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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1991 Water Quality in the Quilcene/Dabob WatershedA • i I-'. FINAL REPORT WATER QUALITY IN THE QUILCENEIDABOB WATERSHED 1991 Prepared by Glenn Gately Jefferson County Planning and Building Department Part Townsend, Washington 98368 for .Washington State Department of Ecology June 1992 - WASHINGTON- STATE 0 E P A R T M E N 0r E C O L O G Y This project w2s Funded in part by Washington State Department of Ecotogy FINAL REPORT WATER QUALITY IN THE QUILCENE /DABOB WATERSHED 1991 Prepared by Glenn Gately Jefferson County Planning and Building Department Port Townsend, Washington 98368 for Washington State Department of Ecology June 1992 WASHINGTON' STATE D E P A A T M E N T. O F E C O L O G Y This project was funded in part by Wasbina on State Department of Ecology INTRODUCTION This report summarizes the freshwater monitoring conducted in the Quilcene /Dabob Watershed during 1991. This work was conducted by Jefferson County Water Quality staff in partial fulfillment, of Washington State Department of Ecology Grant_ TAX90094, a Centennial Clean Water Fund Grant. 2 BACKGROUND The Quilcene /Dabob Watershed, located in eastern Jefferson County, is comprised of several drainages, which flow, into Quilcene Bay and Dabob Bay (Figure 1). These drainages and the pollutants contaminating them are summarized in the Quilcene /Dabob Bays Watershed Action Plan (1) as follows: A predominantly rural watershed with over 250 miles of stream and Hood Canal shoreline, Quilcene /Dabob land use is roughly 60 percent timberland, 30 percent clearcut, 5 percent urban /residential /commercial, and 5 percent farm /pasture. There are no major point sources of pollution such as sewage treatment plants or major industrial outfalls in the watershed. Water quality in the freshwater streams and saltwater bays of Quilcene /Dabob Bays Watershed is classified as "AA" or "Extraordinary" by the Washington State Department of Ecology. Three major streams discharge into the head of Quilcene Bay. During periods of moderate to high precipitation the combined discharge of the Big Quilcene River, the Little Quilcene River, and Donovan Creek can exceed 1,000 cfs. Numerous small or intermittent streams also discharge into the bay. One major stream, Tarboo Creek, discharges into Dabob Bay. Numerous small or intermittent streams also discharge into this bay. Both Quilcene and Dabob Bays support commercial shellfish operations. Much of the State's shellfish industry relies on the two bays' natural production of oyster seed for culture operations. Manila clams are also harvested by oyster growers in Dabob Bay. Though water quality tended to degrade during a storm event, primarily due to pollutants being flushed into stream bodies by surface water runoff, water quality monitoring initiated by the Jefferson County Planning and Building Department's Water Quality Program generally confirmed a high level of water quality, with the following exceptions: In 1985, Washington State Department of Health initiated a decertification (closure) for commercial growing /harvest of shellfish in the north portion of Quilcene Bay owing to fecal coliform bacterial contamination attributed to the freshwater inputs of the Little Quilcene River and Donovan Creek (2, 3). K ,•` Tarb a C,eek Litt le puilcen,e Urai age - }Oo v C eek Town of Big puilcene Drainage puilcene c1 lil `c �O co rq KEY MAP Q 7o�'ns`e <�L P RCJ 3c- I� . ;.A?A 7 e::a: soa Ca. � �isa:;le kood Canil� _ .-?�� «� Figure 1. Map of major drainages in the Quilcene /Dabob Watershed. 4 Water quality monitoring conducted by Jefferson County Planning and Building Department from February 1986 to December 1988 found that fecal coliform levels violate State standards for Class AA waters at the north end of Quilcene Bay intermittently and are occasionally high, although not in violations of State standarA, at the north end of Dabob Bay (Tarboo Bay). Water quality generally tested as excellent at stations throughout the remainder of both bays (4, 5). Fecal . coliform levels violate State standards at various freshwater stations along Donovan, Jakeway and Tarboo Creeks, and Cemetery Drain. Violations in these stream segments were generally attributed to adjacent agricultural properties, particularly where animals had unrestricted access to the stream, and to malfunctioning on -site septic systems (4, 5, 6, 7). 5 METHODS Ambient water quality monitoring was conducted at sampling sites established in previous water quality studies (Figure 2). The parameters measured were: flow, fecal coliform, total suspended solids, conductivity, pH, temperature and dissolved oxygen. However, pH and dissolved oxygen results are not reported because variations in replicate samples made their accuracy suspect. Sampling procedures and laboratory methods are ._ described in the Quilcene /Dabob Watershed Monitoring /Stream Survey Plan and Quality Assurance Management Plan (8). Additional site - specific sampling was conducted in December 1991 at the request of the Conservation District Technician. Replicate samples were taken upstream and downstream of two agricultural areas, one on Tarboo Creek and one on Jakeway Creek. The upstream site on Tarboo Creek (TB2 in the ambient monitoring) was at the Dabob -Coyle Road in Section 28; the downstream site, about 0.9 miles from the upstream site, was at a dirt road right -of -way which follows the common boundary of Sections 28 and 33. The upstream site on Jakeway Creek was at the boundary of the Jakeway and Pope and Talbot properties; the downstream site was at a conservation easement fence on the Shaw property. To test for significant differences between the sites, fecal coliform data were transformed to logarithms and these values tested by the Student -t test (9). To help interpret the water quality results, rainfall data obtained from the Quilcene National Fish Hatchery is provided in Table 1. Sample sites are located within 8 miles of this location. n Table 1. Daily rainfall recorded at the Quilcene National Fish Hatchery in relationship to sampling times. Rain guage measurements were taken at 1600 hours. Rain guage Date Sampling time measurement (inches) 1991 February 1.7 0.24 18 0.18 19 0.68 20 0945 -1057 0.00 March 17 18 19 20 0830 -1418 December 27 28 29 30 1045 -1215 7 0.00 0.00 0.36 0.00 0.27 0.00 0.00 0.00 ­ LEGEND 80t — nIC OUILCENE L — LITTLE OUILCENE LL— LELAND _ DV— DONOVAN TB— TARBOO CY— COYLE CO— CEMETERY DRAIN E."i'iwt_7 -� i ROJ =CT Jc!!tr3on Co. Hood Caaal"� Figure 2. Map showing sample sites in the Quilcene /Dabob Watershed. RESULTS Ambient Sampling Fecal coliform levels exceeded the 50 fc /100 ml State standard at sites TB2 and T133 on Tarboo Creek (Table 2). GMVs for these two sites were 108 and 88 fc /100 ml respectively. The second part of the State standard that not more than 10 percent of the samples should exceed 100 fc /100 mi was also violated at both these sites from which one of the two samples exceeded this limit. The fecal coliform concentration was excessively high (1,700 fc /100 ml) at site DV2 on Donovan Creek, but because this stream was sampled only once, no GMV could be calculated and compared to the State standard. In contrast, concentrations were lower at upstream sites on Tarboo and Donovan Creeks. Site TB1 had a GMV of only 5 fc /100 ml and the single reading taken at site DV1 was 8 fc /100 ml. In a similar manner, levels of total suspended solids were less at upstream sites on Tarboo and Donovan Creeks than at downstream sites (Table 2). Levels at upstream site TB1 on Tarboo Creek ranged from 2 to 4 mg /I compared to a range of 5.6 to 6.7 mg /I at sites TB2 and TB3. Upstream site DV1 on Donovan Creek had a level of 1.7 mg /I compared to 6.7 mg /I at downstream site DV2. Conductivity ranged from 65 to 113 ,umho /cm at all sample sites except at the mouth of Donovan Creek (DV2) in March. Conductivity at this site was 710 umho /cm. One hour later it was 575 /,imho /cm. This high level, compared to 89 Nmho /cm at upstream site DV1, was probably due to tidal influence. Upstream /Downstream Samolina No noticeable difference in fecal coliform, total suspended solids, or turbidity occurred in samples taken upstream and downstream of a cattle pasture on Jakeway Creek (Table 3). Fecal coliform levels were low in both upstream (GMV = 7fc /100 ml) and downstream (GMV = 6fc /100 ml) samples. Mean levels of total suspended solids were 2.4 and 2.1 mg /I for upstream and downstream samples respectively and mean turbidity values were 7.0 and 7.1 NTUs. No substantial difference occurred between fecal coliform levels measured upstream and downstream of a cattle grazing area on Tarboo Creek (Table 4). 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Q) a td a N a S1, S-1 a �a N Ll. a a i4 a +.3 a c0 a- 9 �4 O 44 .r{ r-I O U U a 144 O 4-1 15 a J-1 ca rl U U N a U 4J a E; O a u 12 �T 1 r- LO r-1 f7 tf1 O co H r-1 O C4 9 9 �4 O 44 .r{ r-I O U U a 144 O 4-1 15 a J-1 ca rl U U N a U 4J a E; O a u 12 �T 1 r-1 r-1 O ri ri r1 N m c^t O N O O 14 O C E-1 4-+ a u+ z .,4 s4 s -- H U7 v >1 O =1 N 4J U N 10 -r-4 .4 a r-I rf ri .14 rt7 ca O A U 41 N �4 Q) O O f=+ Ei E-+ 9 �4 O 44 .r{ r-I O U U a 144 O 4-1 15 a J-1 ca rl U U N a U 4J a E; O a u 12 �T 1 DISCUSSION Ambient water quality data collected in 1991 is limited to one or two months. Thus no strong conclusions can be made on the basis of this data alone. However, after comparing this data to that collected from June 1986 to February 1989 (6), one can conclude that problems with fecal coliform contamination still exist in some streams. Big Quilcene River The low fecal coliform concentration of 3 fc /100 ml measured in March is consistent with the 3.6 fc /100 ml GMV for 35 samples taken from 1986 to 1989 (6). The predominantly forested and undeveloped nature of the drainage is one explanation for the low fecal coliform levels. - In 1989, less than one percent was classified as residential and less than one percent as agricultural (4). Also, the average flow for the Big Quilcene River is relatively high (173 cfs), about twice that from all other streams in the watershed combined (4). Thus, dilution may also be a factor contributing to the low fecal coliform levels. Cemetery Drain Cemetery Drain is a major drainage network in the town of Quilcene. It was built by the WPA to drain the swampy area southeast of the cemetery. The drain flows only during the wet winter months except in the lowest section where it flows all year. A sanitary survey identified pollution sources as malfunctioning septic systems, livestock access, stormwater, and small amounts of industrial waste (4). Fecal coliform concentrations in samples collected from 1986 to 1989 exceeded State standards at all three sites, but the worst conditions occurred at CD3, the farthest downstream site. ' The GMV for this site was 674 fc /100 ml, compared to GMVs of 65 fc /100 ml at site CD2 and 59 fc /100 ml at site CD1. Concentrations in the March 1991 samples collected at sites CD1 and CD2 were 11 and 19 fc /100 ml respectively, well below the 1986 -89 GMVs and the 50 fc /100 ml State standard. However, the data is too limited to conclude that an improvement has occurred. Data used in calculating the 1986 -89 GMVs also showed low ' fecal coliform concentrations (<10 fc /100 ml) on some dates. Also, site CD3 was not sampled in 1991, and thus no comparison can be made with this worst -case site. Little Quilcene River The Little Quilcene River drains about 16,400 acres of mostly forested land. In 1989 about 3 percent was reported to be in agricultural use and one percent in residential use (4). This small percentage of land in agricultural and residential use probably contributes to the low fecal coliform concentrations in the 1991 samples and in those collected from 1986 to 1989. Concentrations in March 1991 were 8 and 1 fc /100 ml at sites LQ2 and LQ3 respectively, compared to 1986 -89 GMVs of 7.1 and 18 fc /100 ml for the same sites (6). 13 Leland Creek Leland Creek enters the Little Quilcene River just downstream of Little Quilcene River site LQ2. Most of the development in the Leland Creek drainage occurs in the upper part of the drainage around Lake Leland. Fecal coliform concentrations in March 1991 samples were low as were GMVs.in samples collected from 1986 to 1989 (6). Concentrations at the three-sites. ranged from 0 to 17 fc /100 ml in March, compared to GMVs of 13 to 19 fc /100 ml for 1986 to 1989 samples. Donovan Creek Donovan Creek drains an area of 2,747 acres; 14 percent was reported to be in agricultural use and 4 percent in residential use (4). Fecal coliform concentrations which exceed State standards are well documented for this drainage (4, 6, 7). Livestock pasturing is reported to be the major problem and- to a lesser extent failing septic systems. Tidal flooding on lower Donovan Creek exacerbates the problem. Conditions improved in 1988 when a Conservation Easement eliminated 25 acres of pastureland (subject to tidal flooding) from livestock grazing (7). Fecal coliform concentrations collected in March 1991 followed the pattern of low levels upstream and high levels downstream established in previous sampling. March upstream (DV1) and downstream (DV2) levels were 8 and 1,700 fc /100 ml, which are comparable to the 1986 -89 GMVs of 17 and 188 fc /100 ml (6). Thus, the State standard of 50 fc /100 ml continues to be exceeded on Donovan Creek. Jakeway Creek Jakeway Creek is a tributary of Donovan Creek and enters Donovan Creek immediately upstream of site DV1. The lower part of Jakeway Creek is included in the Conservation Easement, which prohibits livestock grazing. The Conservation Easement fence was the downstream sampling site. In the December 1991 sampling, the GMV of the two replicates at this site (6 fc /100 ml) was almost identical to the upstream site (7 fc /100 ml). Thus, this pasture did not appear to be a source of contamination on the date sampled. It should be mentioned that the cattle were not present at the time of sampling and may have been removed from this pasture weeks before; .cattle feces were present throughout the pasture.. Also, it was not raining during sampling and stream flow was not excessive. The last rainfall recorded in the area occurred three days before sampling when 0.27 inches were recorded (Table 1). Samples taken at the easement fence in 1988 -89 had a GMV of 380 fc /100 ml (7). Concentrations at this site ranged from 0 fc /100 ml to 15,000 fc /100 ml; the lowest concentrations occurred during the winter. Additional sampling at different times of the year when cattle are present and during rainstorms would be necessary in order to fully evaluate this pasture as a source of contamination. In any event, fencing the cattle from the stream would be an improvement. 14 Tarboo Creek Tarboo Creek drains an area of 7,245 acres of mostly forested land. About 321 acres (4.4 percent) were reported to be in residential use and 575 acres (7.3 percent) in agricultural use (4). Residences are found primarily in the uplands and agricultural areas occupy the bottomlands. _ Fecal coliform levels were somewhat lower in ambient samples collected in 1991, but followed the same pattern as those collected previously. In 1986 -89, sites T131, TB2, and T133 had GMVs of 35, 174, and 115 fc /100 ml respectively (6). GMVs for these sites in 1991 were 5, 108, and 88 fc /100 ml. Thus the highest level is at midstream (TB2), next highest downstream (TB3), and lowest upstream (T131). As happened in 1986 -89, State standards were exceeded at sites TB2 and TB3 in 1991. The single sample taken from a ditch which flows into Tarboo Creek at site T132 indicated that it was not a substantial contributor of fecal coliform on the date sampled. The December upstream /downstream sampling bracketing about 0.9 miles of pastureland along Tarboo Creek did not signify any "problem ". The upstream site was actually a little higher (GMV =17 fc /100 ml) than the downstream site (GMV = 6 fc /100 ml). These values follow the pattern previously mentioned in which the upstream site had a higher concentration than the downstream site. Fecal coliform at the upstream site (TB2 in the ambient monitoring program) in December was considerably lower than the averages previously mentioned for this site. This could be due to low rainfall. The last rainfall recorded in the area occurred three days before sampling when 0.27 inches were recorded (Table 1). Coyle Creek Coyle Creek flows into Tarboo creek just downstream of site TB3, which is about 0.5 miles from Dabob Bay. Residential and agricultural land use occurs in the lower 0.5 mile section of this creek. Fecal coliform levels measured in 1991 were- even lower than the low levels observed from 1986 -1989. The GMV was 4 fc /100 ml for the two months measured in 1991 compared to a GMV of 23 fc /100 ml for the period from 1986 to 1989 (6). Thus the Coyle drainage appears to have minimal problems. 15 V* v . CONCLUSIONS Fecal coliform concentrations are known to fluctuate greatly, and thus.the limited data from this study is insufficient to base any strong, conclusions on.-.For- those streams in which fecal coliform concentrations were low (Big Quilcene River' 7Little Quilcene River, Leland Creek, Coyle Creek, and Jakeway Creek) one cannot conclude with certainty that problems- do not exist.. Conversely, however, for those streams having high concentrations (Donovan Creek and Tarboo. Creek) in 1991 and in previous years (6, 7), one can reasonably conclude that problems still exist and remedial actions including Conservation Plans, Best Management Practices, and septic repairs are still needed. 16 REFERENCES 1. Quilcene /Dabob Bays Watershed Management Committee, 1991. Quilcene /Dabob Bays Watershed Action Plan. Jefferson County Planning and Building Department, Port Townsend, Washington. 2. Cook, K.V. '1984. Water quality study of Quilcene Bay, Jefferson County, Washington, June 4 -7, 1984, October 22 -31, 1984. Department of Social and Health Services, Office of Environmental Health Programs, Shellfish Program. 3. Cook, K.V. 1985. Sanitary survey of Quilcene Bay, Jefferson County, Washington, November 1984 - December 1985. Department of Social and Health Services, Office of Environmental Health Programs, Shellfish Program. 4. Welch, J.L. and B. Banks 1987. The Quilcene /Dabob Bays Water Quality Project. Final Report. Jefferson County Planning and Building Department, Port Townsend, Washington. 5. Banks, B., J.L. Welch, and M.D. Purser 1987. Quilcene /Dabob Water Quality Project. Technical Report. Jefferson County Planning and Building Department and Jefferson County Conservation District, Port Townsend, Washington. 6. Rubida, P. and J. Calambokidis 1990. Factors affecting nonpoint source fecal coliform levels in Quilcene and Dabob watersheds, Jefferson County, Washington. Final Report. Jefferson County Planning Department, Port Townsend, Washington and Cascadia Research, Olympia, Washington. 7. Welch, J. and P. Rubida 1989. Fecal coliform contamination in Donovan Creek, Quilcene, Washington. Final Report. Jefferson County Planning and Building Department, Port Townsend, Washington. 8. Jefferson County Planning and Building Department, Port Townsend, Washington, 1991. Quilcene /Dabob Watershed Monitoring /Stream survey Plan and Quality Assurance Management Plan. 9. Zar, J.H. 1984. Biostatisticai Analysis, Second Edition, Prentice -Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 718 pp. 17