutes, and seconds)..... 1231935
# state code.................................... 06
# county code................................... 105
# hydrologic unit code.......................... 18010212
# drainage area (square miles).................. 208.00
# contributing drainage area (square miles).....
# gage datum (feet above NGVD).................. 2253.49
# WATSTORE parameter code....................... 00060
# WATSTORE statistic code....................... 00003
# Discharge is listed in the table in cubic feet per second.
# ----Date Range In File----
# 10/01/1959-09/30/1965
# Station name : SF TRINITY R NR HYAMPOM CA
# Station number: 11528200
# latitude (degrees, minutes, and seconds)...... 403630
# longitude (degrees, minutes, and seconds)..... 1232700
# state code.................................... 06
# county code................................... 105
# hydrologic unit code.......................... 18010212
# drainage area (square miles).................. 342.00
# contributing drainage area (square miles).....
# gage datum (feet above NGVD).................. 1259.49
# WATSTORE parameter code....................... 00060
# WATSTORE statistic code....................... 00003
# Discharge is listed in the table in cubic feet per second.
# ----Date Range In File----
# 1 09/01/1956-09/30/1965
# Station name : SF TRINITY R BL HYAMPOM CA
# Station number: 11528700
# latitude (degrees, minutes, and seconds)...... 403900
# longitude (degrees, minutes, and seconds)..... 1232935
# state code.................................... 06
# county code................................... 105
# hydrologic unit code.......................... 18010212
# drainage area (square miles).................. 764.00
# contributing drainage area (square miles).....
# gage datum (feet above NGVD).................. 1211.37
# WATSTORE parameter code....................... 00060
# WATSTORE statistic code....................... 00003
# Discharge is listed in the table in cubic feet per second.
# ----Date Range In File----
# 1 10/01/1965-09/30/1993
# Station name : SF TRINITY R NR SALYER CA
# Station number: 11529000
# latitude (degrees, minutes, and seconds)...... 405030
# longitude (degrees, minutes, and seconds)..... 1233400
# state code.................................... 06
# county code................................... 105
# hydrologic unit code.......................... 18010212
# drainage area (square miles).................. 898.00
# contributing drainage area (square miles).....
# gage datum (feet above NGVD).................. 559.99
# WATSTORE parameter code....................... 00060
# WATSTORE statistic code....................... 00003
# Discharge is listed in the table in cubic feet per second.
# ----Date Range In File----
# 1 10/01/1950-04/30/1982
# Station name : SF TRINITY R NR CHINA FLAT CA
# Station number: 11529500
# latitude (degrees, minutes, and seconds)...... 405323
# longitude (degrees, minutes, and seconds)..... 1233600
# state code.................................... 06
# county code................................... 105
# hydrologic unit code.......................... 18010212
# drainage area (square miles).................. 932.00
# contributing drainage area (square miles).....
# gage datum (feet above NGVD)..................
# WATSTORE parameter code....................... 00060
# WATSTORE statistic code....................... 00003
# Discharge is listed in the table in cubic feet per second.
# ----Date Range In File----
# 1 10/01/1911-09/30/1913
Water Temperature Data From the South Fork Trinity River Basin
There now hundreds of water temperature datasets for Trinity River basin locations in KRIS Version 3.0. Data come from the Shasta Trinity National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest, Trinity County Resource Conservation District, Weaverville Natural Resource Conservation Service and private companies, such as Timber Products Inc. The region-wide temperature data assimilation by the Institute for Forest and Watershed Management (IFWM) at Humboldt State University, formerly known as the Forest Science Project, aided data acquisition for Version 3.0 greatly. IFWM published an access database of stream temperature monitoring data for the northern California coast (Lewis et al., 2000). The IFWM database includes 128 sites in the Trinity basin, with 15 in the Lower Trinity sub-basin, 42 in the Middle Trinity sub-basin, and 71 in the South Fork Trinity sub-basin. Descriptions of monitoring site locations for the Trinity Basin can be viewed as a table. The data collectors and methods were not identified in the database, but an ArcView shape file of monitoring locations was obtained from the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, and is included in KRIS.
Water temperature references used in KRIS are based on Pacific Northwest wide literature on salmonids and temperature (Armor, 1990; McCullough, 1999; Sullivan et al., 2000; Welsh, 2001). See the KRIS Temperature Background page for more information.
Six Rivers National Forest South Fork Trinity River Basin Sediment Study
The Six Rivers National Forest studied sediment transport and storage in the South Fork Trinity River (Cook et al., 1999; Dresser et al., 2001) to understand the current conditions and trends within the watershed as they pertain to fish habitat. Pacific Watershed Associates (1994) and the South Fork Trinity River TMDL (U.S. EPA, 1998) identified the need for further data collection and this effort was funded as part of the Trinity River Restoration Program by the Bureau of Reclamation. Dresser et al. (2001) recommend an on-going program to evaluate and track the condition of the South Fork Trinity River watershed on the hillslopes and in the mainstem. They also present the rationale, protocol, methodologies, analysis tools and results from the first two years of channel surveys. See a note from Dresser et al. (2001) on mean particle size distribution and the Salyer cross section.
Graham Matthews Associates South Fork Trinity River Basin Hydrologic and Sediment Transport Study
Graham Matthews and Associates (2003) conducted a sediment and hydrology study of the South Fork Trinity River the purpose of which was: to compile, summarize, and analyze baseline hydrologic and sediment transport data for the SF Trinity River watershed that could be used for TMDL implementation and monitoring. This study combines office-based analyses of aerial photographs and GIS coverages with extensive field data collection, primarily involving considerable streamflow, sediment transport, and geomorphic data collection." The project was funded by California Department of Fish and Game SB 271 funds, for fisheries surveys, and State Water Resources Control Board 205 J funds. For more information on understanding sediment in streams see the KRIS Sediment Background page.
Fine Sediment in Pools (V*) in the Trinity River Basin
The volume of fine sediment in pools relative to the total volume of water and fine sediment is known as V*. This monitoring technique was devised by the U.S. Forest Service Redwood Sciences Laboratory (RSL) in Arcata, California (Hilton and Lisle, 1992). Fine sediment is known to decrease incubation success of salmon and steelhead eggs and larvae which are buried in stream bed gravel nests (see Sediment Background page). When there is an excess amount of fine sediment in transport in a stream, it will be deposited in pools. The V* technique uses a system of grids and a probe to quantify the fine sediment stored in each pool and is a very cost effective technique for quantifying sediment storage and supply. If erosion control work is being carried out in a watershed, V* can be used to see if there is a reduction in sediment over time. USFS Redwood Sciences Lab personnel collected the data from several Trinity River tributaries, including some in the South Fork Trinity basin, and all V* results from the Klamath-Trinity are in KRIS Version 3.0 (see table of sample locations). See the Redwood Sciences Lab website (http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/rsl) for more publications on sediment and watershed science.
V* data on Rusch Creek, a tributary of Hayfork Creek, was collected with the help of Hayfork High School students, California Conservation Corps members, U.S. Forest Service staff and Pacific Watershed Associates, under the direction of Patrick Higgins. A second field check was conducted of the Rusch Creek data to check accuracy because the crews were just learning the technique. There were almost no errors in measurement or recording. For a full discussion of the Rusch Creek V* study, see Higgins (1996). Comparing V* values between different watersheds can help to understand the impacts of land management on fine sediment yield but one must also consider the geology of the watersheds under study. Reference lines on V* charts in KRIS Version 3.0 are from the South Fork River and Hayfork Creek Sediment TMDL (U.S. EPA, 1998). That document had a target of 0.21 V* for west-side South Fork tributaries off South Fork Mountain, but a target of 0.10 V* for tributaries more in the interior.
KRIS Map Project
Partially Integrated into Version 3.0 Database
All KRIS database projects have companion ArcView projects for the
geographic area covered and most themes are now included in KRIS Version
3.0, which has a new built in KRIS Map Viewer. Nearly all map themes have a
readily-accessible companion metadata file that describes the map theme and
provides contact information for the source of that theme. If KRIS is installed
on your computer's hard drive and you are viewing maps using the KRIS Map Viewer
(the map tab), you can view metadata for a layer by clicking on a layer in the
map legend to make it the active theme and then clicking the "M"
(metadata) button on the toolbar. If you are browsing KRIS on the www.krisweb.com
Internet site, or viewing the web pages included on the KRIS CD-ROMs, you can
view map metadata by clicking on a metadata link at the link at the bottom of a
map page.
The South Fork Trinity KRIS Map project relies heavily on content from the Trinity Resource Conservation District (TCRCD), the U.S. Forest Service, Graham Matthews and Associates and other contributors. Data are acquired from various sources and re-projected, easily understood legends crafted and metadata compiled by Dr. Paul Trichilo of the KRIS project. Data are arranged for ease of use in subsequent watershed studies. Vegetation data from Landsat also comes from HSU and the Spatial Analysis Lab and was derived under the supervision of Dr. Larry Fox. To learn more about vegetation and timber types, see the Vegetation Type Background page.
Photos from the South Fork Trinity River Land Conservancy
David Rose, a long time resident of the South Fork Trinity River, contributed photos and information for captions to KRIS Version 3.0 on behalf of the South Fork Trinity River Land Conservancy (SFTRLC) and the California Wilderness Coalition (CWC). Their photos of the Trinity River watershed show landscape and river conditions on and adjacent to areas which are currently proposed for Wilderness expansion or Salmon Protection Areas. These photos are included in KRIS because preservation of intact watershed areas is a well recognized contributing strategy for successful restoration (Bradbury et al., 1995). See the South Fork Trinity River Land Conservancy website (http://wriver.mystarband.net/) for more information or the California Wilderness Coalition website (http://www.californiawild.org/http://www.californiawild.org/) to learn about California state-wide efforts. A study was conducted by Baldwin (2003) on potential economic effects of adding more Wilderness areas in Trinity County.
Photos of the Mainstem and South Fork Trinity River by Patrick Higgins
Patrick Higgins contributed many pictures of the Trinity River and South Fork Trinity River for KRIS Version 3.0. He worked for the Shasta Trinity National Forest in 1988 as a crew leader of a team doing instream habitat improvement projects and fire mop up after the Hermit Fire in the upper South Fork. Some pictures were taken during assembly of the South Fork Trinity River Watershed Restoration Action Plan (Pacific Watershed Associates, 1994), for which he wrote all chapters, except those related to geology and erosion. Other field photos come from monitoring activities to assess the relationship of cold water tributaries to Hayfork Creek and steelhead densities in adjacent reaches (Higgins, 1995) and sediment levels and amphibians in Rusch Creek, tributary to Hayfork Creek (Higgins, 1996). Pat is a consulting fisheries biologist with an office in Arcata, California and has worked on the KRIS project since its inception. He is also an avid angler and some photos may come from fishing trips. His photos may be used by anyone, if both he and the KRIS project are properly credited.
Diffuse Knapweed Mapping and Control on South Fork Mountain
Established in 1999, the Trinity County Weed Management Cooperative (Cooperative) follows the boundaries of Trinity County and collaborators include representatives from State, County, and Federal agencies, and other interest groups. Priority weeds in Trinity County are diffuse knapweed, spotted knapweed, and dyer’s woad. These species are relatively incipient within the county, allowing for a greater possibility of control. Diffuse knapweed (Centaurea diffusa) is a California State “A” listed weed species, and the population on South Fork Mountain may be the largest in the State of California. The population of diffuse knapweed occupies approximately 800 acres of public and private lands in Trinity County. It is spreading into Humboldt County along Eight-mile Ridge and Pilot Creek, west of South Fork Mountain.
The Cooperative received funding from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to conduct an inventory of the total geographic occupation of diffuse knapweed during the summer of 2001 in the South Fork Mountain area. Plants were manually removed during July of 2001, 2002, and 2003 from the edges of the population toward the center with emphasis on outer satellite populations to contain the extent of the infestation. Manual control of diffuse knapweed on South Fork Mountain has contained the population within the 2001 boundaries, reduced the density of plants where manual control has been implemented, and raised the awareness of private landowners. In 2004, manual control will continue and contiguous patches of knapweed will be seeded with native grasses and mulched with native grass straw to accelerate occupation of disturbed habitat with native species. Several insects have been used successfully for biological control of knapweed, but none have been introduced to Trinity County populations.
Note about documents in KRIS
