Characterizing water and sediment quality to support watershed management and fish hatchery operations near Clarks Creek, WA
The USGS is working with local water managers to characterize water and sediment quality in a fish hatchery. For the past few years, large numbers of salmon eggs raised in the hatchery have perished unexpectedly. Resource managers need information about the water, sediment and organic material found in the hatchery and surrounding watershed. The USGS is using novel techniques to learn what is in the sediment and water, to help managers adapt their operations and protect important fishery resources.
Fish hatcheries are used to preserve, protect, and manage Tribal Nations’ fishery resources. The Puyallup Tribe operates a salmon hatchery in Puyallup, WA. In recent years, salmon eggs in the hatchery have experienced high rates of mortality. The mortality occurred when incubating eggs were covered by a coating of sediment and organic material. The coating of material likely caused the egg mortality; however, managers need more information to understand and address this problem.
Supporting Fish Hatchery Operations
The USGS is providing technical support to characterize creek water and fine suspended particulates. This will help resource managers understand watershed processes and conditions impacting fish hatchery operations. We are focusing on dissolved and particulate organic matter because these are often under-represented with traditional sampling approaches. Additionally, these constituents can have outsized impacts on habitat degradation, oxygen consumption, and sorbed contaminants in streams.
Our work is guided by the following questions:
- How much suspended sediment and what particle sizes are reaching the incubation trays where salmon eggs are raised?
- What is the quality of the incubation room water?
- What are the physiochemical characteristics of the fine sediment in the incubation trays when settling is occurring?
- How does it compare to the materials entrained in the water column?
- How does it compare to the material collected during baseline sampling?
Our Approach
We are conducting this work in phases.
Establish Baseline Hatchery Conditions
We started by establishing baseline conditions in the fish hatchery. Particulate samples were collected at various locations within the facility in September 2023. The hatchery draws water from Clarks Creek which has low streamflow during this late summer period. Samples were analyzed for: grain size distribution, percent total carbon and nitrogen, stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, mineralogy by x-ray diffraction, and determination of major, minor, and trace elements.
Results are published in a USGS data release: Particulate physicochemical data at a fish hatchery in Puyallup, Washington, September 2023 | U.S. Geological Survey
Phase 1: Continuous Monitoring and Event Sampling in the Hatchery
Now that we have established a baseline, we are studying water and sediment quality over a range of flow conditions. Phase 1 of the study focuses on the hatchery. We are continuously monitoring water quality in the hatchery incubation room, where the salmon eggs are raised. We are measuring:
- Water temperature
- Dissolved oxygen
- Specific conductivity
- Turbidity
- Fluorescent dissolved organic matter (fDOM)
We will also collect samples of sediment that settles in the trays with the eggs. We’ll collect these samples before and during events when sediment is settling. The sediment samples will be analyzed for:
- Grain size
- Total, particulate and dissolved carbon (C) and nitrogen (N)
- Mineralogy
- Major, minor, and trace elements
- Organic matter spectral characterization
Phase 2: Characterizing Watershed Sediments and Source Identification
What is the source of the sediment and organic material?
The hatchery draws water from Clarks Creek, which flows through a complex landscape. If you travel through this area, you’ll find homes, farms, industries, and businesses. Clarks Creek is also impacted by active upstream erosion and aquatic plant growth. Soils eroded from upstream areas may be transported to lower parts of the watershed, and deposited in areas such as the hatchery. Future work may seek to identify the source of sediment and organic material from within the watershed.
Managers need to know more about the complex dynamics in this watershed to better mitigate and manage sediments impacting the hatchery.
The USGS is working with local water managers to characterize water and sediment quality in a fish hatchery. For the past few years, large numbers of salmon eggs raised in the hatchery have perished unexpectedly. Resource managers need information about the water, sediment and organic material found in the hatchery and surrounding watershed. The USGS is using novel techniques to learn what is in the sediment and water, to help managers adapt their operations and protect important fishery resources.
Fish hatcheries are used to preserve, protect, and manage Tribal Nations’ fishery resources. The Puyallup Tribe operates a salmon hatchery in Puyallup, WA. In recent years, salmon eggs in the hatchery have experienced high rates of mortality. The mortality occurred when incubating eggs were covered by a coating of sediment and organic material. The coating of material likely caused the egg mortality; however, managers need more information to understand and address this problem.
Supporting Fish Hatchery Operations
The USGS is providing technical support to characterize creek water and fine suspended particulates. This will help resource managers understand watershed processes and conditions impacting fish hatchery operations. We are focusing on dissolved and particulate organic matter because these are often under-represented with traditional sampling approaches. Additionally, these constituents can have outsized impacts on habitat degradation, oxygen consumption, and sorbed contaminants in streams.
Our work is guided by the following questions:
- How much suspended sediment and what particle sizes are reaching the incubation trays where salmon eggs are raised?
- What is the quality of the incubation room water?
- What are the physiochemical characteristics of the fine sediment in the incubation trays when settling is occurring?
- How does it compare to the materials entrained in the water column?
- How does it compare to the material collected during baseline sampling?
Our Approach
We are conducting this work in phases.
Establish Baseline Hatchery Conditions
We started by establishing baseline conditions in the fish hatchery. Particulate samples were collected at various locations within the facility in September 2023. The hatchery draws water from Clarks Creek which has low streamflow during this late summer period. Samples were analyzed for: grain size distribution, percent total carbon and nitrogen, stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, mineralogy by x-ray diffraction, and determination of major, minor, and trace elements.
Results are published in a USGS data release: Particulate physicochemical data at a fish hatchery in Puyallup, Washington, September 2023 | U.S. Geological Survey
Phase 1: Continuous Monitoring and Event Sampling in the Hatchery
Now that we have established a baseline, we are studying water and sediment quality over a range of flow conditions. Phase 1 of the study focuses on the hatchery. We are continuously monitoring water quality in the hatchery incubation room, where the salmon eggs are raised. We are measuring:
- Water temperature
- Dissolved oxygen
- Specific conductivity
- Turbidity
- Fluorescent dissolved organic matter (fDOM)
We will also collect samples of sediment that settles in the trays with the eggs. We’ll collect these samples before and during events when sediment is settling. The sediment samples will be analyzed for:
- Grain size
- Total, particulate and dissolved carbon (C) and nitrogen (N)
- Mineralogy
- Major, minor, and trace elements
- Organic matter spectral characterization
Phase 2: Characterizing Watershed Sediments and Source Identification
What is the source of the sediment and organic material?
The hatchery draws water from Clarks Creek, which flows through a complex landscape. If you travel through this area, you’ll find homes, farms, industries, and businesses. Clarks Creek is also impacted by active upstream erosion and aquatic plant growth. Soils eroded from upstream areas may be transported to lower parts of the watershed, and deposited in areas such as the hatchery. Future work may seek to identify the source of sediment and organic material from within the watershed.
Managers need to know more about the complex dynamics in this watershed to better mitigate and manage sediments impacting the hatchery.