TrackingChannelChangesandSediment

inthePescaderoButano Watershed

SanFranciscoBayWaterBoard
Setenay Bozkurt Frucht
February12,2015
 Acknowledgements

MartinTrso forhisworkastheleadinvestigatorforthe
studieswearepresentingtonight

ProfessorBillDietrich,UCBerkeley,foractingasatechnical
advisorforthestudies

2
 How Do We Track Sediment?
Analysis and Methods
Channelchanges
Extensivechannelsurveys
Interviewoflongtimeresidents
Interpretationofhistoricalphotographs,maps,paintings,anddocuments

Sedimentbudget
Extensivefieldworkinthewatershedandinthechannels
Interpretationoftimesequentialaerialphotographs
Fieldsurveys
Analysisofhighresolutiontopography(2005LiDAR)
Reviewofexistingstudies

3
 Fishery

The Californiaangler canfindonnospotabovegroundafairerfieldforthedisplayofhis

piscatory skillthanthebrooksflowingintoHalfMoonBay,onthecoast,somefiftymiles
belowSanFrancisco.Partiesofgentlemenfromthiscityhaverecentlymetwith
extraordinaryluck,andhavebroughtback .Aweek
ortwoago,fourexpertfishermen, ,countedthenumbercaughtbythe
party,andfoundthattheyhad ofthese
waters. DailyAlta,May13,1857
4
1861
Chas.T.HealyandS.W.Smith
Scale40chs.the inch 5
AtopographicalmapofthecountryknownastheRanchoPescadero inSantaCruzCo
 1855

Photocredit:Pescadero HistoricalSociety 1867

 WideChannelFloodplainCorridor

8
 Pescadero Early1900s

1915
ca 1915

1920 Photocredit:Pescadero HistoricalSociety 9

 Butano Early1900s

Early1900s

PhotoCredit:AlSollars
1915 10
 PreEuropean
LagoonandMarsh
Extensivewetlandswith
welldevelopeddrainage
channels

Largermarsh

Deepand100ft wide
channels

1854Tsheet
W.M.Johnson
U.S.CoastSurveyPuntaDelBolsa NorthwardtoTunitas Creek,CA
11
1:10,000
 MarshandLagoon
Sedimentation
50%reductioninopen
waterareabetween
1900and1960
1915

Volumeofwater
cominginandoutof
theestuaryisreduced
by75%

12 2002
 LandUseChanges
Date Event
Pre1820 Natural conditions
October1769 PortolaExpedition firstSpanishcontact
1770 1820 Spanishperiod
Grazing,introductionofnonnativeplants
1820 1850 Mexicanperiod
Landgrants,livestockimportation
1850 1920 EarlyAmericanperiod
Earlylogging,startofranchinganddairyfarming
1856 Pescaderoestablished
1860s1890s FirstwaveofheavyloggingofredwoodsinPescaderoandlowerButano
Agricultureincludingwheat,oat,barley,andflaxfarming
1920 1970 PostWWIIindustrialboom

1920s1930s Constructionoflevees,channelizationofButanoandPescaderochannelsinmarsh
Farminginfloodplains
1930s1960s Highestratesofmarshreclamationandagriculturalexpansion
1940 ConstructionofHighway1Bridge
Temporaryhaulroadbuiltdownstreamofbridge
1950s1970s PostWWIIloggingboom:roadbuildingandextensivebulldozerlogginginoldgrowthof
NorthandSouthForksButano Creek
StateofCaliforniabeginstoacquirepropertyinPescaderoMarsh
1960s Pescadero RoadBridgeconstructedin1961
SecondwaveoflogginginupperPescadero (e.g.Slate,OilCreeks)
1970 2010 SecondwaveoflogginginNorthandSouthButano Creeks
Pescadero Marshrestorationprojects 13
WatershedChanges AgricultureandRanching
1820 1920 1920

2,800ac

7,300ac

1,160ac

14
 1890

1884

15
WatershedChanges TimberHarvesting
1850 2010

3,640ac
(15km2)
22,020ac
(89km2)

660ac
(~3km2)

16
17


18


HopkinsMill

Thedaysoftheredwoodtreeswhichhavemade
famousthevalleythroughwhichPescadero Creek
runsarenumbered[]Itisevidentthatwithina
fewyearstheredwoodsinthissectionwillbe
nearlyalldestroyed.

ExcerptfromSanFranciscoCall
ofSeptember19,1903 19
20
 300MilesofRoads
1,380roadwatercoursecrossings

Morethan80%inPescadero watershed

21
 ProfoundGeomorphicTransformation
ForestedUplands
GrasslandsandFloodplains Increasedlandslidesanddebrisflow
Gullyerosion Increasedroadrelatederosion
Surfaceerosion
Channelerosion
Lossofsedimentstorage
Lossofchannelfloodplain
connectivity

LagoonandMarsh
Drainedandchannelized
Increasedsedimentinput
Increaseddeposition
Reducedtidalprismand
flushing
22
Reducedsummerflows
 Sediment Impacts for Fish
Degradedfishhabitatconditionsdueto:
1. Channelincisionandsimplification
Noconnectiontofloodplains
Deep,straight,cleanchannelslikecanals
Nowoodinthechannels

2. Increaseinsedimentsupply
Toomucherosiononthehillslopes
Toomuchfinesedimentinpoolsandriffles

3. ShrinkingLagoon
Lagoonhabitat,whichiscritical,isgettingsmaller
Lagoonmouthclosingforlongerdurationsandopeninglater

4. Barrierstoupstreamhabitat

23
 Sedimentdepositionshifteddownstream
1820

Lossofswampy 2010

meadows

Incisedand
wideningchannels

Increasedsediment
delivery

Shrinkinglagoon

24
 Natural
Background
Erosion
Rates

Cosmogenic
radionuclidesin
thearea
San Gregorio
0.25mm/yr Pomponio 0.36 mm/yr
0.15mm/yr
Peters
570tons/km2yr 0.33 mm/yr
110,000tons/yr Butano
deliveredto 0.24 mm/yr
channels

25 Gudmundsdottir etal.(2013)
 NaturalSedimentStorageRates

175milliontons
accumulated
duringlast6,000
years

30,000tons/yr
storedinthe
valleysand
swampymeadows

~30%oftotal
deposited

26
MarshandLagoonDepositionRates

Berlogar (1988)&Clarkeetal(2014
0.6mm/yr &0.51mm/yr

2,000tons/yr

<2%oftotalsedimentdelivered
27
 MainSedimentSources
SedimentSource Management Association
Landslides
natural
landuserelated roadsandlogging
Gullies
roads,grazing,agriculture
landuserelated
Chanelincision
channelization,floodmanagement,logging,agriculture,
landuserelated
Surfaceerosion
roads,grazing,agriculture
landuserelated
Roadsurfaceerosion
roads
landuserelated
Soilcreep
natural
roads
landuserelated 28
 Channelincision
since1860sonPescadero and
1920sonButano

Pescadero incised5to15ft
along11mi

Butano incised15to25ft
along6mi

3.5milliontonsor30,000tons/yr
ofsedimentgeneratedsince

20,000tons/yr alongButano

10,000tons/yr alongPescadero

29
 SurfaceErosion
17.5mi2 ofrangelandsandagriculturalareas

36,000tons/yr

Closeproximitytothelagoonandmarsh>significantfine
sedimentdelivereddirectlytothelagoon

30
 GullyErosion

Triggeredin1860

Activeon11mi2 in
rangelandsand
agriculturalareas

~23miofgullychannels

2.3milliontonsof
sedimentdeliveredto
channels

31
1,000 ft
32
GullyErosion

26,000tons/yr delivered

8,000tons/yr isdepositedongullyfans

33
 Landslides&DebrisFlows
PWA2004study

Legacysedimentsourcesprimarilyduetotimberharvestactivities

For19201970period,intenseclearcuttingoveranareaofapproximately
34mi2;legacyimpactscontinuing
For19702010period,over350acclearcutinButano subwatershed
~8,500acselectivelycuttoday

26,000tons/yr ofsedimentdeliveredtochannels

34
 Pescadero CreekatCountyParkin1953

35
 Pescadero CreekatCountyParkin2012

36
 Butano Creekin1960

37
 RoadRelatedErosion

2typesofdelivery:
Surfaceerosionontheroadandroadcrossingfailures

1.9milliontonsdeliveredsince1920

19,000tons/yr for19702010duetoroadcrossingfailures

5,000tons/yr duetoroadsurfaceerosion

38
 MarshandLagoonSedimentation
13,000tons/yr ofdepositionbasedoncrosssection
comparisonsofESAPWA(2011)
Lagoondepositionbetween0.2to1m(0.5to3.5ft)in24yrs or2,000
tons/yr
Marshdepositionupto0.4m(1.3ft)or11,000tons/yr

4.6mm/yr or11,000tons/yr basedonsedimentcoreanalysis

byClarke(2014)

Anectodal informationonlossoflagoondepth:10ft over90ac

1.8milliontonssince1820or~10,000tons/yr inlagoon

Between1.3to2.1milliontonsbetween1955and1985or
~55,000tons/yr (Curry,1985)
39
Butano CreekatPRB

40
 Pre1820 19702010
(tons/yr) (tons/yr)
NaturalSedimentSources 110,000 110,000
AnthropogenicSedimentSources
a.Surfaceerosion 36,000
b.Channelincision 30,000
c.Roadinducedgullying/landslides 29,000
d.Landslidesanddebrisflowsintimberlands 26,000
e.Gullyingonrangelands 24,000
f.Roadsurfaceerosion 5,000
TotalAnthropogenicErosion 150,000
TotalErosion 110,000 260,000
SedimentStorage
i.Landslide/debrisflowdeposits 56,000
ii.Gullyfans 8,000
iii.Wetmeadowstorage 25,000
iv.Marsh/Lagoonsedimentation 2,000 30,000
TotalStorage 27,000 94,000
41
 Conclusions

Sedimentdeliverytochannelshasmorethandoubled inthelast200
years

Surfaceerosionandgulliesontherangelandcontributethelargest
amountofsediment:60,000tons/yr

60%ofhumancausedsedimentisgeneratedwithinthewestern25%of
thewatershed

Channelincisionisalarge
sourceofsedimentandis
mostsignificantduetodirect
inputandlossofstorage

42
 Conclusions

Lowlandcontributionsignificantduetocloseproximity

30,000tonsthatusedtodepositonfloodplainsisnow
transporteddownstreamtothemarsh

~15timesasmuchsedimentdepositsinthemarshandthe
lagoon

Elevatedsedimentloads
areexpectedtocontinue

43
 NextSteps

Salmonandsteelheadpopulationmodelpresentation
April2015

Presentationofinitialconceptsforsedimentmanagementand
channelrestoration
Fall2015

Publicreviewdraftofthewaterqualityrestorationplanand
WaterBoardadoptionoftheplan
Formalopportunityforreviewandcomment
2016

44
 ThankYou!

Setenay
sfrucht@waterboards.ca.gov Photocredit:Pescadero HistoricalSociety
circa1927
5106222388