Redwood Creek and Klamath River are listed under section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act for high water temperature and unacceptable levels of sedimentation and nutrients (see Table 1). Additional stressors include: (1) the presence of introduced invasive species; (2) upstream land use activities (e.g., timber harvest, use of herbicides, and controlled burns); (3) highway- and levee-related perturbations (e.g., road and culvert failures, runoff and toxic spills, and levee maintenance); (4) contamination from septic system leaching and illegal garbage/trash dumping; and (5) riparian/bank disturbance associated with recreational fishing. Park watershed rehabilitation activities and inchannel gravel extraction additionally impact Redwood Creek. The unimpaired sites will be useful for determining baseline water quality characteristics and range of natural variation of Redwoods streams. Immediate stressors to these systems include runoff and toxic spills from State Highway 229 and U.S. Highway 101 and groundwater draw-down at the Mill Creek Campground.
Stressors affecting marine resources vary according to resource-type. Intertidal and offshore coastal areas can be affected by: (1) climate change and climatic events such as El Niño; (2) offshore oil spills and the dumping of garbage/plastics; (3) reduced downstream sediment transport due to the presence of Klamath River dams; and (4) commercial fishing of smelt and rockfish. Estuaries are affected by changes in hydrology, increased water temperatures, runoff and spills from US Highway 101, and the removal and illegal cutting of wood. The Redwood Creek estuary is also impacted by human activities that degrade riparian habitat, and by dairy farming and flood control projects. Lagoons and coastal ponds can be stressed by human-related perturbations associated with road drainage and maintenance, park development, and potential toxic contamination from an old mill site. The presence or possible introduction of various non-native invasive species (e.g., algae and invertebrates, European beachgrass, and numerous other exotic plants, etc.) can affect all marine resource-types.
The priority vital signs for Redwoods freshwater resources are: (1) 303(d) listed streams (Redwood Creek and Klamath River); (2) upstream land cover and use; (3) recreational fishing; and (4) presence and extent of introduced exotic biota. The priority vital signs for Redwoods marine resources are: (1) commercial fishing; (2) extent of impacts on water quality due to human activities related to flood control and dairy farming (Redwood Creek only); (3) presence and extent of invasive biota; and (4) presence and extent of pollutants (e.g., oil) and garbage/plastics offshore and on beaches. A detailed summary of Redwoods aquatic resource vital signs, potential stress indicators, and associated monitoring options is presented in Tables 18A-C and 19A-C.
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (WHIS)
Whiskeytown aquatic resources include Whiskeytown Lake, perennial streams, mineral springs, permanent and intermittent small-shallow ponds, and marshes. Water related activities (e.g., boating, sailing, water skiing, kayaking, swimming, fishing, etc.) are the primary recreational focus of visitors to Whiskeytown Lake and are potential stressors of reservoir water quality. Additional stressors related to human activity include: park unit sewage treatment and wastewater discharge by surrounding communities; marijuana farming and heavy metals contamination from past mining operations on the upstream sections of reservoir tributaries; and water level fluctuations caused by reservoir dam operations. As is the case with many large water bodies in the western USA, the introduction of non-native invasive floral and faunal species impact the native biota of Whiskeytown Lake. Impacted perennial streams have been affected by human-related activity (e.g., past mining operations; treatment and disposal of human waste; marijuana farming; recreation; deteriorating abandoned logging roads; gravel injection and waste rock disposal; prescribed/natural fires and related activities; floods; and introduced nonnative invasive biota). The unimpaired perennial streams in Whiskeytown can be used to determine baseline lotic water quality conditions and range of natural variation. However, these streams can also be affected by perturbations of natural and anthropogenic origin. Whiskeytown also contains a complex of mineral springs that supports a small, indigenous population of Howell’s alkali grass (Puccinellia howellii), which is listed by the California Native Plant Society as rare and endangered. Stressors to this resource include: (1) littering and garbage dumping, trampling, and off-road vehicle use); (2) change in hydrology; (3) State Highway 299 maintenance and contamination/pollution due to vehicle use and accidents; and (4) potential invasion by saltgrass (Distichlis spicata). Little is known about the various permanent and intermittent small-shallow ponds and marshes that occur in Whiskeytown. They, like the unimpaired perennial streams, are susceptible to various types of stress of natural and anthropogenic origin. The priority vital signs of Whiskeytown aquatic resources are: (1) extent of human impacts such as heavy metals contamination associated with from past mine operations and tailings; (2a) park unit sewage treatment and disposal; (2b) septic tanks, garbage/trash, and marijuana farming; and (3) extent and occurrence of natural and prescribed fire. A detailed summary of Whiskeytown aquatic resource vital signs, potential stress indicators, and associated monitoring options is presented in Table 20AE.
