Water Quality and Steelhead Trout in the Lower Santa

Ynez River Watershed

Timothy H. RobinsonCachuma Operation and Maintenance

Board

2016International Users Conference

United We Map

SessionExploring Fisheries and Fish Habitat

Southern SteelheadOncorhynchus mykiss

Southern California Steelhead Recovery Plan, January 2012

The Cachuma ProjectCachuma Operation and Maintenance Board

(Joint Powers Agency)Objectives:• Water delivery (reservoirs, tunnels, conduit, etc.)• Resource management (water and biological species/habitat)

Santa Ynez ID#1

DISTRICTSCarpinteria Valley GoletaMontecito

Santa Barbara

Southern Steelhead – Endangered Species List (1997)

15 Reasonable and Prudent Measures (RPMs):• Monitoring (migrant trapping, snorkel and redd surveys,

diel and spot water quality and flow monitoring, habitat classification, etc)

• River target flows• Passage supplementation• Habitat quality improvement• Migration barrier fixes (11)• Reporting• Outreach• Adaptive management

Cachuma Project Biological Opinion (NMFS, 2000)

Monitoring• Trapping (January – May): Salsipuedes and Hilton Creeks and mainstem

near Solvang• Redd Surveys (February – May): tributaries and mainstem• Snorkel Surveys (Spring, Summer and Fall): tributaries and mainstem• Stream/River Discharge (year round): USGS and spot flow measurements• Water Quality (dry season, May – November): temperature, dissolved

oxygen concentration, turbidity, specific conductance, lake profiles, stratified pools, and ambient air temperature (diel and spot measurements)

• Habitat Quality (as needed or yearly): habitat mapping and photo points• Restoration Projects (as needed or annually): pre-, during- and post-

construction as well as performance monitoring over time

Trapping

Redds

Water Quality

Stratified Pools

Snorkeling

HCWS

StillingBasin

San Lucas Ranch

USBR

CRP

LSYR-0.5

LSYR-0.6

LSYR-0.7

Outlet Works

LSYR-3.2

Hwy 154 Bridge

LSYR-0.3HC-0.1

LSYR-0.01

Water Quality + Flow Monitoring Sites:Single unit (T)Vertical Array (T + DO)USGS gauge (Z, T + DO)PT-temp unit (Z + T)

LSYR-10.5

Alisal Bridge

‐50

‐40

‐30

‐20

‐10

01 2 4 8 16 32 64

Dep

th (ft)

Turbidity (NTU)

3/3/16 ‐ Elev. 664.944/11/16 ‐ Elev. 665.12

‐60

‐50

‐40

‐30

‐20

‐10

00 2 4 6 8 10 12

Dep

th (ft)

Dissolved Oxygen (mg/l)

3/3/16 ‐ Elev. 664.944/11/16 ‐ Elev. 665.12

‐60

‐50

‐40

‐30

‐20

‐10

08 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26

Dep

th (ft)

Temperature (°C)

3/3/16 ‐ Elev. 664.944/11/16 ‐ Elev. 665.12

(a)

(b)

(c)

Lake Cachuma

Trapping data

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

2/16/201

6

2/18/201

6

2/20/201

6

2/22/201

6

2/24/201

6

2/26/201

6

2/28/201

6

3/1/2016

3/3/2016

3/5/2016

3/7/2016

3/9/2016

3/11/201

6

3/13/201

6

3/15/201

6

3/17/201

6

3/19/201

6

3/21/201

6

3/23/201

6

3/25/201

6

3/27/201

6

3/29/201

6

3/31/201

6

4/2/2016

4/4/2016

4/6/2016

4/8/2016

4/10/201

6

4/12/201

6

4/14/201

6

Cumulative Total

Num

ber C

aptured

HU=7

HD=86

Cumulative Total

Water Quality – Thermographs – Stilling Basin

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

304/1/2015

4/15/201

5

4/29/201

5

5/13/201

5

5/27/201

5

6/10/201

5

6/24/201

5

7/8/2015

7/22/201

5

8/5/2015

8/19/201

5

9/2/2015

9/16/201

5

9/30/201

5

10/14/20

15

10/28/20

15

11/11/20

15

11/25/20

15

12/9/201

5

12/23/20

15

Tempe

rature (°C)

Maximum

Average

Minimum

Stilling Basin Wall – Surface 1-Foot

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

30

4/1/2015

4/15/201

5

4/29/201

5

5/13/201

5

5/27/201

5

6/10/201

5

6/24/201

5

7/8/2015

7/22/201

5

8/5/2015

8/19/201

5

9/2/2015

9/16/201

5

9/30/201

5

10/14/20

15

10/28/20

15

11/11/20

15

11/25/20

15

12/9/201

5

12/23/20

15

Tempe

rature (°C)

Maximum

Average

Minimum

Stilling Basin Wall – Surface 8-Foot

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

30

4/1/2015

4/15/201

5

4/29/201

5

5/13/201

5

5/27/201

5

6/10/201

5

6/24/201

5

7/8/2015

7/22/201

5

8/5/2015

8/19/201

5

9/2/2015

9/16/201

5

9/30/201

5

10/14/20

15

10/28/20

15

11/11/20

15

11/25/20

15

12/9/201

5

12/23/20

15

Tempe

rature (°C)

Maximum

Average

Minimum

Stilling Basin Wall – Surface 16-Foot

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

30

4/1/2015

4/15/201

5

4/29/201

5

5/13/201

5

5/27/201

5

6/10/201

5

6/24/201

5

7/8/2015

7/22/201

5

8/5/2015

8/19/201

5

9/2/2015

9/16/201

5

9/30/201

5

10/14/20

15

10/28/20

15

11/11/20

15

11/25/20

15

12/9/201

5

12/23/20

15

Tempe

rature (°C)

Maximum

Average

Minimum

Stilling Basin Wall – Surface 24-Foot

WR89-18 Release

WR89-18 Release

WR89-18 ReleaseWR89-18 Release

Thermograph repositioned – may have been laying on the bottom

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

M J J A S O

Tem

pera

ture

(°C

)

Month

Lower Hilton Creek Maximum Temperatures 1998-2014

1998200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014

Canopy Established

Before HCWS Creek Dried

No Canopy

Hilton Creek Canopy Cover Growth – water quality

‐90

‐80

‐70

‐60

‐50

‐40

‐30

‐20

‐10

08 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26

Dep

th (ft)

Temperature (°C)

3/18/15 ‐ Elev. 688.124/29/15 ‐ Elev. 687.026/11/15 ‐ Elev. 685.227/13/15 ‐ Elev. 683.678/31/15 ‐ Elev. 674.499/23/15 ‐ Elev. 670.2310/27/15 ‐ Elev. 667.993/3/16 ‐ Elev. 664.944/11/16 ‐ Elev. 665.12

‐90

‐80

‐70

‐60

‐50

‐40

‐30

‐20

‐10

00 2 4 6 8 10 12

Dep

th (ft)

Dissolved Oxygen (mg/l)

3/18/15 ‐ Elev. 688.124/29/15 ‐ Elev. 687.026/11/15 ‐ Elev. 685.227/13/15 ‐ Elev. 683.678/31/15 ‐ Elev. 674.499/23/15 ‐ Elev. 670.2310/27/15 ‐ Elev. 667.993/3/16 ‐ Elev. 664.944/11/16 ‐ Elev. 665.12

(a)

(b)

10/27/15 bottom temp of 20.32 °C

Lake Profiles at Lake Cachuma

Stilling Basin – Thermal burping

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

6/1/13 6/4/13 6/7/13 6/10/13 6/13/13 6/16/13 6/19/13 6/22/13 6/25/13 6/28/13

Flow

 (cfs)

Tempe

rature °C

Hilton Creek Flow (USBR)

Outlet Works Flow (USBR)

Water Temperature Below Long Pool (USGS)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

30

32

5/1/15

5/11

/15

5/21

/15

5/31

/15

6/10

/15

6/20

/15

6/30

/15

7/10

/15

7/20

/15

7/30

/15

8/9/15

8/19

/15

8/29

/15

9/8/15

9/18

/15

9/28

/15

10/8/15

10/18/15

10/28/15

Dissolved

 Oxygen (m

g/L); PT Dep

th (ft)

Tempe

rature (◦C)

S‐1 Thermo M‐1 ThermoM‐2 Thermo B‐1 ThermoSurface Dissolved Oxygen Middle Dissolved OxygenBottom Dissolved Oxygen

Long Pool – Water Quality Monitoring

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

30

07/31/15

08/05/15

08/10/15

08/15/15

08/20/15

08/25/15

08/30/15

09/04/15

09/09/15

Water Dep

th at Tailout (ft)

Tempe

rature (°C)

S‐1 Surface TempM‐1 Middle TempM‐2 Middle TempB‐1 Bottom TempPT Elev (ft)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

07/31/15

08/05/15

08/10/15

08/15/15

08/20/15

08/25/15

08/30/15

09/04/15

09/09/15

Water Dep

th at Tailout (ft)

Dissolved Oxygen (m

g/L)

S‐1 Dissolved Oxygen

M‐1 Dissolved Oxygen

M‐2 Dissolved Oxygen

B‐1 Dissolved Oxygen

PT Elev (ft)

(a)

(b)

LSYR-0.1Stilling Basin

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27

Salinity

 (ppt)

Downstream                                  Upstream

SurfaceMiddleBottom

Measurement Sites

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27

Dissolved

 Oxygen (m

g/l)

Downstream                                  Upstream

SurfaceMiddleBottom

Measurement Sites

6

6.5

7

7.5

8

8.5

9

9.5

10

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27

pH

Downstream                                  Upstream

SurfaceMiddleBottom

Measurement Sites

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27

Tempe

rature (°C)

Downstream                                  Upstream

SurfaceMiddleBottom

Measurement Sites

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27

Turbidity

 (NTU

)

Downstream                                  Upstream

SurfaceMiddleBottom

Measurement Sites

15

16

17

18

19

20

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27

Cond

uctiv

ity (m

S/cm

)

Downstream                                  Upstream

SurfaceMiddleBottom

Measurement Sites

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27

Total D

issolved

 Solids (g/l)

Downstream                                  Upstream

SurfaceMiddleBottom

Measurement Sites

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27

Dep

th at Each Site (fee

t)

Downstream                                  Upstream

Depth

Measurement Sites

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Vertical Diel Profile at Cross Section C

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

11:15 13:30 15:45 18:00 20:15 22:30 0:45 3:00 5:15 7:30 9:45 12:00

Tempe

rature °C

Surface

Middle

Bottom

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

11:15 13:30 15:45 18:00 20:15 22:30 0:45 3:00 5:15 7:30 9:45 12:00

Dissolved

 Oxygen (m

g/l)

Surface

Middle

Bottom

(a)

(b)

Conclusions• Drought – difficult for southern

steelhead

• Water quality monitoring – more important than ever (diel)

• Creative and extreme measures are needed

• Climate change: expect extremes (the new norm)

• Human consumption: reduce, update, reclaim and be creative- Desalinization: not sustainable

• Future: conserve and think-act dry Endangered Santa Ynez RiverSouthern Steelhead