Quality Assurance
Protection Plan *
PROJECT TITLE: Feather River Coordinated
Resource Management Watershed Monitoring Pilot Project: Trend Analysis Approach
Sierra, Plumas, and Lassen Counties, California
Project
Manager Donna S. Lindquist
Project QA
Manager Dennis Heiman
Supervising
Field Scientists Clay Clifton
Jim Wilcox
Field
Personnel Coordinator Donna Lindquist Clay Clifton
*Based
on the Field Sampling Plan and Quality Assurance Project Plan Guidelines For
Region IX (dated Sep., 1998)
1.0
Quality Assurance Protection Plan Introduction
1.4 Site
Name
1.5
Responsible Organizations
1.6 Project
Organization
1.7 Statement
of Specific Problem
1.8 Data
Uses
2.0
Background
2.1 Project Location (general)
2.2
Geographic
Location
2.3 Specific (site name) Location
2.4
Geological
Information
2.5
Environmental
and/or Human Impact
2.6
Previous
Investigations
2.7
Regulatory
Involvement
3.0 Project Data Quality Objectives
3.1 Data
Uses
3.2 Project
Tasks
3.4 Data
Quality Indicators
3.5 Data
Management Checklist
3.6
Assessment
Oversight
4.0 Sampling Oversight and
Design
4.1
Requests
for Information and Analysis
4.2
Environmental
Measurements
5.0 Methods and Procedures
6.0 Field Health and Safety
Procedures
7.0 Field Procedures
7.1
Equipment
7.2
Equipment
Calibration and Maintenance
7.3
Field
Sampling Procedure
7.4
Personnel
7.5
Personnel
Qualifications
7.6
Getting
Started
8.0
Stream Reach Attributes to be Monitored
8.1
Air
and Water Temperature
8.2
Channel
Longitudinal Profile
8.3
Pool
Tail Substrate
8.4
Channel
Cross-sections
8.5
Identification
of Bankfull
8.6
Channel
Entrenchment
8.7
Channel
Width-to-depth Ratio
8.8
Streambank
Stability
8.9
Stream
Shading
8.10
Macro-invertebrate
Sampling
8.11
Channel
Substrate Sampling
8.12
Stream
Shore Water Depth
8.13
Bank
Angle
8.14
Aquatic
Fauna
9.0
Permanent
Station Data Collection
9.1 Streamflow Measurements
9.2 Turbidity Sampling
9.4
Bedload
Sampling
Table
1 Measurements taken at permanent
stations
Table
2 Bi-annual reference reach data
1.0 Quality
Assurance Protection Plan Introduction
Numerous
watershed restoration activities have occurred in the Feather River watershed
in recent years. The Feather River Coordinated Resource Management (FRCRM), which includes 21 public agencies,
private interests, and local landowners has completed over 40 watershed
projects in the Feather River watershed since 1985 including studies and
assessments, resource management plans, stream restoration projects, community
outreach and educational efforts.
This
319 grant establishes a regional monitoring a program in the upper Feather
River basin to provide insight on overall trends resulting from restoration,
land management changes and natural processes. The program targets the North
Fork and Middle Fork Feather River watersheds.
Smaller scale effectiveness monitoring to identify specific restoration
benefits will be conducted in other proposed programs, and will be designed to
compliment the regional program.
The
data will be used to document trends in watershed condition resulting from
restoration activities. The result will hopefully answer the question of
whether restoration above the Central Valley’s major foothill reservoirs can
increase reliable water yield, and enhance flood protection above and within
the Central Valley.
These
data will provide critical input to the restoration program conducted by the
Feather River CRM. Identification of
conditions throughout the watershed will allow prioritization of restoration
projects in terms of location and goals.
Benefits of past restoration efforts will be quantified. Information on watershed condition will
serve as a baseline data for future projects.
1.1 Project Goals and
Objectives
The
long-term goals of this project are to develop, implement and evaluate a
monitoring program, which documents, at the watershed scale, long-term trends
in watershed condition cumulatively resulting from restoration activities, land
management changes and natural processes.
Long-term Objectives
·
Continuously
monitor changes in water temperature over time as a key parameter in
assessing changes in watershed condition.
A significant reduction in summer water temperatures over time is
indicative of improving watershed condition.
·
Continuously
monitor changes in surface water flow over time as a key parameter in
assessing changes in watershed condition.
A significant increase in summer base flow and reduced peak flow are
indicative of improving watershed condition.
·
Continuously
monitor changes in turbidity over time as a parameter in assessing
watershed condition changes. An overall
long-term decrease in turbidity is indicative of improving watershed condition.
·
Monitor
bedload and suspended sediment at various flows.
·
Monitor,
bi-annually, physical and biological changes in reference reaches:
Channel morphology, including channel cross sections, channel entrenchment and gradient,
channel bed material sampling, large woody debris, (LWD), and pool tail
fines. Transect data includes bank
stability, shade, width/depth ratio, stream shore water depth, and bank angle. Bankfull will be estimated based on known
procedures and field indicators.
Water chemistry, including water, air temperature and turbidity.
Habitat, including spatial distribution of fast and slow water via longitudinal
gradient (i.e. pool and riffle orientation), pools (size, depth and number),
pool tail substrate (% fines), shading, and stream bank stability (i.e.
vegetation cover).
Macro-invertebrates, including analysis of population numbers and
species diversity in comparison to Sierra Nevada reference sites. Not originally part of SCI protocol, but has
been added on with the availability of reference site data.
Aquatic fauna, includes ocular observations of fish, amphibians, reptiles, and
bivalves.
Aerial and ground photographs to provide visual documentation of in-stream and
upland changes in vegetation and channel structure, and to support other
monitoring results.
The
short-term goals of this project are to evaluate the pilot monitoring strategy
and determine whether it meets long-term project goals, is viable for long-term
application, includes appropriate sampling intensity and parameters, and is
reproducible. We will also solicit
funding to continue the monitoring program beyond the two-year pilot.
·
Evaluate
the effectiveness of the monitoring plan upon completion of the two-year pilot
program. We will use the qualitative checklist in Table 1 to assess the success
or failure of the program in meeting goals.
Based on preliminary results of the pilot program, we will rate its
effectiveness and provide recommended modifications.
·
Develop
a spatially referenced data management system to track, organize, and store
monitoring data, facilitate analysis, and support production of reports needed
to evaluate long-term trends. The
system used should be compatible with other data sets managed by QLG, USFS etc.
·
Coordinate
with Plumas National Forest, DWR, UC Cooperative Extension, ICE, QLG, Feather
River College, etc. on data collection and management approaches.
The monitoring approach in this QAPP consists of two
basic components as described below.
The first two tasks vary in parameters measured, location and sampling.
See Table 1., and Table 2.
Work products are to:
Conduct
continuous monitoring of temperature and flow at eleven permanent sampling
stations.
Conduct
continuous turbidity monitoring at two locations.
Collect
conductivity and pH data periodically at all stations.
Collect
bedload and suspended sediment data in various flow regimes at two stations.
Conduc