The effects of roadbuilding, logging and burning upon stream
runoff responses to individual storms are evaluated for the Alsea
experimental watersheds, located in the Oregon Coast Range, The
parameters analyzed are peak discharge, induced peak discharge,
time-to-peak, and storm-runoff volume. The volume parameter is
further sub-divided into total, quick, delayed,...
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of clearcut logging on stormflow by analysis of characteristic parameters of individual storm hydrographs. Parameters considered included height-of-rise, peak discharge, volume and time-to-peak. The hydrologic data were derived from experimental watersheds of the Alsea Study located in the Oregon Coast...
Low concentrations of dissolved copper have been shown to adversely
affect the olfactory system of endangered salmonids, impairing their ability to avoid predators and likely increasing predation. It is believed that only the free ionic (Cu2+ free) and weakly complexed forms are bioavailable to organisms; these forms typically account for...
Conductivity data from which salinity values were computed were collected at 10 locations in Yaquina Bay from April 1967 to October 1968. Streamflow was measured for the Yaquina River, Elk Creek and Mill Creek from April 1967 to November 1968. Wind speed and direction data were collected near the mouth...
The Mt. Scott watershed in northern Clackamas County, Oregon is an urban watershed that lies inside the Portland metropolitan urban growth boundary. Urbanization of the watershed began in the early 1970s and has recently accelerated. A landscape level analysis of the urbanization process was combined with the results of a...
Low levels of copper have been shown to impair the olfactory system of threatened and
endangered (T&E) salmon, decreasing their predator avoidance behavior and likely
increasing mortality. However, only dissolved copper (dissCu) present as the cupric ion
(Cu2+) and weakly complexed species are truly bioavailable. Previous studies indicate the
vast...
The age, or residence time of water is a fundamental descriptor of catchment hydrology, revealing information about the storage, flow pathways and source of water in a single integrated measure. While there has been tremendous recent interest in residence time to characterize catchments, there are few studies that quantify residence...
The Tualatin River Basin along the east side of the Coastal Mountains in Oregon is subject to a complex mixture of land uses. Approximately half the area is devoted to forestry production. The remainder is divided between agriculture and urban uses. In addition to this diversity in land use, there...
Simulation of storm hydrographs in the Oregon Coast Range was explored using the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) curve number methodology, and by developing and testing an antecedent precipitation index (API) method.
Standard SCS procedures over-estimated peak discharge by about a factor of two (i.e., average over-prediction of 118 percent). When...
This program explains that urban water pollution comes from a number of common sources, such as automobiles, lawn and garden fertilizer, and pet waste, and explores ways in which citizens can minimize their contribution to such pollution.
The physical controls of snowmelt in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) are poorly
understood. While there have been numerous field and modeling investigations at the
plot and watershed scale, few studies have identified how the snow energy balance
(EB) components vary in importance both spatially and temporally. The identification
of how...
Throughout many of the world’s mountain ranges snowpack accumulates during the winter and into the spring, providing a natural reservoir for water. As this reservoir melts, it fills streams and recharges groundwater for over 1 billion people globally. Despite its importance to water resources, our understanding of the storage capacity...
Examines the problems of runoff and nonpoint source pollution in Oregon's Tualatin River and how local residents and government officials are trying to reduce nonpoint source pollution. It also offers tips to help each of us play an active role in cleaning up our nation's drinking water supplies.
Unpaved roads are a critical form of infrastructure in forested landscapes but also a potential source of fine sediment that can degrade sensitive ecosystems nearby. Improved management of aggregate road surfacing can reduce sediment generation, lengthen its useful life span, reduce maintenance costs, and more importantly, mitigate the impacts of...
Despite advances in the understanding of rain-on-snow storms and their resulting peak flows, little is understood about the response of snowmelt to precipitation and the relative timing of the two at multiple temporal scales within such events. To address this issue, climate, snowmelt, and streamflow data were analyzed for 26...
Runoff from agricultural lands into Upper Klamath Basin rivers and lakes can
cause water quality problems affecting fish and wildlife. Excessive eutrophication
in Upper Klamath Lake is linked to high nutrient input (particularly phosphorus)
stemming from both lake sediments and watershed tributaries.
On a unit area load basis the Wood...
Bedrock groundwater dynamics in headwater catchments are poorly understood and
poorly characterized. Direct hydrometric measurements have been limited due to the
logistical challenges associated with drilling through hard rock in steep, remote and
often roadless terrain. Here we develop and use an inexpensive, portable bedrock
drilling system to explore bedrock...
Forest roads produce fine sediment with traffic during wet weather. If the forest road is connected to a stream it can be a source of turbidity and fine sediment that may be detrimental to aquatic organisms especially salmonids.
The goal of this work was to investigate turbid runoff during wet-weather...