Confederated Tribes of the (2008)

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Confederated Tribes of the

Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians

Water Quality Data Summary

(October 2007 to September 2008)

Grant Deliverable as Specified in

EPA Assistance # BG-96058901-4

Prepared By:

Confederated Tribes of the

Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians

Department of Natural Resources

1245 Fulton Avenue

Coos Bay, Oregon

February 17, 2009

Background

The Environmental Division located within the Tribe’s Department of Natural Resources.

The mission statement of the Environmental Division is to research, monitor, assess,

manage, use, conserve, protect, and restore the natural resources of the Confederated

Tribes’ Ancestral Territory, consistent with Tribal values. In an effort to accomplish this

mission the Tribe’s established a Water Quality Program (WQP). The WQP is funded by

a grant provided by EPA through Section 106 of the Federal Clean Water Act. The WQP

works to assess and document the ecological health of the Tribe’s ancestral watersheds,

develops management plans and strategies, best management practices, water quality

standards, and ordinances in an overall effort to protect tribal water resources. In 2002,

the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agreed to treat the Tribes "in a manner

similar to a state" under the authority of the Clean Water Act. In 2003, the Tribes

completed an EPA approved Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP 1.8) for the water

quality monitoring program. Early in 2004, the Tribes initiated a water quality monitoring

program that targeted five core parameters: water temperature, turbidity, salinity, pH, and

dissolved oxygen. Data collection was conducted at spring high-high and low-low tides

which required data sampling to occur at all hours of the day and night. Data collection

was expanded in 2006 with the EPA-approval of QAPP 2.0. QAPP 2.0 described the

incorporation of YSI continuous data loggers at selected estuarine monitoring sites and

the addition of a new monitoring parameter, water bacteria. In 2007, the approval of

QAPP 3.0 expanded the WQP’s monitoring efforts with the addition of three new

parameters; nutrients, macroinvertebrates and basic habitat.

Purpose

EPA’s Guidance on Awards of Grants to Indian Tribes under Section 106 of the Clean

Water Act requires tribes that receive funding under Section 106 of the Federal Clean

Water Act to report annually on collected water quality monitoring data. The following

annual Water Quality Assessment Report covers all tribal water quality data collected

within the 2007-2008 Water Year (October 2007-September 2008). In addition to this

report, all water quality data collected throughout the 2007-2008 Water Year by the WQP

has been uploaded into EPA’s STORET database.

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

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Atlas of Tribal Waters

The following table is an estimate of tribal waters (as of 1/1/2007) using our most current

GIS data.

Atlas of Tribal Waters

Total Number of Stream Miles

0.03 miles

Total Number of Lake Acres

54.4 acres

Total Number of Wetland Acres

3.34 acres

Total Number of Estuary Frontage 0.69 miles

Water Quality Parameters

EPA’s Guidance on Awards of Grants to Indian Tribes under Section 106 of the Clean

Water Act for Fiscal Years 2007 and Beyond [EPA 832-R-06-003] requires that Tribes

include and annually report on the following nine water quality parameters:

1. Dissolved Oxygen

2. pH

3. Total phosphorus

4. Total nitrogen

5. Water temperature

6. Turbidity

7. Macroinvertebrates

8. E. Coli or fecal coliform

9. Basic habitat information

Since the approval of QAPP 3.0 in 2007, the WQP continues to collect water quality data

on all nine EPA recommended parameters.

Monitoring Methods and Frequency

Estuarine Continuous Monitoring

One data logger is deployed at each of the three permanent sonde monitoring sites. Sites

are accessed at high to mid-outgoing tide in a small skiff. During transport, each sonde is

wrapped in a tap water-soaked white towel and placed horizontally in a rubber bin for

insulation against jarring. To deploy, the data loggers are lowered by chain into

protective cases (constructed from 4"-diameter ABS plumbing pipe). The ABS cases are

drilled out to ensure adequate tidal flushing and exposure of the probes to ambient water

conditions. The ABS cases are affixed vertically to existing log pilings driven into the

channel substrate. A bolt prevents the data logger from descending beyond the ABS pipe

and ensures that the logger monitors at the same depth on every deployment.

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

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During retrieval, the sondes are again wrapped in a water-saturated white towel and

placed in a rubber bin for transport to the lab. To record post-deployment Dissolved

Oxygen in 100% water-saturated air, at least two data points are recorded after the sonde

reaches ambient temperature and while it is wrapped in the towel. The other postdeployment calibrations are performed in the lab prior to cleaning to determine if

instrument drift has occurred and to evaluate the validity of the data. Sonde cleaning and

calibration of the DO, Conductivity, Depth, pH, Turbidity, and Chlorophyll probes are

performed as outlined in the YSI manual. For Conductivity and Salinity, YSI calibrator

solution (10,000 μS/cm) is used without dilution. For pH calibrations, pH 7 and 10

solutions are used. A two-point calibration is used for Turbidity using 0 NTU and 123

NTU. A one-point (0 NTU) Chlorophyll calibration is performed. The depth sensor is

calibrated in air at sea level. The DO membranes are replaced prior to every deployment,

calibrated, and allowed to stretch for 16-24 hours. The DO probes are re-calibrated before

deployment, if necessary.

As a quality assurance check, field calibrations are recorded during sonde deployment

and retrieval. As close to the 30-minute sonde recording time as possible, a hand-held

YSI 650 records DO, Salinity, Specific Conductivity, pH and Temperature both at the

surface and at the level of the sonde array. Surface grab samples of water for turbidity are

taken for bench top analysis.

The WQP staff complete data logger retrieval and deployment tasks approximately every

3 to 4 weeks depending on weather conditions.

Stream Discrete Monitoring

Water temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity/conductivity, pH, bacteria (E. coli and

Enterococcus), turbidity, macroinvertebrate and basic habitat data are collected during

the summer at the Tribes’ freshwater monitoring site. A combination of handheld meters

(YSI 650 multi-probe meter and Hach 2100-P Turbidimeter) and sample bottles are used

to measure and collect discrete samples. The target time of day for sample collection at

the Tribes’ freshwater site is 2:00 p.m. In addition, a water sample is collected for in

house analysis of E. coli and Enterococcus using IDEXX brand Colilert -18 and

enterolert reagent and the IDEXX QuantiTray 2000 analytical system. Calibrated and

audited Vemco or HOBO water temperature data loggers are deployed at the site from

June thru September and record data at 30 minute intervals.

Estuarine Discrete Monitoring

The WQP currently monitors estuarine water quality at three sites and has established

three long-term continuous monitoring stations within two estuaries (Siuslaw and Coos

Bay) along the central and south central Oregon coast. These sites were established to

collect essential baseline information and to improve the Tribes’ understanding of tidal

dynamics and watershed inputs occurring within tribal waters. YSI 6600 Extended

Deployment System data loggers (sondes) are deployed at each site so that the sensor

arrays are held 0.5 to 1.0 meter off the bottom of the tidal channels. The sondes are

programmed to record water quality parameter measurements every 30 minutes over 222008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

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30 day periods. Parameters measured include Depth, Temperature, Salinity, Specific

Conductivity, pH, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Turbidity, and Chlorophyll.

Bacteria Monitoring Research Methods

Water samples for microbiological analysis are collected at all sites for in house analysis

of E. coli and Enterococcus using IDEXX brand Colilert -18 and Enterolert reagent per

the IDEXX QuantiTray 2000 analytical system. Water samples of approximately 100ml

(with adequate head-space for mixing), are collected using disposable pre-sterilized

IDEXX sample bottles. All bacteria and ancillary grab samples are placed in a cooler on

ice while in transport to the lab.

Nutrient Sampling

Nutrient sampling was initiated in the 2007 Water Year. Water samples are collected

twice a year for determining total dissolved nitrogen and phosphorous. Samples are

processed by the University of Washington Oceanography and Technical services. The

single points of data are not included in this report but can be submitted upon request.

Applied Water Quality Standards

The Tribes are developing tribal water quality standards. Until these water quality

standards are completed and approved by Tribal Council, the WQP compares water

quality data collected with the numeric standards within the State of Oregon’s water

quality standards. These water quality standards can be found on the Oregon State

Archive’s website (http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/rules/OARs_300/OAR_340/340_041.html).

The following table shows the numeric water quality standards that were applied to the

water quality data collected during this reporting period.

Water Quality Standards Applied to Tribal Water Quality Data

Parameter

Estuarine

Freshwater

Dissolved Oxygen

6.5 mg/L

6.0 mg/L

6.5-8.5

Water Temperature

18°C (64º F)

Turbidity

5 NTU Low Flow-50 3 NTU Low

NTU High Flow*

Flow-8 NTU

High Flow*

Salinity/Conductivity

None

*Low flow begins June 1 and ends September 30 ; high flow begins October 1 and ends May 30

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

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Oregon Water Quality Standards for Each WQP Parameter Monitored

Dissolved Oxygen

(Rule No. 340-041-0016)

(2) For water bodies identified by the Department as providing cold-water aquatic life,

the dissolved oxygen may not be less than 8.0 mg/l as an absolute minimum. Where

conditions of barometric pressure, altitude, and temperature preclude attainment of the

8.0 mg/l, dissolved oxygen may not be less than 90 percent of saturation. At the

discretion of the Department, when the Department determines that adequate information

exists, the dissolved oxygen may not fall below 8.0 mg/l as a 30-day mean minimum, 6.5

mg/l as a seven-day minimum mean, and may not fall below 6.0 mg/l as an absolute

minimum.

(5) For estuarine water, the dissolved oxygen concentrations may not be less than 6.5

mg/l (for coastal water bodies);

pH (hydrogen ion concentration)

(Rule No. 340-041-0021)

(1) Unless otherwise specified in OAR 340-041-0101 through 340-041-0350, pH values

(Hydrogen ion concentrations) may not fall outside the following ranges:

(b) Estuarine and fresh waters: 6.5-8.5.

Water Temperature

(Rule No. 340-041-0028)

(1) Background. Water temperatures affect the biological cycles of aquatic species and

are a critical factor in maintaining and restoring healthy salmonid populations throughout

the State. Water temperatures are influenced by solar radiation, stream shade, ambient air

temperatures, channel morphology, groundwater inflows, and stream velocity, volume,

and flow. Surface water temperatures may also be warmed by anthropogenic activities

such as discharging heated water, changing stream width or depth, reducing stream

shading, and water withdrawals.

(c)The seven-day-average maximum temperature of a stream identified as having salmon

and trout rearing and migration use may not exceed 18°C.

Turbidity

(Rule No. 340-041-0036)

The current Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) turbidity standard

specifically states that “[n]o more than a ten percent cumulative increase in natural

stream turbidities may be allowed, as measured relative to a control point immediately

upstream of the turbidity causing activity.”

DNR staff interviewed ODEQ staff to determine whether an alternate turbidity standard

could be applied in the interpretation of our discrete grab sample turbidity data. ODEQ

recommended that DNR apply an ambient background standard of 50 NTU to high flow

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

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and 5 NTU to low flow estuarine turbidity data. ODEQ staff explained that studies of the

short term exposure of fish (e.g. salmon and trout) to these seasonal NTU’s have been

cited by previous studies as impacting fish behavioral response and growth rate – relative

to the fish’s perception of itself as either predator or prey (e.g. impact to juvenile

response time to predator or diminished foraging opportunities). Fresh water analysis of

the Tribes’ Sixes River data was based on median ambient high flow (8 NTU) and low

flow (3NTU) conditions of Oregon’s rivers listed in Table 3.6 of ODEQ’s Oct. 2005

DRAFT ‘Technical Basis for Revising Turbidity Criteria’. Within the “Oregon Water

Quality Index Report: Water Years 1995 – 2004,” ODEQ defines low summer flow as

beginning June 1 and ending September 30 , and high seasonal flow as beginning

October 1 and ending May 30 .

Salinity/Conductivity

No standard exists for this parameter. This parameter is primarily used to detect fresh and

salt water mixing and can be used as an indicator parameter for other pollutants.

Coordination and/or Collaboration with Other Organizations

The WQP works with local watershed associations to share technical expertise, strategies,

and water quality datasets. During this reporting period, the WQP provided water quality

datasets to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to assist in the development

of a Mid-Coast TMDL (http://www.deq.state.or.us/WQ/TMDLs/midcoast.htm) and to the

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff for a local clam study in the Coos Bay

Estuary (http://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/shellfish/Seacor/index.asp).

Outside Lab Support

Nutrient samples were processed by University of Washington’s Oceanography

Technical Services.

Data Summarization and Management

Characteristics of Water Quality Monitoring Data – Source: USGS Statistical Methods

in Water Resources, Helsel and Hirsch

Data analyzed by our program have the following characteristics:

• A lower bound of zero. No negative values are possible.

• Presence of ‘outliers’, observations considerably higher or lower than most of the

data, which infrequently but regularly occur.

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

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• Positive skewness. Skewness can be expected when outlying values occur in only

one direction.

• Non-normal distribution, due to skewness, presence of outliers, and the lower bound

of zero. Symmetry does not guarantee normality. Symmetric data with more

observations at both extremes (heavy tails) that occurs for a normal distribution

are also non-normal.

• Seasonal patterns. Values tend to be higher or lower in certain seasons of the year.

• Autocorrelation. Consecutive observations tend to be strongly correlated with each

other. For the most common kind of autocorrelation in water resources (positive

autocorrelation), high values tend to follow high values and low values tend to

follow low values.

• Dependence on other uncontrolled variables. Values strongly covary with water

discharge, hydraulic conductivity, sediment grain size, or some other variable.

The summarization and graphing methods chosen for the analysis of the WQMP data

presented in this report were selected to recognize these common characteristics while

facilitating a quick and easy to understand visual and tabular reference for potential

trends in water quality captured by our data.

Data Summarization and Analysis Methodology

The following sections describe the methods of data analysis and summarization

presented in this report and attempt to explain why they were chosen over other methods.

Outliers

Outliers, observations whose values are quite different than others in the data set, are not

deleted from our data set unless they fall outside of instrument specifications. For our

purposes, outliers may be the most important points in our data set and are signals for

what parameters should be further investigated. Outliers can have one of three causes:

1. A measurement or recording error – These data are deleted from the data sets during the

QA/QC procedures.

2. An observation from a population not similar to that of most of the data, such as an elevated

spike in turbidity caused by a construction project rather than precipitation.

3. A rare event from a single population that is quite skewed.

Rather than eliminating actual (and possibly very important) data in order to use analysis

procedures requiring symmetry or normality, procedures resistant to outliers have been

employed in analysis of those data presented in this document. Computing the sample

mean alone may be of less value because an outlier observation, either high or low, has a

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

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much greater influence on the overall mean than does a more typical observation. This

sensitivity to the magnitudes of a small number of points in the data set defines why the

mean is not a “resistant” measure of location (Fig. 1). It is not resistant to changes in the

presence of, or changes in the magnitudes of, a few outlying observations. The median,

however, is only minimally affected by the magnitude of a single observation, being

solely determined by the relative order of observations. This resistance to the effect of a

change in value or presence of outlying observations is the main reason we have chosen

to include the median in our summarization. In this case, we have chosen to let the data

guide which analysis procedures are employed, rather than altering the data in order to

implement analysis procedures that may be too restrictive for the informational purposes

of this report.

Graphical Data Analysis

Continuous Data

Exploratory analysis of our continuous water quality monitoring data has been applied to

these data in the form of box plots. This is an inductive procedure that has been used to

summarize, rather than test, these data. The results of the exploratory analysis of these

data will provide guidance toward the selection of appropriate deductive hypothesis

testing procedures implemented by CTCLUSI for future non-point source pollution

assessments and/or reports. According to USGS Book 4. Hydrologic Analysis and

Interpretation: Statistical Methods in Water Resources, the use of histograms for data

measured on a continuous scale is not the best method for graphical analysis of these

data. The process of forcing continuous data into discrete categories may obscure

important characteristics of the distribution. Histograms are best applied to data that have

natural categories or groupings (e.g., number of individual organisms found at a stream

site grouped by species type, or the number of water-supply wells exceeding some critical

yield grouped by geological unit). It is for this reason that we have chosen to graphically

display our continuous data with box plots.

Box plots provide visual summaries of:

1. The center of the data (the median)

2. The variation or spread (interquartile range – box height)

3. The skewness (quartile skew – the relative box halves)

4. Presence or absence of unusual values (outliers)

Although box plots do not present all of the data, presenting all of the data is more detail

than is necessary for the purposes of this report. Box plots presented in this report provide

concise visual summaries of essential data characteristics. The format of the box plots

presented herein is the ‘box-and-whisker plot’ consisting of a center point (the median)

splitting a rectangle defined by the upper and lower quartiles (Q3 and Q1). Whiskers of

the box are lines drawn from the ends of the box to the maximum and minimum of the

data. Thus a large amount of information is contained in a very concise illustration. Box

plots effectively illustrate the characteristics of data for a single variable, and accentuate

outliers for further inspection.

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

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Discrete Data

Discrete water quality monitoring data is displayed in line graphs in an attempt to

facilitate the quick visual identification of potentially emerging baseline patterns

occurring within the 2008 water year and simultaneously comparing these data to 303(d)

and other ODEQ standards..

Coded Variable Code Definitions

Sampling Station:

North Fork Siuslaw Sonde

Mainstem Siuslaw Sonde

BLM Boat Ramp

Empire Dock Sonde

Sixes River Grab

Station Code

CTCNFWQ

CTCSIWQ

CTCEDWQ

CTCEMWQ

CTCSRWQ

The station code identifier is composed of a three letter code identifying our organization

CTC = CTCLUSI; a two letter code identifying the site NF = North Fork Siuslaw, SI =

Mainstem Siuslaw, ED = BLM Boat Ramp, EM = Empire Docks, SR = Sixes River; and

a two letter code identifying the type of data WQ = Water Quality.

Sonde Data Review and Editing Protocol

Our WQMP’s general philosophy for data acceptance or rejection is based on absolute

and discretionary factors.

(1) Absolute: In the first phase of data review and editing, values sometimes can be

rejected on the basis of absolute factors via software statements with no detailed analysis

of the study by the CTCLUSI data logger technician.

(2) Discretionary: In the second phase, we evaluate deployment data for site anomalies

to help determine whether these data should be migrated into the CTCLUSI water quality

data logger database.

Absolute data rejection (1)

The value recorded in the sonde memory is outside the listed range specifications of the

instrument.

The following criteria are based on the latest YSI 6-Series Environmental Monitoring

Systems Operating Manual sensor specifications in Appendix J and are what the

CTCLUSI error checking criteria are based on.

• Temperature: -5 to 45 °C

• Specific Conductivity: 0 to 100 mS/cm

• Salinity: 0 to 70 ppt

• Dissolved Oxygen (% Saturation): 0 to 200 and 200 to 500 % air saturation

• Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L): 0 to 20 and 20 to 50 mg/L

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

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• Shallow Depth: 0 to 9.1m

• pH: 2 to 14 units

• Turbidity: 0 to 1000 NTU

Always reject data that are outside of the range of the probes; the only exceptions to

the absolute data rejection for out-of-range values are for the Shallow depth and

Turbidity probes. These exceptions are explained under their respective headings in this

document.

YSI Turbidity Probes

Contamination can cause the sonde’s Turbidity Probe zero calibration to be off by +5 to

+8 NTUs. So when the probe really experiences zero turbidity, the values are -5 to -8

NTU. Due to this known small calibration error possibility, small negative turbidity

values are kept in the data file and documented as anomalous due to this small calibration

error.

Site Location and Description

The following sections contain general watershed and water quality information for each

of the sites actively monitored by our program. Following each site description are graphs

displaying those data pertaining to current ODEQ standards and/or any 303(d) listings for

waters running through each monitoring location. This has been done in an attempt to

provide a quick identification of impairments potentially recorded in our monitoring data.

Tables summarizing water quality data collected at the site follow the graphical analysis.

1) North Fork Siuslaw River (WQE12) [43.978039, 124.080850 – Siuslaw

Watershed]

The North Fork Siuslaw sonde station is located in the Lower North Fork Siuslaw

watershed approximately 6 river miles from the mouth of the Siuslaw River and within

river mile one of the Lower North Fork Siuslaw River. Water quality at this site is both

tidally influenced and watershed driven. The Lower North Fork Siuslaw River is also

considered part of the Siuslaw Estuary. The North Fork Siuslaw River is 303(d) listed for

sedimentation and temperature beginning at river mile 0.4 to 27.3. The sedimentation

listing is based on the criteria of the formation of appreciable bottom sludge deposits or

the formation of any organic or inorganic deposits deleterious to fish or other aquatic life

and the impact to the beneficial use of resident fish and aquatic life. The temperature

listing is based on the salmon and trout rearing and migration beneficial use criteria

temperature not to exceed an 18°C 7-day average maximum. The North Fork Siuslaw has

also been listed as water quality limited for habitat modification. Of the parameters listed,

temperature is the only one cited by ODEQ as impacting the beneficial use of salmon and

trout rearing and migration year round and as a result ODEQ has identified this reach as

requiring a temperature TMDL.

North Fork Siuslaw Continuous/Sonde Data Analysis

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

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The following box and whisker plots display sonde temperature, dissolved oxygen, and

pH data collected at this site. The graphs have been produced with the appropriate ODEQ

standards and/or 303(d) listing in an attempt to facilitate rapid visual understanding of the

trends occurring at the site. Those data presented in the temperature box plot (Box plot 1)

indicate that the majority of continuous temperature data collected at CTCLUSI’s North

Fork sonde station throughout July and August exceeded the salmon and trout rearing and

migration beneficial use criteria of 18°C 7-day average maximum temperature and

therefore support the 303(d) listing for temperature within the North Fork Siuslaw River.

In addition to supporting the 303(d) listing for the site, dissolved oxygen data collected at

the site indicate an additional impairment to water quality is occurring at the site.

Although the Mainstem Siuslaw River is 303(d) listed from river mile 5.7 to 105.9 as

impacting the designated beneficial use of anadromous fish for dissolved oxygen June 1

– September 14 (based on the criteria of cold water no less than 8.0 mg/l or 90% of

saturation) and impacting the designated beneficial use of salmonids fish spawning for

dissolved oxygen September 15 to May 31 (based on the spawning criteria not less than

11.0 mg/l or 95% saturation), the North Fork Siuslaw is not. However, our initial analysis

of the continuous data collected by our program at this site indicate that impairments to

dissolved oxygen similar to those listed for the Mainstem Siuslaw River are occurring

within the North Fork Siuslaw River (Box plot 2). A trend of low pH (Box plot 3) was

noted in November through April although the monthly median never fell below the DEQ

minimum of 6.5 for estuaries.

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

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Siuslaw River, North Fork Temperature Trend: Water Year 2008

Temperature °C

DEQ Upper Limit for Salmon and Trout Rearing and Migration: 18°C

Max

Median

Min

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-08

May-08

Jun-08

Jul-08

Aug-08

Sep-08

Date

Box plot 1.

Siuslaw River, North Fork Dissolved Oxygen Trend: Water Year 2008

16.00

14.00

Dissolved Oxygen mg/l

12.00

DEQ Spawn Standard: 11 mg/l

10.00

Max

Median

Min

8.00

DEQ Cold Water Standard: 8.0 mg/l

6.00

DEQ Estuarine Standard: 6.5 mg/l

4.00

2.00

0.00

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-08

May-08

Jun-08

Jul-08

Aug-08

Sep-08

Date

Box plot 2.

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

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Siuslaw River, North Fork pH Trend: Water Year 2008

9.0

8.5

DEQ Upper pH Limit for Estuaries: 8.5

8.0

7.5

Max

Median

Min

7.0

6.5

DEQ Lower pH Limit for Estuaries: 6.5

6.0

5.5

5.0

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-08

May-08

Jun-08

Jul-08

Aug-08

Sep-08

Date

Box plot 3.

Monthly North Fork Siuslaw River Temperature C°: Water Year 2008

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

13.30

15.70

12.80

9.10

11.80

12.57

1.08

1488

Nov07

10.50

11.60

10.20

8.90

9.80

10.16

0.48

942

Dec07

8.10

10.70

7.40

5.70

6.90

7.61

0.97

1218

Jan08

7.40

9.40

6.50

3.10

5.50

6.45

1.41

1488

Feb08

8.40

10.20

8.00

6.10

7.40

7.94

0.76

1392

Mar08

9.20

10.90

8.70

6.80

8.30

8.69

0.72

1488

Apr08

11.40

13.60

9.70

6.80

8.90

10.03

1.44

1440

May08

15.90

20.40

14.10

9.70

12.40

14.20

2.26

1488

Jun08

16.70

21.00

14.90

9.90

13.50

15.16

2.12

1440

Jul08

19.40

22.30

18.30

11.70

16.40

17.76

2.23

1488

Aug08

18.90

21.40

18.00

11.40

16.80

17.77

1.63

1488

Sep08

16.93

19.40

15.60

11.80

14.70

15.79

1.55

1440

Monthly North Fork Siuslaw River Dissolved Oxygen Concentration mg/l: Water Year

2008

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

9.40

10.80

8.30

5.60

7.50

8.43

1.14

1488

Nov07

10.20

11.30

9.60

8.50

9.30

9.78

0.60

942

Dec07

12.40

13.50

11.90

9.70

11.50

11.85

0.78

1218

Jan08

12.80

14.00

12.20

9.80

11.60

12.21

0.77

1488

Feb08

12.10

12.80

11.80

10.10

11.40

11.74

0.48

1392

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

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Mar08

12.20

12.90

11.90

9.80

11.50

11.83

0.53

1488

Apr08

12.00

12.80

11.60

8.70

11.20

11.58

0.58

1440

May08

10.50

12.90

9.90

6.20

9.30

9.89

0.91

1488

Jun08

10.20

14.10

9.50

3.30

8.80

9.56

1.20

1440

Jul08

8.30

11.70

7.10

1.80

6.30

7.21

1.66

1488

Aug08

7.40

10.80

6.50

2.60

5.80

6.57

1.21

1488

Sep08

8.10

10.70

7.40

3.30

7.00

7.55

0.96

1440

Monthly North Fork Siuslaw River pH: Water Year 2008

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

7.70

8.00

7.40

6.50

7.20

7.40

0.34

1488

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

19.00

30.60

13.40

0.10

5.70

12.66

7.81

1488

Nov07

7.60

7.90

7.50

6.60

7.10

7.36

0.36

942

Dec07

6.90

8.00

6.70

5.80

6.40

6.75

0.42

1218

Jan08

6.90

8.00

6.70

6.20

6.50

6.78

0.38

1488

Feb08

7.00

7.90

6.70

6.20

6.50

6.80

0.40

1392

Mar08

7.10

7.80

6.70

6.10

6.40

6.77

0.44

1488

Apr08

7.20

8.10

6.90

6.30

6.60

6.94

0.41

1440

May08

7.40

7.90

7.10

6.10

6.80

7.09

0.42

1488

Jun08

8.00

8.60

7.60

6.50

7.20

7.60

0.46

1440

Jul08

7.50

8.20

7.20

6.50

6.90

7.23

0.37

1488

Aug08

7.30

7.80

7.10

6.50

6.80

7.07

0.30

1488

Sep08

7.30

7.70

7.10

6.50

6.90

7.09

0.25

1440

Aug08

23.10

31.00

19.00

2.90

14.30

18.49

6.06

1488

Sep08

24.00

30.90

20.50

7.70

15.90

19.86

5.37

1440

Monthly North Fork Siuslaw River Salinity ppt: Water Year 2008

Nov07

18.08

27.90

12.50

0.00

4.50

11.65

8.02

942

Dec07

0.98

21.70

0.10

0.00

0.10

1.89

4.28

1218

Jan08

0.20

26.10

0.10

0.00

1.58

4.38

1488

Feb08

1.30

26.00

0.10

0.00

2.07

4.53

1392

Mar08

2.63

25.90

0.20

0.00

0.10

2.50

4.76

1488

Apr08

3.40

22.90

0.50

0.00

0.10

2.47

3.90

1440

May08

13.63

27.00

7.35

0.00

1.90

8.55

7.25

1488

Jun08

16.80

30.50

10.95

0.10

5.30

11.58

7.67

1440

Jul08

22.03

31.30

17.60

2.40

12.90

17.47

6.35

1488

Monthly North Fork Siuslaw River Turbidity NTU: Water Year 2008

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

6.00

338.00

3.00

0.00

2.00

5.39

16.61

1488

Nov07

4.00

45.00

2.00

0.00

1.00

4.09

6.29

941

Dec07

9.00

996.00

6.00

0.00

4.00

9.03

38.90

1217

Jan08

7.00

998.00

5.00

1.00

3.00

9.82

52.81

1480

Feb08

6.00

443.00

3.00

0.00

2.00

7.78

25.40

1386

Mar08

6.00

956.00

4.00

0.00

2.00

8.08

35.69

1488

Apr08

5.00

580.00

3.00

1.00

3.00

5.67

25.50

1439

May08

5.00

658.00

3.00

1.00

2.00

9.10

44.31

1487

Jun08

5.00

971.00

3.00

0.00

2.00

9.77

46.72

1386

Jul08

4.00

773.00

3.00

0.00

2.00

9.42

38.55

1480

Aug08

5.00

391.00

4.00

0.00

2.00

24.00

57.89

1485

North Fork Siuslaw Bacteria Data

CTCLUSI began collecting water samples for microbiological analysis of E.coli and

Enterococcus in May 2006. Because the data set for this parameter is relatively small, no

statistical analysis has been applied to these data. The following tables list all bacteria

data collected by our program for water year 2008. Our program currently compares

single grab samples to ODEQ and EPA established numeric criteria for Freshwaters and

Estuarine Waters of either 1) no single sample exceeding 406 E.coli organisms per 100

milliliters (406 MPN) or 2) The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

recommendation of the safe standard for Enterococcus to be no more than 158 colony

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

Sep08

4.00

20.00

2.00

-1.00

1.00

2.48

1.95

1440

forming units (158 MPN) per 100 milliliters of marine water. No samples collected by

our program during water year 2008 at this site have exceeded either of these criteria.

North Fork E. coli Data: Water Year 2008

Sample Date

11/1/2007

11/20/2007

12/17/2007

3/27/2008

5/1/2008

6/4/2008

7/8/2008

8/13/2008

9/9/2008

Sample

NF 1

Analyte

E. coli.

MPN/100mL

20.2

354.5

20.2

133.6

< 10.0

North Fork Enterococcus Data: Water Year 2008

Sample

Date

11/1/2007

11/20/2007

12/17/2007

3/27/2008

5/1/2008

6/4/2008

7/8/2008

8/13/2008

9/9/2008

Sample

NF 1

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

Analyte

Enterococci

MPN/100mL

< 10.0

110

< 10.0

2) Siuslaw River Mainstem [43.974167, 124.071111–Siuslaw Watershed]

The Siuslaw River sonde station is located in the Siuslaw River Mainstem approximately

7 river miles from the mouth of the Siuslaw River. Water quality at this site is both tidally

influenced and watershed driven. This sonde station is also located within the Siuslaw

Estuary. The Siuslaw River is 303(d) listed from river mile 5.7 to 105.9 as impacting the

designated beneficial use of anadromous fish for dissolved oxygen June 1 – September

14 . This listing is based on the criteria of cold water no less than 8.0 mg/l or 90% of

saturation. This reach of the Siuslaw River is also 303(d) listed as impacting the

designated beneficial use of salmonids fish spawning for dissolved oxygen September

15 to May 31 . This listing is based on the spawning criteria not less than 11.0 mg/l or

95% saturation. The Siuslaw River is 303(d) listed as impacting the year round (nonspawning) beneficial use for salmon and trout rearing and migration for temperature from

river mile 0 to 106. This listing is based on the salmon and trout rearing and migration

temperature criteria not greater than an 18.0 ° C 7-day average maximum. In addition to

the adverse impacts to water quality associated with low dissolved oxygen and high water

temperature, water quality in the Siuslaw River Mainstem and Estuary is also 303(d)

listed as impacting the year round beneficial use of shellfish for fecal coliform from river

mile 5.7 to 105.9. This listing is based on the criteria for the fecal coliform median of 14

organisms per 100ml or no more than 10% of samples greater than 43 organisms per 100

ml. Of the parameters listed, ODEQ cites the need for fecal coliform and temperature

TMDLs within the Siuslaw River Mainstem and Estuary.

Siuslaw River Mainstem Continuous/Sonde Data Analysis

The following box and whisker plots display sonde temperature, dissolved oxygen, and

pH data collected at this site. The graphs have been produced with the appropriate ODEQ

standards and/or 303(d) listing in an attempt to facilitate rapid visual understanding of the

trends occurring at the site. Data collection for this site was discontinued and the sonde

dismantled on 2/21/08. This site has previously been noted as impaired in the summer

months for DO and temperature but no supporting data was collected for water year

2008. A low winter pH trend similar to the North Fork was noted in the Mainstem (Box

plot 6) with very low numbers observed in January. The exceptionally low pH numbers

in January corresponded with a low battery error in the sonde and the data may be

ultimately rejected after closer scrutiny.

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

Siuslaw River, Main Stem Temperature Trend: Water Year 2008

Temperature °C

DEQ Upper Limit for Salmon and Trout Rearing and Migration: 18°C

Max

Median

Min

Data collection discontinued 2/21/08

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-08

May-08

Jun-08

Jul-08

Aug-08

Sep-08

Date

Box plot 4

Siuslaw River, Main Stem Dissolved Oxygen Trend: Water Year 2008

16.00

14.00

Dissolved Oxygen mg/l

12.00

DEQ Spawn Standard: 11 mg/l

10.00

Max

Median

Min

Data collection discontinued 2/21/08

8.00

DEQ Cold Water Standard: 8.0 mg/l

6.00

DEQ Estuarine Standard: 6.5 mg/l

4.00

2.00

0.00

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-08

May-08

Jun-08

Jul-08

Aug-08

Sep-08

Date

Box plot 5

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

Siuslaw River, Main Stem pH Trend: Water Year 2008

9.0

8.5

DEQ Upper pH Limit for Estuaries: 8.5

8.0

7.5

Max

Median

Min

Data collection discontinued 2/21/08

7.0

6.5

DEQ Lower pH Limit for Estuaries: 6.5

6.0

5.5

5.0

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-08

May-08

Jun-08

Jul-08

Aug-08

Sep-08

Date

Box plot 6

Monthly Mainstem Siuslaw River Temperature C°: Water Year 2008

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

13.40

15.40

12.70

10.50

11.90

12.66

1.00

1488

Nov07

8.90

10.90

8.00

5.20

6.80

7.96

1.46

543

Dec07

8.10

10.20

7.60

6.00

7.10

7.86

1.06

961

Jan08

7.80

8.70

7.10

3.30

6.50

7.16

0.87

1073

Feb08

7.90

8.50

7.40

6.90

7.20

7.53

0.41

286

Mar08

Apr08

May08

Jun08

Jul08

Aug08

Sep08

Monthly Mainstem Siuslaw River Dissolved Oxygen Concentration mg/l: Water Year

2008

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

9.50

10.70

8.60

6.80

8.20

8.82

0.88

1488

Nov07

11.80

12.90

11.30

8.90

10.40

11.12

1.00

543

Dec07

12.00

12.60

11.80

10.30

11.40

11.72

0.42

961

Jan08

12.10

12.80

11.60

9.30

11.30

11.64

0.62

1073

Feb08

12.50

13.30

12.25

10.30

11.30

11.94

0.71

286

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

Mar08

Apr08

May08

Jun08

Jul08

Aug08

Sep08

Monthly Mainstem Siuslaw River pH: Water Year 2008

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

7.80

8.10

7.60

6.90

7.30

7.57

0.31

1488

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

22.70

31.80

16.90

0.10

10.80

16.01

8.44

1488

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

4.00

32.00

2.00

0.00

2.00

3.56

3.26

1488

Nov07

7.80

8.00

7.50

6.30

6.90

7.38

0.44

543

Dec07

6.60

7.90

6.40

6.10

6.30

6.59

0.43

961

Jan08

6.50

7.80

6.10

5.60

5.90

6.27

0.51

1073

Feb08

7.80

8.00

7.20

6.70

7.00

7.35

0.41

286

Mar08

Apr08

May08

Jun08

Jul08

Aug08

Sep08

Aug08

Sep08

Aug08

Sep08

Monthly Mainstem Siuslaw River Salinity ppt: Water Year 2008

Nov07

19.20

29.90

9.00

0.00

0.80

10.77

9.52

543

Dec07

0.10

24.20

0.00

1.62

4.24

961

Jan08

0.20

29.80

0.00

2.73

6.40

1073

Feb08

14.10

26.80

2.35

0.00

0.10

6.97

8.41

286

Mar08

Apr08

May08

Jun08

Jul08

Monthly Mainstem Siuslaw River Turbidity NTU: Water Year 2008

Nov07

9.00

36.00

6.00

0.00

3.00

6.54

4.51

543

Dec07

14.00

150.00

8.00

0.00

5.00

13.25

17.97

961

Jan08

9.00

24.00

5.00

1.00

4.00

6.69

3.73

1073

Feb08

4.00

9.00

3.00

1.00

2.00

3.22

1.31

286

Mar08

Apr08

May08

Jun08

Jul08

Siuslaw Mainstem Bacteria Data

CTCLUSI began collecting water samples for microbiological analysis of E.coli and

Enterococcus in May 2006. Because the data set for this parameter is relatively small, no

statistical analysis has been applied to these data. The following tables list all bacteria

data collected by our program for water year 2008. Our program currently compares

single grab samples to ODEQ and EPA established numeric criteria for Freshwaters and

Estuarine Waters of either 1) no single sample exceeding 406 E. coli organisms per 100

milliliters (406 MPN) or 2) The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

recommendation of the safe standard for Enterococcus to be no more than 158 colony

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

forming units (158 MPN) per 100 milliliters of marine water. A single water sample

collected on 12/17/07 exceeded both the E. coli and Enterococci criteria.

Siuslaw Mainstem E. coli Data: Water Year 2008

Sample

Date

11/1/2007

11/20/2007

12/17/2007

1/29/2008

3/10/2008

Sample

MS 1

Analyte

E. coli.

MPN/100mL

20.2

52.1

1075.8

52.1

30.6

Siuslaw Mainstem Enterococcus Data: Water Year 2008

Sample

Date

11/1/2007

11/20/2007

12/17/2007

1/29/2008

3/10/2008

Sample

MS 1

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

Analyte

Enterococci

MPN/100mL

< 10.0

20.1

291.7

< 10.0

3) BLM Boat Ramp [43.398019, 124.286034 – Coos Watershed]

The BLM Sonde station is located approximately 6 river miles from the mouth of the

Lower Coos Bay Estuary. This is a marine dominated site. The Coos Estuary and its

watershed are located in the lowlands of the southwestern Oregon Coast Range. It is the

largest Oregon estuary completely contained within state boundaries and is the fifth

largest estuary in the Pacific Northwest (South Slough National Estuarine Research

Reserve (SSNERR) Management Plan, 13). The Coos River and its estuary are

considered to be a “drowned river mouth” system. ODEQ lists 303(d) impairments to

water quality in the upper bay and jetty inlet/ South Slough area of Coos Bay. The lower

jetty inlet/ South Slough (river mile 0 to 5.3) and upper bay (river mile 7.8 to 12.3) are

currently listed for fecal coliform year round. Additional listings of potential concern for

the upper bay are heavy metals (tributyltin, copper, lead, chromium, lead, and nickel) and

temperature (Oct 1 to May 31 ). Although surface waters immediately adjacent to the

BLM Boat Ramp sonde station are not 303(d) listed, the monitoring of potential impacts

to water quality from non point sources located upbay and downbay of this site are within

tribal interest due to the historic association with tribal subsistence resources within the

bay such as shellfish harvesting and fishing.

BLM Boat Ramp Continuous/Sonde Data Analysis

The following box and whisker plots display sonde temperature, dissolved oxygen, and

pH data collected at this site. The graphs have been produced with the appropriate ODEQ

standards and/or 303(d) listing in an attempt to facilitate rapid visual understanding of the

trends occurring at the site. Data collected at the BLM Boat Ramp site do not indicate

impairments to water quality have been or are occurring at the site.

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

Coos Bay, BLM Temperature Trend: Water Year 2008

Temperature °C

DEQ Upper Limit for Salmon and Trout Rearing and Migration: 18 °C

Max

Median

Min

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-08

May-08

Jun-08

Jul-08

Aug-08

Sep-08

Date

Box plot 7

Coos Bay, BLM Dissolved Oxygen Trend: Water Year 2008

16.00

14.00

Dissolved Oxygen mg/l

12.00

DEQ Spawn Standard: 11 mg/l

10.00

Max

Median

Min

8.00

DEQ Cold Water Standard: 8.0 mg/l

6.00

DEQ Estuarine Standard: 6.5 mg/l

4.00

2.00

0.00

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-08

May-08

Jun-08

Jul-08

Aug-08

Sep-08

Date

Box plot 8

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

Coos Bay, BLM pH Trend: Water Year 2008

9.0

8.5

DEQ Upper pH Limit for Estuaries: 8.5

8.0

7.5

Max

Median

Min

7.0

6.5

DEQ Lower pH Limit for Estuaries: 6.5

6.0

5.5

5.0

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-08

May-08

Jun-08

Jul-08

Aug-08

Sep-08

Date

Box plot 9

Monthly Coos Bay BLM Temperature C°: Water Year 2008

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

13.30

14.40

12.90

9.80

12.20

12.63

0.97

1488

Nov07

10.70

11.80

10.30

8.00

9.70

10.22

0.76

1440

Dec07

9.40

10.90

8.60

6.90

8.10

8.80

0.90

1488

Jan08

8.60

9.20

8.00

5.60

7.30

7.91

0.85

1487

Feb08

8.80

9.70

8.70

6.10

8.20

8.44

0.66

1391

Mar08

9.70

10.70

9.50

8.20

9.30

9.53

0.38

1487

Apr08

10.60

12.30

10.00

8.10

9.58

10.10

0.77

1440

May08

13.30

16.50

11.80

8.30

10.80

11.97

1.74

1488

Jun08

13.30

16.00

12.40

8.50

10.90

12.15

1.55

1440

Jul08

14.90

17.00

13.50

8.30

11.70

13.24

2.03

1488

Aug08

15.30

17.60

14.10

9.00

12.60

13.86

1.92

555

Sep08

14.10

15.70

12.90

9.20

11.70

12.82

1.44

941

Monthly Coos Bay BLM Dissolved Oxygen Concentration mg/l: Water Year 2008

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

8.50

9.60

8.20

6.90

8.00

8.24

0.41

1488

Nov07

9.30

9.90

9.10

7.20

8.80

8.99

0.43

1440

Dec07

10.10

11.00

9.80

8.40

9.60

9.83

0.39

1488

Jan08

10.40

11.50

10.00

8.20

9.70

10.01

0.54

1487

Feb08

10.60

12.00

10.30

8.30

10.00

10.33

0.51

1391

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

Mar08

10.50

11.30

10.10

8.50

9.90

10.17

0.46

1487

Apr08

10.00

11.20

9.70

5.90

9.30

9.63

0.64

1440

May08

9.30

11.70

8.60

3.70

8.00

8.63

0.98

1488

Jun08

8.80

12.10

8.20

2.70

7.70

8.23

1.00

1440

Jul08

9.40

12.70

8.60

1.60

7.88

8.64

1.14

1488

Aug08

9.00

11.90

8.20

3.40

7.60

8.36

1.23

555

Sep08

8.80

10.40

8.20

5.60

7.80

8.31

0.71

941

Monthly Coos Bay BLM pH: Water Year 2008

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

7.90

8.10

7.60

7.40

7.50

7.67

0.19

1488

Nov07

7.70

7.80

7.60

7.00

7.30

7.51

0.19

1440

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

32.20

33.60

31.30

20.50

29.60

30.43

2.43

1488

Nov07

31.33

33.70

29.60

9.10

26.60

28.17

4.71

1440

Dec07

7.70

7.80

7.30

7.00

7.30

7.44

0.21

1488

Jan08

7.80

7.90

7.80

7.20

7.70

0.15

1487

Feb08

7.70

7.80

7.60

6.80

7.40

7.53

0.21

1391

Mar08

7.80

8.00

7.80

7.60

7.70

7.78

0.09

1487

Apr08

8.10

8.30

8.00

7.50

7.90

8.02

0.13

1440

May08

8.00

8.20

7.90

7.50

7.80

7.90

0.12

1488

Jun08

8.00

8.20

7.90

7.40

7.80

7.89

0.11

1440

Jul08

7.80

8.20

7.40

6.70

7.30

7.52

0.30

1488

Aug08

7.30

7.50

7.20

6.80

7.10

7.20

0.12

555

Sep08

7.50

7.70

7.50

7.20

7.40

7.48

0.07

941

Jul08

33.00

33.90

32.40

28.40

31.60

32.26

0.96

1488

Aug08

32.10

33.10

31.60

30.40

31.30

31.71

0.59

555

Sep08

33.00

33.60

32.70

31.70

32.30

32.66

0.44

941

Monthly Coos Bay BLM Salinity ppt: Water Year 2008

Dec07

28.00

33.40

23.70

6.60

18.70

23.22

5.87

1488

Jan08

27.15

33.10

22.50

6.30

16.45

21.71

6.71

1487

Feb08

27.80

33.10

23.90

3.70

17.95

22.74

6.78

1391

Mar08

28.60

33.20

25.70

13.70

21.30

24.94

4.90

1487

Apr08

27.93

32.90

24.75

15.80

22.60

25.26

3.56

1440

May08

30.50

33.60

28.40

19.50

26.40

28.23

3.02

1488

Jun08

32.10

33.80

30.50

25.80

29.10

30.47

1.92

1440

Monthly Coos Bay BLM Turbidity NTU: Water Year 2008

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

4.00

1063.00

3.00

0.00

2.00

8.02

52.61

1486

Nov07

4.00

15.00

2.00

0.00

1.00

2.76

1.93

1440

Dec07

5.00

29.00

3.00

1.00

2.00

4.06

2.74

1488

Jan08

5.00

44.00

4.00

1.00

3.00

4.68

3.82

1487

Feb08

5.00

58.00

3.00

0.00

2.00

4.06

4.10

1391

Mar08

2.00

10.00

2.00

0.00

1.00

1.76

1.26

1487

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

Apr08

4.00

286.00

3.00

1.00

2.00

3.74

10.12

1438

May08

3.00

1055.00

2.00

1.00

2.00

3.57

27.32

1488

Jun08

3.00

308.00

2.00

0.00

1.00

2.54

8.52

1440

Jul08

5.00

618.00

3.00

0.00

2.00

4.33

16.11

1486

Aug08

6.00

19.00

4.00

1.00

3.00

4.68

2.86

555

Sep08

2.00

9.00

1.00

-1.00

1.00

1.34

1.03

941

BLM Boat Ramp Bacteria Data

CTCLUSI began collecting water samples for microbiological analysis of E.coli and

Enterococcus in Coos Bay in May 2006. Because the data set for this parameter is

relatively small, no statistical analysis has been applied to these data. The following

tables list all bacteria data collected by our program for this site during water year 2008.

Our program currently compares single grab samples to ODEQ and EPA established

numeric criteria for Freshwaters and Estuarine Waters of either 1) no single sample

exceeding 406 E. coli organisms per 100 milliliters (406 MPN) or 2) The federal

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommendation of the safe standard for

Enterococcus to be no more than 158 colony forming units (158 MPN) per 100 milliliters

of marine water. A single water sample collected on 11/19/07 exceeded the Enterococci

criteria.

Coos Bay BLM E. coli Data: Water Year 2008

Sample

Date

10/30/2007

11/19/2007

12/20/2007

1/28/2008

3/10/2008

4/3/2008

5/5/2008

6/4/2008

7/9/2008

8/12/2008

9/11/2008

Sample ID

BLM 1

BLM

BLM 1

BLM

Analyte

E. coli.

MPN/100mL

20.2

196.7

< 10.0

Coos Bay BLM Enterococcus Data: Water Year 2008

Sample

Date

10/30/2007

11/19/2007

12/20/2007

1/28/2008

3/10/2008

4/3/2008

5/1/2008

6/4/2008

7/9/2008

8/12/2008

9/11/2008

Sample ID

BLM 1

BLM

BLM 1

BLM

Analyte

Enterococci

MPN/100mL

< 10.0

184.9

< 10.0

4) Empire Docks [43.394219, 124.280394 – Coos Watershed]

The Empire Docks sonde station is a new site installed on 8/22/08. The Empire Docks

Sonde station is located approximately 5 Miles from the mouth of the Lower Coos Bay

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

Estuary. This is a marine dominated site. The Coos Estuary and its watershed are located

in the lowlands of the southwestern Oregon Coast Range. It is the largest Oregon estuary

completely contained within state boundaries and is the fifth largest estuary in the Pacific

Northwest (South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (SSNERR) Management

Plan, 13). The Coos River and its estuary are considered to be a “drowned river mouth”

system. ODEQ lists 303(d) impairments to water quality in the upper bay and jetty inlet/

South Slough area of Coos Bay. The lower jetty inlet/ South Slough (river mile 0 to 5.3)

and upper bay (river mile 7.8 to 12.3) are currently listed for fecal coliform year round.

Additional listings of potential concern for the upper bay are heavy metals (tributyltin,

copper, lead, chromium, lead, and nickel) and temperature (Oct 1 to May 31 ). Although

surface waters immediately adjacent to the BLM Boat Ramp sonde station are not 303(d)

listed, the monitoring of potential impacts to water quality from non point sources located

upbay and downbay of this site are within tribal interest due to the historic association

with tribal subsistence resources within the bay such as shellfish harvesting and fishing.

Empire Docks Continuous/Sonde Data Analysis

The following box and whisker plots display sonde temperature, dissolved oxygen, and

pH data collected at this site. The graphs have been produced with the appropriate ODEQ

standards and/or 303(d) listing in an attempt to facilitate rapid visual understanding of the

trends occurring at the site. The initial data collected at the Empire Docks site do not

indicate impairments to water quality have been or are occurring at the site.

Coos Bay, Empire Docks Temperature Trend: Water Year 2008

Temperature °C

DEQ Upper Limit for Salmon and Trout Rearing and Migration: 18°C

Max

Median

Min

Data collection initiated 8/22/08

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-08

May-08

Jun-08

Jul-08

Aug-08

Sep-08

Date

Boxplot 10

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

Coos Bay, Empire Dock Dissolved Oxygen Trend: Water Year 2008

16.00

14.00

Dissolved Oxygen mg/l

12.00

DEQ Spawn Standard: 11 mg/l

10.00

Max

Median

Min

Data collection initiated 8/22/08

8.00

DEQ Cold Water Standard: 8.0 mg/l

6.00

DEQ Estuarine Standard: 6.5 mg/l

4.00

2.00

0.00

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-08

May-08

Jun-08

Jul-08

Aug-08

Sep-08

Date

Box plot 11

Coos Bay, Empire Dock pH Trend: Water Year 2008

9.0

8.5

DEQ Upper pH Limit for Estuaries: 8.5

8.0

Data collection initiated 8/22/08

7.5

Max

Median

Min

7.0

6.5

DEQ Lower pH Limit for Estuaries: 6.5

6.0

5.5

5.0

Oct-07

Nov-07

Dec-07

Jan-08

Feb-08

Mar-08

Apr-08

May-08

Jun-08

Jul-08

Aug-08

Sep-08

Date

Box plot 12

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

Monthly Coos Bay Empire Docks Temperature C°: Water Year 2008

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

Nov07

Dec07

Jan08

Feb08

Mar08

Apr08

May08

Jun08

Jul08

Aug08

16.13

17.60

15.30

10.30

14.10

14.93

1.71

460

Sep08

13.20

15.60

12.20

9.20

11.30

12.24

1.29

1440

Monthly Coos Bay Empire Docks Dissolved Oxygen Concentration mg/l: Water Year

2008

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

Nov07

Oct07

Nov07

Dec07

Jan08

Feb08

Mar08

Apr08

May08

Jun08

Jul08

Aug08

8.40

9.20

8.10

6.30

7.40

7.91

0.64

460

Sep08

9.10

10.60

8.40

6.50

7.90

8.49

0.76

1440

Jul08

Aug08

7.90

8.00

7.90

7.60

7.80

7.84

0.10

460

Sep08

7.70

7.90

7.60

7.40

7.60

7.64

0.08

1440

Aug08

32.50

33.30

32.20

31.10

32.00

32.21

0.45

460

Sep08

33.90

34.40

33.50

31.70

33.00

33.38

0.61

1440

Monthly Coos Bay Empire Docks pH: Water Year 2008

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Dec07

Jan08

Feb08

Mar08

Apr08

May08

Jun08

Monthly Coos Bay Empire Docks Salinity ppt: Water Year 2008

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

Nov07

Dec07

Jan08

Feb08

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

Mar08

Apr08

May08

Jun08

Jul08

Monthly Coos Bay Empire Docks Turbidity NTU: Water Year 2008

Statistics

Max

Median

Min

Mean

Std Dev

Oct07

Nov07

Dec07

Jan08

Feb08

Mar08

Apr08

May08

Jun08

Jul08

Aug08

4.00

8.00

3.00

1.00

2.00

2.96

1.07

460

Sep08

3.00

109.00

2.00

-1.00

1.00

2.14

3.18

1439

Empire Docks Bacteria Data

CTCLUSI began collecting water samples for microbiological analysis of E.coli and

Enterococcus at this site in September 2008. Because the data set for this parameter is a

single point, no statistical analysis can be applied. The following tables list all bacteria

data collected by our program for this site during water year 2008. Our program currently

compares single grab samples to ODEQ and EPA established numeric criteria for

Freshwaters and Estuarine Waters of either 1) no single sample exceeding 406 E. coli

organisms per 100 milliliters (406 MPN) or 2) The federal Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) recommendation of the safe standard for Enterococcus to be no more than

158 colony forming units (158 MPN) per 100 milliliters of marine water. No samples

collected as this site during water year 2008 have exceeded either of these criteria.

Empire Docks E. coli Data: Water Year 2008

Sample

Date

9/11/2008

Sample

EMP 1

Analyte

E. coli.

MPN/100mL

< 10.0

Empire Docks Enterococcus Data: Water Year 2008

Sample

Date

9/11/2008

Sample

EMP 1

Analyte

Enterococci

MPN/100mL

< 10.0

5) Sixes River [42.810972, 124.445361 – Sixes Watershed]

The Sixes River stream monitoring site is located approximately 7 river miles from the

mouth of the river. This is a freshwater site and as such water quality at the site is likely

watershed and/or storm event driven. This is a discrete monitoring site (see Stream

Discrete Monitoring under Monitoring Methods and Frequency). The Sixes River

headwaters in the Klamath Mountains and flows into the Pacific Ocean north of Cape

Blanco near Sixes, Oregon, draining approximately 85,645 acres of land. This basin is

one of the largest occurring in the southern Oregon coast. The land uses in the watershed

are dominated by forestry, ranching, and rural residences. The water quality of the Sixes

River and many of its tributaries is 303(d) listed by ODEQ as impaired by elevated

temperature in the summer.

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

CTCLUSI deploys an automated HOBO temperature datalogger at this site during the

summer months. The HOBOs are used for long – term deployment and record the

temperature at the site at 30 minute intervals. HOBO data collected by our program in the

summer of 2008 were viewed and summarized using an ODEQ developed MS Excel

macro called HYDROSTATSimple203.xls.

Sixes River Summer 2008 HOBO Temperature Analysis

30.0

Temperature degrees (C)

25.0

20.0

DEQ Upper limit for Salmon and Trout Rearing and Migration: 18 °C

7-Day Avgs

15.0

10.0

5.0

10/19/08

10/05/08

09/21/08

09/07/08

08/24/08

08/10/08

07/27/08

07/13/08

06/29/08

06/15/08

06/01/08

0.0

Dates

The above chart generated from the automated HOBO temperature datalogger shows

summer temperatures above the 18 °C DEQ upper limit for salmon and trout rearing and

migration. This agrees with the ODEQ 303(d) listing as impaired by elevated

temperature in the summer.

Sixes River Basic Habitat and Macroinvertebrates

CTCLUSI began collecting macroinvertebrate samples and basic habitat data in 2007.

Macroinvertebrate samples are taken at the beginning of the low flow season (mid June –

mid July) and again at the end of the low flow season (mid July-mid Sept). The

macroinvertebrate sampling site is a riffle 37.6 meters in length, 8.7 meters wide, 20 cm

deep with a surface velocity of 1.47 m/sec. The bottom substrate is approximately 75%

cobble, 20% gravel and 5% sand with about 2% sticks and other plant material and no

large woody debris. A brownish diatomaceous and filamentous alga covers the bottom

substrate. The site is partially shaded with trees and shrubs with the shoreline dominated

by grasses. The surrounding area is predominately forested with scattered residences.

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

Sixes River Macroinvertebrate Samples: Water Year 2008

Sample

Date

10/3/07

Sample

Sixes

D-net

composites

6/24/08

Sixes

Notes

End low flow season

Beginning low flow

season

Preliminary sorting and examination of the macroinvertebrates samples reveals an

abundance of stoneflies, mayflies and caddisflies including some sensitive species. The

presence of sensitive species is indicative of low impacts caused by human disturbance.

The final sorting and identification of species in the preserved macroinvertebrate samples

is in process.

Sixes River Bacteria Data

The WQP began collecting water samples for microbiological analysis of E. coli and

Enterococcus at this site in April 2006. Because the data set for this parameter is small,

no statistical analysis has been applied to these data. The following tables list all bacteria

data collected by our program for this site during water year 2008. Our program currently

compares single grab samples to ODEQ and EPA established numeric criteria for

Freshwaters and Estuarine Waters of either 1) no single sample exceeding 406 E. coli

organisms per 100 milliliters (406 MPN) or 2) The federal Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) recommendation of the safe standard for Enterococcus to be no more than

158 colony forming units (158 MPN) per 100 milliliters of marine water. No samples

collected as this site during water year 2008 have exceeded either of these criteria.

Sixes River E. coli Data: Water Year 2008

Sample

Date

5/13/2008

6/24/2008

Sample

Sixes 1

Analyte

E. coli.

MPN/100mL

30.6

< 10.0

Sixes River Enterococcus Data: Water Year 2008

Sample

Date

5/13/2008

6/24/2008

Sample

Sixes 1

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

Analyte

Enterococci

MPN/100mL

< 10.0

Issues of Tribal Concerns

Tribal water quality issues of concern continue to be the impairments listed on EPA’s

Clean Water Act 303 (d) Lists. These impairments are more than likely attributed to

multiple non-point sources contributions and land use practices within the watersheds.

While there is no indication that the CTCLUSI are contributing to these impairments,

CTCLUSI holdings in the lower portions of these watersheds are bearing the brunt of

these impairments. Being traditionally centered in the estuarine and lower freshwater

portions of the watershed, the CTCLUSI and our traditional natural/cultural resources

including subsistence foods such as shellfish are particularly at risk from impairments

originating in upper portions of the watershed. Point source contributions that may be

attributed to these impairments have not been assessed by the WQP. An inventory of

known point sources would be valuable information in addressing tribal water quality

issues. Detailed information on the types of impairments found at each monitoring site

can be found under the Site Description and Location section of this report.

Conclusion

The work summarized in this report represents the continuing successful partnership

between the EPA and the CTCLUSI DNR. The WQP continues to evolve to meet new

program requirements found within EPA’s Final Guidance on Awards of Grants to

Indian Tribes under Section 106 of the Clean Water Act for Fiscal Years 2007 and

Beyond. With the continued support of EPA, the WQP will continue to assess, protect,

and improve water quality within the Tribe’s Ancestral Watersheds.

2008 Tribal Water Quality Data Summary

02/17/2009

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.