Table Of ContentS Flathead Basin
333.9115For«st Practices, Sfflte DOCUMENTS COLLECTION
Fl7sr Water Quality and
1991 Fisheries
CPrao0p9reramat1ve AUG 2 7 1991
Suirwary report
MONTANA STATE LIBRARY
IS15 E. 6th AVE.
HELENA, MONTANA 59620
"ircnifiiii tiiilWffr
Flathead Basin Forest Practices
Water Qualityand Fisheries
CooperativeProgram
Summary Report
June 1991
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AboutTmsReport
ThisreportsummarizestheconclusionsandrecommendationsfromtheFinalReportrelatedto
tenindividualstudiesconductedfortheFlatheadBasinForestPracticesAVaterQualityandFisheries
Cooperative Program. The Cooperative Program was administered by a Coordinating Team
representing the Montana Department of State Lands Forestry Division, the Flathead National
Forest,PlumCreekTimberCompany,L.P.,theMontanaDepartmentofFish,WildlifeandParks,
the Montana Department of Health and Environmental Sciences' Water Quality Bureau, the
UniversityofMontana, andtheFlatheadBasinCommission.
TheCooperativeProgram's specific objectives were (1) to document, evaluate, and monitor
whether forest practices affect water quality and fisheries within the Flathead Basin, and (2) if
detrimentalimpacts exist, toestablishaprocesstoutilizethisinformation todevelopcriteriaand
administrativeproceduresforprotectingwaterqualityandfisheries.
Thetenindividualstudiesincludedtheevaluationof:(1)specificpracticesatthesitelevel,(2)
accumulation ofpracticesatthe watershedlevel, (3) general streamconditions, (4) waterquality
variables relative to levels of management activity in small watersheds, (5) fish habitat and
abundancerelativetostreamvariablesinfluencedbyforestpracticesatthewatershedlevel,(6)long-
term changes in large-stream dynamics related to historical records ofnatural and man-related
disturbances,and(7)changesinlakesedimentsrelativetohistoricalrecordsofnatural andman-
relateddisturbances.
Contributors
—
U.S.ForestService FlatheadNationalForest
PlumCreekTimberCompany,L.P.
MontanaDepartmentofStateLandsForestryDivision
WaterQualityBureauoftheMontanaDepartmentofHealthandEnvironmentalSciences
MontanaDepartmentofNaturalResourcesandConservation
UniversityofMontana
FlatheadLakeBiologicalStation
SchoolofForestry
MontanaForestandConservationExperimentStation
—
U.S.DepartmentofAgriculture Mclntire-StennisProgram
MontanaDepartmentofFish,WildlifeandParks
FlatheadBasinCommission
MontanaEnvironmentalQualityCouncil
MontanaChapteroftheAmericanFisheriesSociety
Governor'sOffice, StateofMontana
Flathead Basin Forest Practices
Water Quality and Fisheries
Cooperative Program
Summary Report
June 1991
pubushedby
FlatheadBasinCommission
723FifthAvenueEast
Kalispell,Montana 59901
Contents
Introduction 1
GeneralDiscussion 3
SummaryofConclusions 4
,
SummaryofRecommendations 10
ResponseofMajorForestLandManagers
tothe"SummaryofRecommendations" 24
Appendixes
A. MemorandumofUnderstanding 31
B. ParticipantsintheFlatheadBasinForestPractices/
WaterQualityandFisheriesProgram 37
FlatheadBasinCooperativeProgramSummaryReport Pagei
Introduction
Introduction riaveforestpracticesimpairedwaterqualityandfisher-
ies In theFlatheadRiverBasin?AndIftheyhave, whatchangesIn
forestmanagementshouldbemadeintheFlatheadBasinInorderto
preventormitigatetheseeffects?
Toaddressthesequestions,theDepartmentofStateLands,
theFlatheadNationalForest,PlumCreekTimberCompany,L.P.,the
DepartmentofFish,WildlifeandParks,theDepartmentofHealthand
Environmental Sciences' Water Quality Bureau, the University of
Montana,andtheFlatheadBasinCommissionestablishedthe"Flat-
headBasinForestPractices/WaterQualityandFisheriesCooperative
Program."They signeda"MemorandumofUnderstanding"inAu-
gust of 1988. A Coordinating Team administered the Cooperative
Program, scientific studyleadersdirectedeachspecificproject,and
resource specialists from various organizations provided technical
assistanceasneeded.
TheCooperativeProgram'sspecificobjectiveswere (1)
to document, evaluate, and monitor whether forestpractices affect
water quality and fisheries within the Flathead Basin, and (2) if
detrimentalImpactsexist,toestablishaprocesstoutilizethisinfor-
mationtodevelopcriteriaandadministrativeproceduresforprotect-
ingwaterqualityandfisheries.
This cooperative program Included a variety ofstudies
(modules). Some studies were conducted to obtain a betterunder-
standing of the overall interactions among forest practices, water
quality,andfisheries.Otherstudiesweredirectapproachestoevalu-
ateandprovidenewinformationonmanagementpractices.Avariety
of research methods were used, including historical analysis of
existingdata,collectionofnewfielddata,fieldauditsofmanagement
practices by teamsofexperts, formal summariesofexpertopinion,
field assessment ofenvironmental conditions, experimental work,
andevaluationofmodels.
Eight study leaders developed ten individual studies.
They conducted these studies during 1989 and 1990. They held a
coordinationworkshopearlyin 1989todeveloplinkagesamongthe
studies and to obtain external review from three watershed and
fisheries scientists living in Idaho andWashington. A set ofstudy
watershedswasselectedatthisworkshoptohelpintegrateasmanyof
thefieldstudiesaspossible.
ThetenIndividualstudiesincludedtheevaluationof: (1)
specificpracticesatthesitelevel,(2)accumulationofpracticesatthe
watershed level, (3) general stream conditions, (4) water quality
variablesrelative to levels ofmanagement activity in small water-
sheds, (5) fish habitat and abundance relative to stream variables
FlatheadBasinCooperativeProgramSummaryReport Page1
Introduction
influencedby forestpractices atthe watershedlevel, (6) long-term
changes in large-stream dynamics related to historical records of
naturalandman-relateddisturbances, and (7) changes inlake sedi-
mentsrelativetohistoricalrecordsofnaturalandman-relateddistur-
bances.
Thestudieswereconductedincooperationwiththeland
managers andresource management agencies. However, every at-
tempt was made to have theresearchers maintain independence of
analysis and interpretation ofresults. The organization of reports
illustratesthisprocess.Thecompleteindividualmodulereportsstand
aloneasscientificdocumentationoffindingsoftheindividualstudies.
(These"stand-alone"reportsareavailablethroughtheHatheadBasin
Commission,723FifthAvenueEast,Kalispell,Montana59901.)The
study leaders summarized their reports for inclusion in the Final
Report.Thenthestudyleadersindividuallydraftedconclusionsand
recommendationsasabasisfordiscussionandinteraction.
Thestudyteamleadersheldworkshopsduringthespring
of1991 toreviewresultsandtodevelopaconsensussetofsummary
conclusionsandrecommendationsforconsiderationbythecooperat-
inglandmanagementorganizations.Thelandmanagementorganiza-
tionsthendevelopedaformalresponsetotherecommendationsfor
inclusionintheFinalReport.Followingfinaleditingandprinting,the
Final Report will be presented at a summer workshop for public
informationandresponse.
ThisSummaryReportincludesthe"GeneralDiscussion,"
"SummaryofConclusions,""SummaryofRecommendations,""Re-
sponseofMajorForestLandManagerstothe'SummaryofRecom-
mendations,'""MemorandumofUnderstanding,"andlistof"Partici-
pants in the Flathead Basin Forest Practices/Water Quality and
FisheriesCooperativeProject."
Page2 FlatheadBasinCooperativeProgramSummaryReport
GeneralDiscussion
General 1 he"SummaiyofConclusions"thatfollowsthissection
isorganizedaccordingtothesamemajorheadingsasusedinthebody
Discussion ofthereport.Withinthoseheadingswehaveeitherbroughtforward
thespecificconclusionsfromindividualmodulesorcombinedthem
whereappropriate.
The"SummaryofRecommendations"representsacon-
sensusofthestudyteamleadersrelatedtotheoriginalobjectivesof
thecooperativeprogram.Totalagreementcouldnotbereachedonall
items.Inthesecases,webowedtotheleadinvestigatorforthattopic.
Weoriginallyplannedtopresenttherecommendationsinthe same
formatas therestofthisreport, butitdidn'tworkwell formaking
recommendations.Therefore,weorganizedtherecommendationsto
start at the site where individual practices takeplace, move to the
watershedlevelofcumulativeeffects,andthentothegeneralwater
qualityandfisheriesconcerns.
Thelandmanagerswhoarepartofthiscooperativewere
thenaskedtorespondtothe"SummaryofRecommendations"with
theintentionthattheirresponseswouldbepublishedaspartofthis
document.
Therecommendationsonmonitoringareofferedassug-
gestions to be considered also in the Flathead Basin Cooperative
MonitoringPlan.
Asistrueinmanystudies,bythetimetheassignedwork
iscompleted,itbecomesclearthatadditionalquestionswereraised
during the conduct of the study. Several of these are listed as
suggestedstudies.
Some ofthe issues we addressed may require political
decisions andaclearagreement amongmultiple landownersin the
samewatershedastocompetingobjectivesandacceptabletradeoffs.
Hopefully, we provided useful information to help make difficult
decisionsregardingthebalancebetweencompetingandoftenover-
lappingsocio-economicandsocio-environmentalconcerns.
FlatheadBasinCooperativeProgramSummaryReport Page3
SummaryofConclusions
Summary of 1 he following section represents a consensus of the
studyteamleaderson the conclusions mostrelevant to the general
Conclusions
objectivesofthecooperativeprogram.Theyarearrangedinthesame
generalorderasthepresentationofstudymodules.
Historical Record, v^hangesinstreamflowandthetransportanddeposition
Water Quality,and offinesedimentsoverthepast140yearswereevaluatedbyexamining
Fisheries two sources ofhistorical records.' mean daily discharge at stream
gaging sites and sediment accumulation on lake bottoms. These
evaluationsindicatedthefollowingrelationshipsbetweenlake/stream
measures and timber harvest, and otherland use activities. Source
moduleforeachconclusionisidentifiedas:
*A=ModuleA:AnAnalysisoftheEffectofTimberHarveston
StreamflowQuantityandRegime: AnExaminationofHis-
toricalRecords.
*B =Module B: Evaluation ofHistorical SedimentDeposition
RelatedtoLandUsethroughAnalysisofLakeSediments.
HistoricalRecord Comparison of spring runoff regimes among major river
drainagesintheHatheadbetween1940andpresentindicated
thatdrainageshavingexperiencedextensivetimberharvest
also have spring runoff occurring earlier in the year than
similardrainageshavinglittletimberharvest. (*A)
Itappearsthattimberharvestmayresultinahigherpeakin
springdischargeduringabovenormalrunoffyears,butnotin
majorfloodyears. (*A)
Lakecoringanalysesindicatedthatpasthumanlanddistur-
banceactivitiesincreasedfinesedimentdepositionupto10-
foldinWhitefishLakeinthe 1930sand4-to5-foldinLake
McDonaldbetween 1930and 1960. (*B)
LakeMcDonald
a. InitialroadconstructionandupgradingoftheGoingto
the SunRoadfromLakeMcDonaldtothecontinental
divideatLoganPassduringthe 1930sand 1940swere
accompaniedbysubstantialincreasesinsedimentdepo-
sitioninLakeMcDonald. (*B)
b. Aftertheroadwaspavedintheearly1950sthesediment
deposition rate in Lake McDonald returned to back-
ground levels and has remained at background levels
overthelast25years. (*B)
Page4 FlatheadBasinCooperativeProgramSummaryReport
