Nutrient Loading in the Klamath Basin

• K.A. Rykbost• B.A. Charlton

• Oregon State University• Klamath Experiment Station

Source: USGS --- Snyder & Morace

Source: USGS --- Snyder & Morace

U.S. Department of Interior --- Bureau of Reclamation

Environmental Issues are Drivenby Political/Regulatory Forces

• Federal Clean Water Act° 303D Lists of Water Quality Impairments° TMDL Process --- Oregon DEQ

• Oregon Senate Bill 1010° Private Property Agriculture Management Plans° Local Advisory Committees --- Oregon D.A.

• Endangered Species Act° Listed Species --- Suckers and Salmon

Water Quality Concerns in Upper Klamath Lake

• Phosphorous Enrichment supporting Blue-Green Algae (Aphanizomenon flos-aqaue)

• pH > 9.0 (following algae bloom crashes)

• Dissolved Oxygen below 4.0 mg/l

• High Ammonia concentration (up to 0.9 ppm)

• High chlorophyll – a

• High temperature (up to 23C)

Sucker Springs, Upper Klamath Lake --- USGS BRD Klamath

Source: USGS --- Snyder & Morace

Lake-Wide Mean Nutrient Concentrations

in Upper Klamath Lake 1991-1998

Source: Klamath Tribes --- Kann & Walker

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

Jan

Feb Mar

AprM

ayJu

neJu

lyAug

SeptO

ctNov

Month

To

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Ph

osp

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(pp

m)

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

To

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itrog

en

(pp

m)

TP

TN

Major Studies of Nutrient Loading

of Klamath/Agency Lakes

• Miller & Tash: USGS 1965-66

° Ag. Drainage contributes 26% of TP Inflow

° Top 1” of sediment = 60 years of Inflow P

° Springs in lake contribute 25% of TP Inflow

° Canals contribute 5% of TP Inflow

° Major rivers contribute 43% of TP Inflow

Major Studies of Nutrient Loading

of Klamath/Agency Lakes

• Snyder & Morace: USGS 1993-95

° Estimated 80 tons N/year, 15 tons P/year

° Monitored drainage from Ag. Lands

° Noted potential for natural sources° Reported high P in artesian wells

° Suggested conversions to wetlands based on

loading data

Major Studies of Nutrient Loading

of Klamath/Agency Lakes

• Kann & Walker: Klamath Tribes 1991-98

° Modeled Loading Data from:

° Miller and Tash; Snyder and Morace

° Monitored Lake-wide Nutrient Concentrations

° Reported Sediment P = 61% of Load

° Suggested data used as basis for retiring Ag. Land to

Wetlands

Source: Klamath Tribes --- Kann & Walker

Klamath/ Agency Lake Average

Water Year Phosphorus Load

61%

11%

8%

7%

4%4%4%1%

39%

Inte rnal Loading

Sprague R.

Williams on R.

Wood R.

Ag. Pumps

Springs /Stre ams

Se ve nmile

Pre cipitation External Loading

Klamath/ Agency Lake Average Water Year Inflow Load

33%

18%

16%

16%

7%7%3%

Sprague R.

Williamson R.

Wood R.

Springs/Streams

Sevenmile

Precipitation

Ag. Pumping

Source: Klamath Tribes --- Kann & Walker

Objectives of Klamath Experiment Station Studies

• Determine nutrient content in background sources° Major Springs and Artesian Wells

• Determine nutrient content in water flooded onto and drained from Ag. Lands

• Determine nutrient loading to Klamath Irrigation Project from Klamath Lake and Klamath River

KES Water Quality Analysis Methods

• All samples were grab samples -- duplicate

• Samples frozen & stored for batch delivery

• Kjeldahl digestion -- analyzed for:

° Total P and Total Kjeldahl N

• OSU Dept. of Crop and Soil Science

° Central Analytical Laboratory

Phosphorus Concentration in Major Springs

• Wood River Source [P] = 0.06 and 0.07 ppm

• Spring Creek Source [P] = 0.08, 0.09, and 0.09 ppm

• Fort Creek Source [P] = 0.06 and 0.09 ppm

• Crystal Creek Source [P] = 0.07 and 0.11 ppm

• Barkley Spring [P] = 0.08 ppm

• Malone Spring [P] = 0.06 ppm

P and N Concentration Artesian Wells

Wood River Ranch

Well #1• Snyder & Morace 3 samples 1993-95

° Total P = 6.7 ppm° Total N = 6.2 ppm

• Klamath Experiment Station 4 samples 1998-2000

° Total P = 5.3 ppm° Total N = 6.2 ppm

Well #2• Snyder & Morace 1 sample 1995

° Total P = 2.0 ppm° Total N = 8.7 ppm

• Klamath Experiment Station 4 samples 1998-2000

° Total P = 2.4 ppm° Total N = 8.1 ppm

P and N ConcentrationArtesian Wells

• Fort Klamath Area -- 230 foot aquifer° #1 (2 samples) [P] = 0.31 ppm, [TKN] = 0.25 ppm

° #2 (2 samples) [P] = 0.70 ppm, [TKN] = 0.50 ppm

° #3 (2 samples) [P] = 0.74 ppm, [TKN] = 0.55 ppm

° #4 (3 samples) [P] = 0.75 ppm, [TKN] = 0.50 ppm

° #5 (2 samples) [P] = 1.17 ppm, [TKN] = 1.13 ppm

° #6 (1 samples) [P] = 1.56 ppm, [TKN] = 1.90 ppm

Source: USGS --- Snyder & Morace

Nutrient Content of Inflow and Drainage from Agricultural

Lands

Wocus

• Snyder & Morace - 1993-95 (9 samples)

° Drainage: TP = 0.21 ppm and TN = 4.2 ppm

• KES - 1998-2000 (19 inflow, 24 drainage)

° Drainage: TP = 0.18 ppm and TKN = 3.8 ppm

° Inflow: TP = 0.13 ppm and TKN = 2.8 ppm

Nutrient Content of Inflow and Drainage from Agricultural

Lands

Caledonia

• Snyder & Morace - 1993-95 (3 samples)

° Drainage: TP = 0.24 ppm and TN = 4.2 ppm

• KES - 1998-2000 (10 inflow, 16 drainage)

° Drainage: TP = 0.24 ppm and TKN = 3.7 ppm

° Inflow: TP = 0.06 ppm and TKN = 1.1 ppm

Nutrient Content of Inflow and Drainage from Agricultural/Wetlands

Wood River Ranch

• Snyder & Morace - 1993-95 (12 samples)

° Drainage: TP = 0.96 ppm and TN = 3.0 ppm

• KES - 1999-2000 (52 inflow and 32 drainage)

° Drainage: TP = 0.78 ppm and TKN = 3.25 ppm

° Inflow: TP = 0.17 ppm and TKN = 1.25 ppm* Note: Cattle removed in 1995

U.S. Department of Interior --- Bureau of Reclamation

Klamath Project Plumbing

• Diversions into the Klamath Project

° A Canal – Out of Klamath Lake

° North and ADY Canal – Out of Klamath River

° Lost River from Gerber and Clear Lake Reservoirs

• Klamath Irrigation Project Drain

° Straits Drain from Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuge

Methods for Estimating NutrientLoading to Klamath Irrigation

Project

• Sample at diversions - 2 week intervals° grab samples - usually duplicate

• BOR flows for midway between samples

• Load = volume x concentration

Nutrient Concentrations at A Canal Diversion - 1999

0.000.050.100.150.200.250.300.350.400.450.50

May June July Aug Sept

Month

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(pp

m)

0.000.501.001.502.002.503.003.504.004.505.00 T

ota

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(pp

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TP

TKN

Nutrient Concentrations at A Canal Diversion - 2000

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0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

0.30

0.35

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0.45

May June July Aug Sept

Month

To

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(pp

m)

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TKN

Total Phosphorus Loading atA, North, and ADY Canals - 1999

02468

10

121416182022

5/19 6/2 6/1

66/3

07/1

47/2

88/1

18/2

5 9/8 9/22

10/6

10/20

Tot

al P

hosp

horu

s

(10,

000

lb)

A

ADY

North

Total

Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen Loading at

A, North, and ADY Canals - 1999

02468

10121416182022

5/19 6/2 6/1

66/3

07/1

47/2

88/1

18/2

5 9/8 9/22

10/6

10/20

Tot

al N

itro

gen

(100

,000

lb)

A

ADY

North

Total

Total Phosphorus Loading atA, North, and ADY Canals - 2000

02468

10121416182022

4/25 5/9 5/2

3 6/6 6/20 7/4 7/1

8 8/1 8/15

8/29

9/12

9/26

10/10

Tot

al P

hos

phor

us

(10,

000 lb

)

A

ADY

North

Total

Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen Loading at

A, North, and ADY Canals - 2000

02468

10121416182022

4/25 5/9 5/2

3 6/6 6/20 7/4 7/1

8 8/1 8/15

8/29

9/12

9/26

10/10

Tot

al N

itro

gen

(10

0,00

0 lb

) A

ADY

North

Total

Seasonal Mean Nutrient Concentrations

at A, North, and ADY Diversions

• A Canal° 1999 TP = 0.166 ppm TKN = 2.11 ppm

° 2000 TP = 0.184 ppm TKN = 2.23 ppm

• North Canal° 1999 TP = 0.175 ppm TKN = 1.72 ppm

° 2000 TP = 0.222 ppm TKN = 1.82 ppm

• ADY Canal° 1999 TP = 0.195 ppm TKN = 1.95 ppm

° 2000 TP = 0.220 ppm TKN = 1.93 ppm

Nutrient Loading Summary

• KES data were well within range of observations

from previous studies

• Natural background sources are not limiting in

Phosphorus for blue-green algae

• Loading from Ag. Drainage must consider

nutrients in floodwater

Nutrient Loading Summary

• Nutrient concentration in Wood River Ranch drainage 80% of 1993-95 value, 5 years after cattle removed

• Total nutrient loading in Irrigation Project from Klamath Lake and Klamath River° Approximately 180,000 Total P and 2,000,000 Total N

• P increases from Klamath Lake to ADY Canal

Nutrient Loading Summary

• Monitoring Nutrient Loading at Straits Drain

° UC Davis Study

° Preliminary Analysis shows P discharge = 100,000 lb

• Klamath Irrigation Project

° Net sink for Phosphorus including affects of

municipalities and wildlife refuges

Wetland/Storage Restoration Projects

• Wood River Ranch – 3,000 Ac - Wetlands

• Goose Bay Farms – 2,187 Ac - Wetlands

• Agency Lake Ranch – 7,123 Ac – Storage, Wetland

• Tulana Farms – 4,600 acres Wetlands

• Caledonia Marsh – 550 acres - Wetlands

• Barnes Ranch – 2,700 Ac – Storage – Refuge?

Nutrient Loading in The Klamath Basin: Agricultural and Natural

Sources

Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station

Special Report 1023

K.A. Rykbost and B.A. Charlton

Available at:

www.orst.edu/dept/kes

Questions??

• Oregon State University• Klamath Experiment

Station