Soda Butte Creek and Reese Creek: Vital signs monitoring program: Final report

Knauf, Meredith; William, Mark

(Abstract incomplete, see original document)We have put together a final report on the recommendations for the Soda Butte Creek and Reese Creek Vital Signs Monitoring Program. The purpose of the grant was to develop detailed protocols necessary to monitor the ecological health of Soda Butte Creek and Reese Creek in and near Yellowstone National Park. The main objectives was to compile existing information on these creeks into one database, document the current conditions of Soda Butte and Reese Creeks by a one-time synoptic sampling event, and present recommendations for vital signs monitoring programs tailored to each creek’s needs. The database is composed of information from government projects by the United States Geological Survey and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, graduate student master’s theses, academic research, and private contractor reports. The information dates back to 1972 and includes surface water quality, groundwater quality, sediment contamination, vegetation diversity, and macroinvertebrate populations. All data have been entered into STORET by the EPA. 1.0 Reese Creek 1.1 Vital signs considered and selected. Minimum in-stream flow. The simplest, most cost-effective, and least controversial vital sign is to measure in-stream flow. Currently, minimum instream flows are 1.3 cfs from April 15 through October 15, but only if the streamflow above the diversion is above 2.8 cfs. Moreover, the Fish and Wildlife has recommended minimum stream flows of 4.3 cfs from May 15-July 30 (FWS 1987). We recommend: • Measuring in-stream flow CONTINUOUSLY at a minimum of two sites: (a) above the up-stream diversion, and (b) below the lowest diversion. Further, we recommend that discharge measurements be transmitted in real-time to the NPS. Real-time transmission is possible at Reese Creek through either radio frequency or wireless broadband to the town of Gardiner. Real-time transmission provides the ability to check on discharge for illegal diversions without having to go to the field site. • Negotiate with the current water rights holders to increase in-stream flows from 1.3 cfs to 4.3 cfs from May 15-July 30. Set minimum number of spawning fry in the impacted stream reach between the lower diversion and Yellowstone River. The ideal situation would be to conduct research as discussed in section 4.2.4 to determine the population goal for cutthroat trout in the impacted lower 0.8 stretch of Reese Creek. One potential drawback to such research is that it can be very difficult to establish what the trout population should be, given natural and large changes in climate, few other similar streams for comparison, and perturbations to the Yellowstone River itself. Interpretation of well-conducted research results may still be controversial. Therefore we recommend this vital sign as a future goal. 1.2 Objectives for vital signs selected The objective of the vital signs is to maintain a viable cutthroat trout population that migrates to the Yellowstone River. There is no existing information on the baseline population of spawning fry prior to the water diversions. There appears to be no information on which to base an estimate of what a viable population of spawning trout fry would be. However, the US Fish and Wildlife has produced an in-stream flow metric most likely will lead to a stable trout population. (Abstract as submitted by authors but presented here incomplete, please see original document)

Soda Butte Creek and Reese Creek: Vital signs monitoring program: Final report

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