Quantification of instream flow requirements for recreational and interpretive purposes, Indian River, Sitka National Historical Park, Alaska

Hyra, Ronald

This report quantifies selected recreational and interpretive instream flow requirements for the Indian River as it flows through Sitka National Historical Park. Some recreational uses, such as swimming, may not be practical recreational uses within Sitka National Historical Park because of other factors, such as water and air temperature, which were not addressed in this analysis. Four seperate groups of visitor activities occur on the Indian River within the Park [additional text]. The optimum flow for those recreational activities which physically use the water in the river is 120 cubic feet per second. The optimum flow for those recreation activities where water provides an enhanced experience (although no physical use) is approximately 145 cubic feet per second. The optimum flow for the purposes of interpreting the history of the area is a flow which maintains the present form and capacity of the river channel. Such a flow is called a maintanence flow. A flow which best meets the needs of salmon in all life stages, particularly spawning and rearing, is the optimum flow for interpreting the life cycle of pacific salmon.