Yakima Basin Natural Resources

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The Yakima River Basin, including its role as tributary to the Columbia River system, is the focus of this collection of research documents, agency reports and journal articles.

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    Yakima Bull Trout Action Plan Final September 2012
    (Yakima Basin Fish and Wildlife Recovery Board (YBFWRB), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Mid-Columbia Fishery Resource Office (collectively, the YBTAP Working Group), 2012-09) Reiss, Yuki K.; Thomas, Jeff; Anderson, Eric; Cummins, Jim
    Summary of information on bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) populations in the Yakima Basin. This includes populations status, trends and distribution, habitat, a detailed analysis of threats, and relevant monitoring and restoration actions. The analysis and information will help resource managers in the Yakima Basin.
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    Columbia Basin System Planning Salmon and Steelhead Production - Yakima River Basin
    (Northwest Power Planning Council, 1990-09-01) Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Indian Nation and The Washington Department of Fisheries
    This plan is one of the 31 Columbia river subbasin plans that comprise the system planning effort. The system plan will guide the adoption of future salmon and steelhead enhancement projects under the Northwest Power Planning Council's Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife program.
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    Yakima Steelhead Recovery Plan Extracted from the 2005 Yakima Subbasin Salmon Recovery Plan with Updates
    (Yakima Basin Fish & Wildlife Recovery Board, 2009-09-30) Conley, Alex; Freudenthal, Joel; Lind, David; Mees, Phil; Visser, Richard
    This document is an updated version of the Steelhead portion of the 2005 NOAA Fisheries approved interim recovery, Subbasin Salmon Recovery Plan. THis document is a recovery plan for ESA (Endangered Species Act) listed Middle Columbia Steelhead that spawn in the Yakima Basin and are collectively referred to as the Yakima Major Population Group (MPG).
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    Watershed Management Plan: Yakima River Basin
    (Tri-County Water Resource Agency, 2003) Prepared by Economic and Engineering Services, Inc. in Association with Montgomery Water Group, Inc. R.C. Bain & Associates and McKenzie Consulting; Yakima River Basin Watershed Planning Unit; Tri-County Water Resources Agency; Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife
    The Watershed Plan provides a "roadmap" for maintaining and improving the Basins economic base, planning responsibly for expected growth in population, managing water resources for the long-term, and protecting the Basins' natural resources and fish runs.
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    Non-Federal Irrigation Development in the Yakima River Basin Prior to 1905
    (unknown, 1993) Tuck, Robert
    During the 40-year period from 1865 to 1905, the Yakima Basin was transformed from a by-passed region to a thriving center of agricultural production. Bunch grass had been replaced by apple orchards and hay fields. Farm houses were sprinkled over the entire basin, from the small tributaries such as Ahtanum and Wenas Creeks to the broad lower Yakima Valley. The stage had been set for the large expansion that would shortly take place under federal sponsorship. This was the basic legacy of private irrigation development in the Yakima Basin.
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    Numerical Simulation of Groundwater Flow for the Yakima River Basin Aquifer System, Washington
    (U.S. Geological Survey, 2011) Ely, D.M.; Bachmann, M.P.; Vaccaro, J.J.
    A regional, three-dimensional, transient numerical model of groundwater flow was constructed for the Yakima River basin aquifer system to better understand the groundwaterflow system and its relation to surface-water resources. The model described in this report can be used as a tool by water management agencies and other stakeholders to quantitatively evaluate proposed alternative management strategies that consider the interrelation between groundwater availability and surface-water resources.
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    Habitat limiting factors Yakima River Watershed, Water Resource Inventory Areas 37-39 : Final Report
    (Washington State Conservation Commission, 2001-12) Haring, Donald
    Section 10 of Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2496 (Salmon Recovery Act of 1998), directs the Washington State Conservation Commission, in consultation with local government and treaty tribes to invite private, federal, state, tribal, and local government personnel with appropriate expertise to convene as a Technical Advisory Group (TAG). The purpose of the TAG is to identify limiting factors for salmonids. Limiting factors are defined as “conditions that limit the ability of habitat to fully sustain populations of salmon, including all species of the family Salmonidae.” This report includes formal habitat inventories or studies specifically directed at evaluating fish habitat, other watershed data not specifically associated with fish habitat evaluation, and personal experience and observations of the watershed experts that participated in the technical advisory group. The analysis of habitat conditions in the Yakima Basin (WRIAs 37-39) and associated action recommendations is based on these data. This report represents a “snapshot-in-time” portrayal of salmonid habitat conditions. This information can and should be used by the Lead Entity (HB2496) and the Watershed Planning Unit (HB 2514) in the development of salmonid habitat protection and restoration strategies. It should be considered a living document, updated periodically with additional habitat assessment data and habitat restoration successes, as information becomes available.
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    Yakima River Basin Study
    (U.S. Department of the Interior State of Washington; Bureau of Reclamation Department of Ecology Pacific Northwest Region, 2011-06) HDR Engineering, Inc; Anchor QEA
    The purpose of this memorandum is to document the development of the RiverWare model and results used in the Yakima Basin Study. The Yakima Basin Study will result in an Integrated Water Resources Development Plan for meeting the instream and out-of-stream needs for current and future water supply associated with the Yakima River system. The model of the system (YAKRW) is being used to estimate the specific effects of proposed new water resources projects on water supply and instream flow conditions. It is also being used to estimate the effects of potential climate change on future water supplies and instream flows.
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    Climate change in the Yakima Basin: Implications for aquatic habitat and water management.
    (Climate Impacts Group, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington., 2015) Tohver, Ingrid M.
    University of Washington Climate Impacts Group presentation at the Yakima Basin Science and Management Conference 2015.
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    Climate adaptation plan for the territories of the Yakama Nation.
    (Yakama Nation, 2016-04)
    This document is an acknowledgment that climate change is real and that it poses a threat to our grandchildren, our culture, and our way of living. This document represents the first collective effort by our many governmental departments and programs to identify (1) important resources and cultural components most likely to be impacted by climate change, (2) work we are currently undertaking that recognizes and will help to reduce climate change impacts, and (3) specific recommendations for deeper analyses of vulnerabilities and risks to our most important interests and adaptation actions that we should implement now.
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    Implications of 21st century climate change for the hydrology of Washington State
    (Climatic Change, 2010) Elsner, Marketa M.; Cuo, Lan; Voisin, Natalie; Deems, J. S.; Hamlet, Alan F.; Vano, Julie A.; Mickelson, Kristian E. B.; Lee, Se-Yeun; Lettenmaier, Dennis P.
    Pacific Northwest (PNW) hydrology is particularly sensitive to changes in climate because snowmelt dominates seasonal runoff, and temperature changes impact the rain/snow balance. Based on results from the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR4), we updated previous studies of implications of climate change on PNW hydrology. PNW 21st century hydrology was simulated using 20 Global Climate Models (GCMs) and 2 greenhouse gas emissions scenarios over Washington and the greater Columbia River watershed, with additional focus on the Yakima River watershed and the Puget Sound which are particularly sensitive to climate change. We evaluated projected changes in snow water equivalent (SWE), soil moisture, runoff, and streamflow for A1B and B1 emissions scenarios for the 2020s, 2040s, and 2080s.
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    Pesticides in surface water of the yakima river basin, washington, 1999–2000—their occurrence and an assessment of factors affecting concentrations and loads
    (Washington State Dept. of Ecology, 2002) Ebbert, James C.; Embrey, Sandra S.
    The occurrence, distribution, and transport of pesticides in surface water of the Yakima River Basin were assessed using data collected during 1999–2000 as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Samples were collected at 34 sites located throughout the basin in August 1999 using a Lagrangian sampling design. Samples also were collected weekly and monthly from May 1999 through January 2000 at three of the sites. This report includes data for 47 pesticide compounds from the analysis of filtered water using ocadecyl (C-18) solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry.
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    USBR Columbia River pump exchange project: potential water quality impacts on the lower Yakima River
    (Washington State Dept. of Ecology, 2001-01) Carroll, Jim; Joy, Joe
    Poor upstream water quality was concluded to be the foremost determinant of water quality conditions in the last 47 miles of the lower Yakima River evaluated in this study. Changes in operational flows at Chandler Canal cannot overcome the water quality degradation occurring upstream. The QUAL2E model mainly predicted some dilution effects on water quality parameters due to increased water volumes associated with the operational changes. Reduced settling of chlorophyll a and total suspended solids was also predicted due to increased velocities of flows. These effects were especially apparent in the Prosser Dam to Chandler Return reach. The proposed operational change at Columbia Canal diversion is predicted to have no noticeable impact on water quality conditions downstream of that diversion.
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    Concentrations and loads of suspended sediment and nutrients in surface water of the Yakima River basin, Washington, 1999-2000 : with an analysis of trends in concentrations
    (U.S. Geological Survey, 2003) Ebbert, James C.; Embrey, S.S.; Kelly, Janet A.
    This report contains the major findings of a 1999-2001 assessment of water quality in streams in the Yakima River Basin. It is one of a series of reports by the NAWQA (National Water-Quality Assessment) Program that present major findings on water resources in 51 major river basins and aquifer systems across the Nation. In these reports, water quality is assessed at many scales-from large rivers that drain many land uses to small agricultural catchments, and is discussed in terms of local, State, and regional issues. Conditions in the Yakima River Basin are compared to conditions found elsewhere and to selected national benchmarks, such as those for drinking-water quality and the protection of aquatic organisms. This report is intended for individuals working with water-resource issues in Federal, State, or local agencies, universities, public interest groups, or the private sector. The information will be useful in addressing a number of current issues, such as source-water protection, pesticide registration, human health, drinking water, hypoxia and excessive growth of algae and plants, the effects of agricultural land use on water quality, and monitoring and sampling strategies. This report is also for individuals who wish to know more about the quality of water resources in areas near where they live, and how that water quality compares to other areas across the Nation.
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    Development and application of a decision support system for water management investigations in the upper Yakima River, Washington
    (U.S. Geological Survey, 2008) Bovee, Ken D.; Waddle, Terry J.; Talbert, Colin; Batt, Thomas R.; Hatten, James R.
    The Yakima River Decision Support System (YRDSS) was designed to quantify and display the consequences of different water management scenarios for a variety of state variables in the upper Yakima River Basin, located in central Washington. The impetus for the YRDSS was the Yakima River Basin Water Storage Feasibility Study, which investigated alternatives for providing additional water in the basin for threatened and endangered fish, irrigated agriculture, and municipal water supply. The additional water supplies would be provided by combinations of water exchanges, pumping stations, and off-channel storage facilities, each of which could affect the operations of the Bureau of Reclamation’s (BOR) five headwaters reservoirs in the basin. The driver for the YRDSS is RiverWare, a systems-operations model used by BOR to calculate reservoir storage, irrigation deliveries, and streamflow at downstream locations resulting from changes in water supply and reservoir operations.
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    Assessment of the Lower Yakima River in Benton County, Washington
    (Benton Conservation District, 2011) Appel, M.; Little, R.; Wendt, H.; Nielson, M.
    Benton Conservation District (BCD) investigated the lower Yakima River from Prosser, WA to Richland, WA with the purpose of identifying and assessing high priority actions for the benefit of local and basin-wide salmon recovery efforts. This assessment, funded by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB), was conducted from 2008 to 2010 and included thermal profiling of the lower Yakima River, investigation of the thermal dynamics of the Yakima River delta, river depth measurements at baseflow conditions, identification of local fish screening needs, and inventory of riverbank, island, and floodplain conditions.
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    Lower Yakima River Suspended Sediment Total Maximum Daily Load Study
    (Washington State Dept. of Ecology, 2006-05) Coffin, Chris; Plotnikoff, Robert W.; Anderson, Ryan
    The Washington State Department of Ecology is required, under Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations, to develop and implement Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for impaired waters, and to evaluate the effectiveness of these water clean-up plans to achieve the needed improvement in water quality. The Lower Yakima River Suspended Sediment and DDT TMDL was developed to reduce suspended sediment, turbidity, and the pesticide, DDT, in the lower reaches of the Yakima River. TMDL implementation is scheduled over 20 years with interim targets set at five-year intervals. The fifth-year (2003) targets included meeting Washington State water quality criterion for turbidity in the lower Yakima River during the irrigation season. Also included was the requirement that non-Yakama Reservation tributaries to the lower mainstem – especially the major tributaries of Moxee Drain, Granger Drain, Sulphur Creek, and Spring Creek – achieve a maximum 90th percentile turbidity of 25 NTU at their mouths during the irrigation season. This report presents an assessment of the turbidity within the project area and the effectiveness of the TMDL in reducing agriculturally related sediment.
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    DISTRIBUTION OF FISH, BENTHIC INVERTEBRATE, AND ALGAL COMMUNITIES IN RELATION TO PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CONDITIONS, YAKIMA RIVER BASIN, WASHINGTON, 1990
    (U.S. Geological Survey, 1997) Cuffney, Thomas F.; Meador, Michael R.; Porter, Stephen D.; Gurtz, Martin E.
    Biological investigations were conducted in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, in conjunction with a pilot study for the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Ecological surveys were conducted at 25 sites in 1990 to (1) assess water-quality conditions based on fish, benthic invertebrate, and algal communities; (2) determine the hydrologic, habitat, and chemical factors that affect the distributions of these organisms; and (3) relate physical and chemical conditions to water quality. Results of these investigations showed that land uses and other associated human activities influenced the biological characteristics of streams and rivers and overall water-quality conditions.
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    IMPACTS OF IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT ON ANADROMOUS FISH IN THE YAKIMA RIVER BASIN, WASHINGTON
    (Central Washington University, 1995-05) Tuck, Robert L.
    Irrigation development, including the construction of unscreened diversions, the blockage of spawning and rearing habitat by reservoir dams, and the dewatering of spawning and rearing habitat, began in the mid-1800's and today totals approximately 500,000 acres. Historical records provide a wealth of information documenting irrigation development and its consequences on anadromous fish populations.
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    Water Quality in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, 1999-2000
    (U.S. Geological Survey, 2004) Fuhrer, Gregory J.; Morace, Jennifer L.; Johnson, Henry M.; Rinella, Joseph F.; Ebbert, James C.; Embrey, Sandra S.; Waite Ian R., Ian R.; Carpenter, Kurt D.; Wise, Daniel R.; Hughes, Curt A.
    This report contains the major findings of a 1999–2000 assessment of water quality in streams and drains in the Yakima River Basin. It is one of a series of reports by the NAWQA Program that present major findings on water resources in 51 major river basins and aquifer systems across the Nation. In these reports, water quality is assessed at many scales—from large rivers that drain lands having many uses to small agricultural watersheds—and is discussed in terms of local, State, and regional issues. Conditions in the Yakima River Basin are compared to those found elsewhere and to selected national benchmarks, such as those for drinking-water quality and the protection of aquatic organisms.