Elwha-Morse Watershed Completed
Have increased demands for Washington State's ground water and surface water left sufficient stream flows for fish and other uses?
To find out, the state's Watershed Management Act of 1998 (ESHB 2514) confers on local people the responsibility for conducting local watershed planning.
The Elwha-Morse Watershed area was formed out of the western part of Water Resources Inventory Area 18 (WRIA 18) in Clallam and Jefferson Counties, Washington, and is managed by the Elwha-Morse Management Team. Under the terms of ESHB 2514, the team is responsible for assessing the water resources of its area and conducting hydrologic analyses to determine whether there is water enough for allocation.
The U.S. Geological Survey has assisted, in part, by gathering existing data, identifying sources of data and information, and assembling it in the centralized location of this web site, where it is easily accessible to everyone in the community.
WA007-04 - Water Resources Inventory for the Elwha River and Morse Creek Watersheds
Introduction - Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 18 Planning Unit is developing a watershed plan to maintain reliable supplies of clean water for economic growth and a healthy aquatic habitat, based on the State of Washington's Watershed Management Act (RCW 90.82/ESHB2514). Water-resources and related data and information are needed to develop the plan and will be necessary for making water resource management decisions for the study when the dams on the Elwha River are removed. The assembling of data into a centralized location will also allow all interested parties easy access to information.
Objectives - The objective of this study is to gather and assemble the readily available water-resource and related data and information for the Elwha River and Morse Creek Watersheds. Data gathered and assembled from this work will provide information needed by the Planning Unit to assess what data are available, where there are data deficiencies, and how best to proceed with technical assessments and in developing their watershed plan.
Scope - The U.S. Geological Survey will gather and assemble the readily available existing data sets and identify data sources within the Elwha-Morse Watershed Area related to water quantity, water quality, and stream habitat, with an emphasis on water-quantity. A bibliographical listing of related reports will also be compiled. The Elwha-Morse Watershed Area is the west portion of WRIA 18, including the Elwha River and it's tributaries and Dry, Tumwater, Valley, Peabody, Ennis, Lees, and Morse Creekss.
Approach - The data sets to be gathered and assembled will include readily available geohydrologic information such as streamflow, ground-water levels, water quality, land cover, soils, geology, and meteorology. Sources of information will be identified for water use and previous studies, where available. These data will be used to write a scope of work to do an assessment of the water resources. The scope of work will be based on the available funding for the ESHB 2514 Phase II technical assessment and the emphasis will be on water quantity. It will also include an assessment of the gaps and deficiencies in the available data and information, and the types of data and locations where new data are needed.
Below are publications associated with this project.
River turbidity and sediment loads during dam removal
Dam decommissioning has become an important means for removing unsafe or obsolete dams and for restoring natural fluvial processes, including discharge regimes, sediment transport, and ecosystem connectivity [Doyle et al., 2003]. The largest dam-removal project in history began in September 2011 on the Elwha River of Washington State (Figure 1a). The project, which aims to restore the river ecosys
Elwha River dam removal-Rebirth of a river
Coastal habitats of the Elwha River, Washington- Biological and physical patterns and processes prior to dam removal
Estimates of Sediment Load Prior to Dam Removal in the Elwha River, Clallam County, Washington
Bank topography, bathymetry, and current velocity of the lower Elwha River, Clallam County, Washington, May 2006
Water resources of the Lower Elwha Indian Reservation, Washington
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
Have increased demands for Washington State's ground water and surface water left sufficient stream flows for fish and other uses?
To find out, the state's Watershed Management Act of 1998 (ESHB 2514) confers on local people the responsibility for conducting local watershed planning.
The Elwha-Morse Watershed area was formed out of the western part of Water Resources Inventory Area 18 (WRIA 18) in Clallam and Jefferson Counties, Washington, and is managed by the Elwha-Morse Management Team. Under the terms of ESHB 2514, the team is responsible for assessing the water resources of its area and conducting hydrologic analyses to determine whether there is water enough for allocation.
The U.S. Geological Survey has assisted, in part, by gathering existing data, identifying sources of data and information, and assembling it in the centralized location of this web site, where it is easily accessible to everyone in the community.
WA007-04 - Water Resources Inventory for the Elwha River and Morse Creek Watersheds
Introduction - Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 18 Planning Unit is developing a watershed plan to maintain reliable supplies of clean water for economic growth and a healthy aquatic habitat, based on the State of Washington's Watershed Management Act (RCW 90.82/ESHB2514). Water-resources and related data and information are needed to develop the plan and will be necessary for making water resource management decisions for the study when the dams on the Elwha River are removed. The assembling of data into a centralized location will also allow all interested parties easy access to information.
Objectives - The objective of this study is to gather and assemble the readily available water-resource and related data and information for the Elwha River and Morse Creek Watersheds. Data gathered and assembled from this work will provide information needed by the Planning Unit to assess what data are available, where there are data deficiencies, and how best to proceed with technical assessments and in developing their watershed plan.
Scope - The U.S. Geological Survey will gather and assemble the readily available existing data sets and identify data sources within the Elwha-Morse Watershed Area related to water quantity, water quality, and stream habitat, with an emphasis on water-quantity. A bibliographical listing of related reports will also be compiled. The Elwha-Morse Watershed Area is the west portion of WRIA 18, including the Elwha River and it's tributaries and Dry, Tumwater, Valley, Peabody, Ennis, Lees, and Morse Creekss.
Approach - The data sets to be gathered and assembled will include readily available geohydrologic information such as streamflow, ground-water levels, water quality, land cover, soils, geology, and meteorology. Sources of information will be identified for water use and previous studies, where available. These data will be used to write a scope of work to do an assessment of the water resources. The scope of work will be based on the available funding for the ESHB 2514 Phase II technical assessment and the emphasis will be on water quantity. It will also include an assessment of the gaps and deficiencies in the available data and information, and the types of data and locations where new data are needed.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
River turbidity and sediment loads during dam removal
Dam decommissioning has become an important means for removing unsafe or obsolete dams and for restoring natural fluvial processes, including discharge regimes, sediment transport, and ecosystem connectivity [Doyle et al., 2003]. The largest dam-removal project in history began in September 2011 on the Elwha River of Washington State (Figure 1a). The project, which aims to restore the river ecosys
AuthorsJonathan A. Warrick, Jeffrey J. Duda, Christopher S. Magirl, Chris A. CurranElwha River dam removal-Rebirth of a river
After years of planning for the largest project of its kind, the Department of the Interior will begin removal of two dams on the Elwha River, Washington, in September 2011. For nearly 100 years, the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams have disrupted natural processes, trapping sediment in the reservoirs and blocking fish migrations, which changed the ecology of the river downstream of the dams. All fiveAuthorsJeffrey J. Duda, Jonathan A. Warrick, Christopher S. MagirlCoastal habitats of the Elwha River, Washington- Biological and physical patterns and processes prior to dam removal
This report includes chapters that summarize the results of multidisciplinary studies to quantify and characterize the current (2011) status and baseline conditions of the lower Elwha River, its estuary, and the adjacent nearshore ecosystems prior to the historic removal of two long-standing dams that have strongly influenced river, estuary, and nearshore conditions. The studies were conducted asAuthorsJeffrey J. Duda, Jonathan A. Warrick, Christopher S. MagirlEstimates of Sediment Load Prior to Dam Removal in the Elwha River, Clallam County, Washington
Years after the removal of the two dams on the Elwha River, the geomorphology and habitat of the lower river will be substantially influenced by the sediment load of the free-flowing river. To estimate the suspended-sediment load prior to removal of the dams, the U.S. Geological Survey collected suspended-sediment samples during water years 2006 and 2007 at streamflow-gaging stations on the ElwhaAuthorsChristopher A. Curran, Christopher P. Konrad, Johnna L. Higgins, Mark K. BryantBank topography, bathymetry, and current velocity of the lower Elwha River, Clallam County, Washington, May 2006
The removal of two dams from the mainstem of the Elwha River is expected to cause a broad range of changes to the river and nearby coastal ecosystem. The U.S. Geological Survey has documented aspects of the condition of the river to allow analysis of ecological responses to dam removal. This report documents the bank topography, river bathymetry, and current velocity data collected along the lowerAuthorsChristopher A. Curran, Christopher P. Konrad, Randal L. Dinehart, Edward H. MoranWater resources of the Lower Elwha Indian Reservation, Washington
The Lower Elwha Indian Reservation covers 372 acres at the mouth of the Elwha River in Clallam County, Washington. The land of the reservation is used principally for residential purposes and growing forage for cattle. The population of the reservation is largely dependent upon fisheries resources for its economic health.This study was made to assess the availability and suitability of ground wateAuthorsKenneth L. Walters, William L. Haushild, Leonard M. Nelson - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.