Flow Restoration on Salish Sea Rivers
Presentation Abstract
The Salish Sea receives freshwater, nutrients, and anthropogenic inputs from more than ten rivers and many sub-watersheds. The Fraser River alone contributes as much as 46% of the freshwater discharge, while 24% of discharge is from Puget Sound Rivers to the Salish Sea. These flows have a direct role on the Salish Sea ecosystem, impacting water quality and influencing Salmonid and other aquatic species habitat. A vital component of a healthy Salish Sea ecosystem now and in the future is the quantity of flow in these rivers and streams. Climate change makes flow restoration even more urgent in Salish Sea watersheds. The purpose of this session is to engage in a conversation on the role of flow on a healthy Salish Sea and the critical need to improve watershed function and flow, especially with the impacts of climate change. The session will provide an overview of flow restoration tools and techniques being utilized and developed in Salish Sea watersheds with case studies/project examples by multiple presenters from Canada and US. Discussion may include efforts such as: Dungeness River: Using water banking, water rights transactions, and large infrastructure projects to protect flow at fish critical periods (a new off-channel reservoir for up to 50% flow improvement), sustainably allocate new uses, and create resilient water resource management systems. Nooksack River: A Payment for Watershed Services (PWS) model and adaptive timber harvest rotations on private lands to increase late season flows in the face of climate change. Sammamish River: Providing highly treated recycled water for irrigation, switching users from surface and shallow groundwater to restore as much as 5 cfs to the river and reduce Salish Sea nutrient loading. Flow restoration efforts will be shared from a diverse array of presenters throughout the Salish Sea region to further best practices and foster collaboration.
Session Title
Flow Restoration (Panel)
Conference Track
SSE11: Floodplains & Estuaries
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-panels-266
Start Date
28-4-2022 8:30 AM
End Date
28-4-2022 10:00 AM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Streamflow--Climatic factors; Streamflow--Northwest, Pacific; Stream restoration--Northwest, Pacific; Stream ecology--Northwest, Pacific
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Northwest, Pacific
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Flow Restoration on Salish Sea Rivers
The Salish Sea receives freshwater, nutrients, and anthropogenic inputs from more than ten rivers and many sub-watersheds. The Fraser River alone contributes as much as 46% of the freshwater discharge, while 24% of discharge is from Puget Sound Rivers to the Salish Sea. These flows have a direct role on the Salish Sea ecosystem, impacting water quality and influencing Salmonid and other aquatic species habitat. A vital component of a healthy Salish Sea ecosystem now and in the future is the quantity of flow in these rivers and streams. Climate change makes flow restoration even more urgent in Salish Sea watersheds. The purpose of this session is to engage in a conversation on the role of flow on a healthy Salish Sea and the critical need to improve watershed function and flow, especially with the impacts of climate change. The session will provide an overview of flow restoration tools and techniques being utilized and developed in Salish Sea watersheds with case studies/project examples by multiple presenters from Canada and US. Discussion may include efforts such as: Dungeness River: Using water banking, water rights transactions, and large infrastructure projects to protect flow at fish critical periods (a new off-channel reservoir for up to 50% flow improvement), sustainably allocate new uses, and create resilient water resource management systems. Nooksack River: A Payment for Watershed Services (PWS) model and adaptive timber harvest rotations on private lands to increase late season flows in the face of climate change. Sammamish River: Providing highly treated recycled water for irrigation, switching users from surface and shallow groundwater to restore as much as 5 cfs to the river and reduce Salish Sea nutrient loading. Flow restoration efforts will be shared from a diverse array of presenters throughout the Salish Sea region to further best practices and foster collaboration.
