klamath watershed in perspective a review of historical hydrology of major features of the klamath...

Klamath Watershed in PerspectiveKlamath Watershed in Perspective

A Review of Historical Hydrology of Major Features of the Klamath River Watershed and

Evaluation of Hardy Iron Gate Flow Requirements

A Review of Historical Hydrology of Major Features of the Klamath River Watershed and

Evaluation of Hardy Iron Gate Flow Requirements

K.A. Rykbost R. Todd

Superintendent Klamath County Extension Service

Klamath Experiment Station Oregon State University Oregon State University

K.A. Rykbost R. Todd

Superintendent Klamath County Extension Service

Klamath Experiment Station Oregon State University Oregon State University

Objectives of the Study

• Gain a better understanding of the total Klamath watershed and its hydrologic history

• Develop multi-year hydrographs at key locations in the watershed to look for long-term trends in flows of major tributaries and the Upper Basin

• Examine Klamath Project long-term operations to determine the probability of achieving flow requirements recommended in Hardy Reports

Data Sources and Limitations

• Streamflow data are from Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Geological Survey records available on the Internet

• Years of record vary for various subbasins in the watershed

• Minimum Instream Flows from Hardy studies are taken directly from Hardy Phase I Final Report and Hardy Phase II Draft Report

Data Sources and Limitations

• Klamath Project water diversions reported include agricultural and refuge use as calculated by Jim Bryant at the Bureau of Reclamation

• Data are summarized over years to mask the inherent and large variability between water year types due to precipitation fluctuations

Major studies and reports shaping public policy have used a non-typical hydrologic period as the basis for historical flows

Reports by Balance Hydrologics, Inc. and Hardy Phase I use flows at Keno, OR from 1905-1912 as a partial basis for estimating pre-Klamath Project Upper Basin flows

Selective Use of Data

Balance Hydrologics, Inc. used a 4% correction to account for 1905-1912 being an above average precipitation period

Compared with long term records, 1905-1912 experienced 21% above normal precipitation in Yreka, CA and 4% above normal in Klamath Falls

The Bureau of Reclamation estimated inflow to UKL at 34% above normal in 1905-1912

Selective Use of Data

• The Lost River Slough was dammed in 1890 to stop drainage of excess flows from Klamath River to Tulelake

• Construction of a railroad through Lower Klamath Lake between 1907-1911 reduced overflows from Klamath River to Lower Klamath Lake, reducing large evaporation losses

• Both changes resulted in increased flows at Keno compared with pre-settlement hydrology

Changes in Upper Basin Hydrology

Pre-development, the Lost River system was a closed basin with no access to Klamath River

Project features now allow diversion from the Gerber, Clear Lake, Lost River system to Klamath River through the Diversion Channel

Direct access to Klamath River is available from Tulelake through Lower Klamath Refuge and the Straits Drain

Changes in Upper Basin Hydrology

Annual Precipitation in the Klamath Basin

• Long-term NOAA precipitation records are available for Klamath Falls, Crater Lake, and Keno, OR, and Yreka and Klamath, CA

• Total Annual precipitation is charted for each location for 1951-2000

• Average precipitation for multi-year periods that will be used for streamflow data presentation are quite similar at each location

OSU 2003K. Rykbost and R. Todd

Mean Annual Precipitation in the Klamath Watershed

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Klamath Falls Crater Lake Keno Yreka Klamath CA

Location

Me

an

An

nu

al P

rec

ipit

ati

on

(in

ch

es

)

1951-1963

1963-1976

1977-1989

1990-2000

Streamflows for Klamath River Tributaries

Iron Gate Dam records begin in 1960 Data for the Klamath Mouth is not available for

1994-1997 The major tributaries contribute about 54% of flow

at the mouth for the period of record Remaining flows are from smaller tributaries and

include 360 TAF (thousand acre-feet) of accretions from Keno to Iron Gate Dam


-

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

20,000

Mea

n A

nnua

l Str

eam

flow

(1,0

00 c

fs)

1961-1970 1971-1980 1981-1990 1991-1993 and 1998-2000

Period

Klamath River and Tributaries Streamflow

Iron GateDam

ShastaRiver

Scott River

SalmonRiver

TrinityRiver

KlamathMouth


Annual Klamath Water Volumes

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

1961-1970 1971-1980 1981-1990 1991-1993 and 1998-2000

Period

Th

ou

san

d A

cre-

Fee

t (T

AF

)

Klamath Project

Iron Gate

4 Tribs

Sub Total

Klamath Mouth

Klamath Mouth Annual Hydrograph

• Limited Klamath Project diversions in 1911-1925

• Klamath Project fully developed by 1960

• Trinity River Diversion started about 1964

• Consistent low flows in August and September

• Wide range of flows in December through March

K. Rykbost and R. Todd OSU 2003

Mean Monthly Outflow at Klamath River Mouth

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Month

Out

flow

in 1

,000

cfs

1911-1921

1922-1925

1951-1963

1964-1976

1977-1989

1990-1993

1998-2000

Trinity River Annual Hydrograph

• Shape of hydrograph is very similar to Klamath mouth hydrograph

• Significant change in April through June for periods before and after Trinity Diversion

• Diversion was about 1.1 MAF (million acre-feet) in 1964-1986 and 0.73 MAF from 1987-2000 (CDWR)


Trinity River Flows at Hoopa, CA

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

18.0


Month

Mea

n M

onth

ly F

low

s (1

,000

cfs

)

1932-1937

1938-1950

1951-1963

1964-1976

1977-1989

1990-2000

Trinity Hydrograph Pre- and Post- Diversion

• Important to note that diversion only diverts flows from the upper 20% of the total Trinity system measured at Hoopa, CA

• Hydrograph suggests diversion occurs between March and July

• February dip in post-diversion hydrograph is related to filling of Trinity reservoirs

• August through December graphs are identical


Trinity River Outflow at Hoopa, CA

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0


Month

Mea

n M

onth

ly F

low

s (1

,000

cfs

)

1932-1963Pre-Dam

1964-2000Post-Dam

Klamath Mouth Hydrograph pre- and post-Trinity River Dams

• Main difference coincides with reduced post-dam spring Trinity River hydrograph

• August and September flows nearly identical pre- and post-Trinity dam

• Period of apparent shortage coincides with request for increased flows for smolt out-migration


Outflow at Mouth of Klamath RiverPre- and Post- Trinity Dam Periods

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0


Month

Mea

n M

onth

ly F

low

(1,0

00 c

fs)

Pre 1964 (28 YearsEnding in 1963)

Post 1964 (33 YearsFrom 1964 to 2000)

Salmon River Hydrographs

• No out of stream diversions from Salmon River, but seasonal hydrograph coincides with Trinity’s

• Hydrographs show similar trends for varied flows from December through April, but consistent low flows in August and September

• Pre- and post- Trinity Diversion periods have nearly identical hydrographs from June through October


Salmon River Flows at Somes Bar

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0


Month

Mea

n M

onth

ly F

low

s (1

,000

cfs

)

1928-1937

1938-1950

1951-1963

1964-1976

1977-1989

1990-2000


Mean Monthly Outflow at Salmon RiverPre- and Post-Trinity Dam Periods

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0


Month

Mea

n M

onth

ly F

low

s (1

,000

cfs

)

1928-1963

1964-2000

Scott River Hydrographs

• Same seasonal hydrograph trends as observed for Trinity and Salmon Rivers

• Diversions for agriculture are estimated at 70 TAF or about 15 % of Scott River watershed yield (CDWR)

• Study by Drake, Tate, and Carlson reported precipitation accounted for 75-80 % of fall flow variability


Streamflows in Scott River at Fort Jones

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800


Month

Mea

n M

on

thly

Flo

w (

cfs)

1942-1950

1951-1963

1964-1976

1977-1989

1990-2000

Shasta River Hydrographs

• More uniform hydrographs across years than other tributaries

• CDWR estimates agricultural diversion is about 100 TAF annually

• Diversion represents about 40 % of Shasta yield and 25 % of Klamath Project diversion from UKL and Klamath River


Shasta River Flows near Yreka, CA

0

100

200

300

400

500

600


Month

Mea

n M

on

thly

Flo

w (c

fs)

1934-1941

1945-1950

1951-1963

1964-1976

1977-1989

1990-2000

Iron Gate Dam Hydrographs

• Annual discharge declined from 1.75 MAF in 1964-76 to 1.38 MAF in 1990-2000

• No significant increase in Klamath Project agriculture diversions from 1960s to present

• Mean flows from May through August were similar in all periods


Iron Gate Flows 1961-2000

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50


Month

Mo

nth

ly F

low

(cf

s)

1961-1996Average

1964-1976

1977-1989

1990-2000

Meeting Hardy Minimum Instream Flows at Iron Gate Dam

• Hardy Phase I recommended an “average” year flow regime requiring annual discharge at Iron Gate Dam of 1.62 MAF

• Average 1961-1997 Iron Gate flow is 1.53 MAF

• Total annual flows at Iron Gate were less than Hardy Phase I “average year” flows in 25 of the 42 years from 1961-2002

Meeting Hardy Minimum Instream Flows at Iron Gate Dam

Revised Hardy Phase II flow regimes set 5 hydrologic year-types based on projected April-September inflow to UKL:

• Critical: Inflow < 286.8 TAF

• Dry: Inflow 286.8 – 458.3 TAF

• Average: Inflow 458.4 – 568.5 TAF

• Above Avg: Inflow 568.6 – 785.2 TAF

• Wet: Inflow >785.2 TAF


Monthly Hardy Stream Flows at Iron Gate Dam

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0


Month

Mea

n M

onth

ly F

low

s (1

,000

cfs

)

Actual Mean1961-1996

Hardy Phase I

Hardy Phase II(Average Year)

Hardy Phase II(Dry Year)

Hardy Phase II(Critical Year)

Can Hardy Phase II Targets for Iron Gate Dam be Met?

• No consideration for minimum lake elevations, overflows in spill mode, or timing of flows to meet summer targets in the analysis

• Evaluation only considers total annual Iron Gate flows and whether individual years achieved those flows based on year type targets

• Results are charted by year type for 1961-2002

• Charts show surplus or deficit (-) by year type


0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Mo

nth

ly F

low

TA

F

1961-1997 Hardy Dry Hardy Below Hardy Avg Hardy Above Hardy Wet

Year Type

Hardy Summer Flow Targets

June

July

Aug

Sept

Total


Hardy Compliance "Wet Years"

-250

-200

-150

-100

-50

0

50

1971 1983 1984

Year

Acre

Fee

t Sur

plus

or

Def

icit

(-)


Hardy Compliance "Above Average Years"

-600

-400

-200

0

200

400

600

63 67 69 72 74 75 82 89 93 96 98 99

Year

Acre

-Fee

t Sur

plus

or

Defic

it (-)


Hardy Flow Compliance "Average Years"

-500

0

500

1000

1500

64 65 76 78 85 86 95 97 2000

Year

Acre

-Fee

t Sur

plus

or

Defic

it (-)


Hardy Compliance "Below Average" Years

-400

-200

0

200

400

60061 62 66 68 70 73 77 79 80 87 88 90

2002

Year

Acr

e-Fe

et S

urpl

us o

r De

ficit

(-)


Hardy Compliance "Dry" Years

-600

-500

-400

-300

-200

-100

0

100

81 91 92 94 2001

Year

Acre

-Fee

t Sur

plus

or

Defic

it (-)

Hydrographs for Klamath River below

Keno• No data are available for 1913-1930

• Historical flow models in Balance Hydrologic Inc., Trihey, and Hardy Phase I Reports are partially based on 1905-1912 Keno flows

• Trends are same as Iron Gate for 1964-2000

• Annual accretions between Keno and Iron Gate Dam are about 360 TAF or about 500 cfs


Klamath River Flows at Keno, OR

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Month

Mean

Mo

nth

ly F

low

s (

cfs

)

1905-1912

1938-1950

1951-1963

1964-1976

1977-1989

1990-2000

Williamson River Flows at Modoc Point Road

• Williamson River accounts for about 46 % of inflow to UKL according to several studies

• Williamson River watershed yield per inch of precipitation at Klamath Falls or Crater Lake has declined significantly over the past 50 years

• Changes in the upper Williamson, Sycan, and Sprague Rivers seem apparent


Williamson River Flows at Modoc Point Road

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Month

Mean

Mo

nth

ly F

low

s (

cfs

)

1938-1950

1951-1963

1964-1976

1977-1989

1990-2000


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

TA

F/I

nch

of

An

nu

al P

reci

pit

atio

n

1951-1963 1964-1976 1977-1989 1990-2000

Period

Williamson River Yield Per Inch of Precipitation

KlamathFalls

CraterLake

Klamath Watershed in Perspective Summary

• The Upper Basin above Iron Gate Dam, including Klamath Project diversions, accounts for about 15 % of annual flow at the mouth of Klamath River over past 40 years

• Klamath Project agricultural water use has not changed significantly in the past half century

• High summer flows requested for environmental use are only potentially available because of storage designated for agricultural irrigation


• All tributaries in the Klamath system produce hydrographs with widely varying winter and spring flows but consistently low summer flows

• Trinity diversions represent about 20 % of river yield and appear to mainly affect the spring hydrograph for Trinity and mouth of Klamath

• Watershed yield above UKL appears to have declined in recent decades


• Hardy flow regimes requested for summer months could not be met in a significant number of years even if the Klamath Project received no diversions from UKL or Klamath River

• Basing historical flows on 1905-1912 Keno flows results in unachievable expectations


• The 1905-1912 period used to model flows is the only period since 1905 when streamflow records are unavailable in all other reaches of the watershed

• This fact precludes the ability to compare the yield at Keno, OR with flows in the Lower Klamath River Basin or other tributaries

klamath watershed in perspective a review of historical hydrology of major features of the klamath...

Documents

klamath river watershed

klamath falls

lower klamath lake

total klamath watershed

klamath river project

lower klamath refuge

upper basin hydrology

selective use of data