Utah Non Point Source Water Quality Conference & Bear River Watershed Symposium

The Utah Non Point Source Water Quality Conference & Bear River Watershed Symposium was held in Garden City on Sept. 3-5th, 2003. The theme was “Three States – One Watershed”. The three days consisted of a panel discussion on Bear River Water Quality and a presentation by Cirrus on Bear River TMDLs, a day long tour of Bear Lake and finally a series of discussions about Bear Lake and a summary of water quality projects that have been implemented on the Bear River.

That’s already some confusing terms! There are two classifications of sources of pollution on a stream or lake. Point sources of pollution are easily identifiable and therefore treatable. They can be municipalities, or water treatment plants, or industrial plants. Non point sources of pollution are all other sources – stream bank erosion, agriculture pollution from pesticides or fertilizers, small livestock operations and naturally occurring sediment or nutrient. TMDL stands for Total Maximum Dailey Load and is a measure of the amount of pollution in a stream or lake. The pollution can be caused by sediment (erosion), nutrients (Phosphorus or Nitrogen), pesticides, high water temperature, low dissolved oxygen, ammonia or fecal coliform (animal wastes) to name a few. Every two years streams and lakes are evaluated for water quality. If the water quality is not acceptable, the water body is classified as “impaired” and placed on a 303(d) list. This eventually leads to a TMDL study of the water and recommendations made on how to correct the sources of pollution. TMDLs are prepared by each states Dept. of Environmental Quality and then reviewed, accepted or rejected by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Clear as sediment, er mud, right!

Introduction (Day 1)
The Symposium began with the introduction of Reed Gardner, present co-chair of the Bear River Water Quality Task Force and father of Olympic wrestling gold medallist Rulon Gardner. Prior the grass roots foundation of the Bear River Water Quality Task Force, every county and state did things differently. The states own DEQs couldn’t read each others samples because there were no standards. The BRWQTF has made a tremendous difference. Uniform standards have been adopted, problem areas identified and corrective measures begun. The water quality on the 500+ mile long Bear River is better now than it was 15 years ago.

Dee Hansen, the Federally appointed Chairman of the Bear River Commission was the keynote speaker. Dee reviewed the history of the Bear Lake water project from its conception in the late 1890’s to the formation of the Telluride Power Co., then the merger of Telluride Power with Utah Power & Light and the completion of the project in 1918. He also had some interesting statistics.
· Bear Lake is capable of storing 1,452,000 acre feet of water.
· The stored water irrigates 150,000 acres in Utah and Idaho.
· The 2003 Spring runoff was an all time record low.
· The combined runoff from 200, 2001, 2002 & 2003 equals only 24% of one normal years runoff.
· All storage upstream of Bear Lake is currently depleted.

Bear River Water Quality Panel
The panel on Bear River water quality was moderated by Jack Barnett, the Engineer-Manager of the Bear River Commission. On the 9 member panel were the Water Quality directors from the three states Dept. of Environmental Quality, the State Conservationist from each of the states Natural Resource Conservation Service and the Director or Commissioner from each states Department of Agriculture. The three groups were characterized as “the regulators” – DEQ, “the bankers” – NRCS and “the landowners contact” – Dept of Ag. A little background on the NRCS is appropriate here. The predecessor of the NRCS was the Soil Conservation Service formed during the Dust Bowl days to address soil erosion. The service was renamed to better reflect its expanded role in soil, water and air conservation. It provides technical assistance on the local level and provides money for approved conservation projects on a cost sharing basis.

Water Quality Regulators
Water quality has 5 classifications (in Utah) for beneficial use. 1. Domestic. 2. Recreation 3. Wildlife 4. Agriculture and 5. the Great Salt Lake. With in each of the classifications are subclasses. Obviously Domestic water is the best water quality. Each body of water is coded for its uses. Thus Bear Lake might be 2(b)3(a)4(g).
Most of the bear River is classified as “impaired”. TMDLs have been prepared and approved in the Utah sections of the river. The Idaho TMDLs are due out in October of this year. 23 segments of the Bear River and 19 tributaries will be covered by these TMDLs. The first section in Idaho is from the WY/ID border to the Bear Lake inlet! The lake itself is not impaired.

Technical Assistance & Grant Money
The Bear River flows through 3 states, crosses state lines 5 times and passes through 11 counties. That could (and does) result in a lot of red tape! The NRCS not only assists local farmers and irrigators to obtain grant money, they also provide technical assistance in designing and implementing projects that apply conservation practices on private lands.
There are several programs that channel money to the ranches and farms at the local level. Some of these programs are:
Hydrologic Unit Area or HUA
Environmental Quality Incentive Program or EQUIP
Water Quality Incentive Program or WQIP
Farm Bill 2002
Within the last three years, there has been a lot of time and money invested to improve the water quality of the Bear River. Many of the projects have just recently been approved so the results are still in the future.

Current Bear River Issues and Problems
As a new generation takes over stewardship of the farms and ranches, some bring with them new-age money. They are interested in working the land and conserving it’s potential, but many need financial assistance to implement new, more conservation minded practices. Some new “theories” or practices are emerging including:
· A good watershed equals a good airshed.
· Promoting pivot irrigation because if water is applies in the amount needed and when it is needed, crop yields increase, return flow is reduced and so are the associated pollutants like nutrients and salts.
· Revitalize the forests in the high mountains. Older, over mature forests do not yield as much water runoff as aspen groves and mountain-side covered with lower vegetation.

CIRRUS – Scott Evans and Eric Duffin
CIRRUS from Logan, UT was awarded a grant from the Bear River Commission to complete the Bear River Basin water quality data in a user-friendly graphic form. It incorporated a detailed geographic map of the basin that includes roads, topographic information, political boundaries and detailed drainage information. The user can select which set(s) of information are presented and then superimpose water quality information like stream gauging sites, TMDL standards, pollutant measurements, etc. It is a wonderful tool to graphically depict the current status of any part or the entire Bear River Basin. Since it uses GIS software (very expensive and requires a huge memory) this report will not be available over the web.
CIRRUS’s contract with the Bear River Commission and the finished product are nearly complete. The data can be accessed @ http://water.usgs.gov/nawqu/data

Bear Lake Tour (Day 2)
Day 2 was an all day tour of Bear Lake followed by a BBQ in Garden City where water quality awards were presented. The various stops were:

Scott Tolentino, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, gave a presentation on the stream bank erosion control and habitat restoration for the Bear Lake Cutthroat Trout on Swan Creek. With the cooperation of the Home Owners Association and several individual homeowners, Swan Creek, between the Highway and the lake had extensive but inexpensive work done. Several homes have their property better protected from erosion and the habitat for the Bear Lake Cutthroat Trout was improved for spawning and rearing of the fry (little trout).

Bryce Nielsen from Utah Fish & Game but dressed as a mountain man from the Rendezvous days, treated everyone to the history of the Bear Lake Valley and even got into some of the myths surrounding the Bear Lake monster. We then took a tour of the Tabernacle in Paris.

Rob Bundy, Manager of the Bear Lake Migratory Bird Refuge discussed the different bird species that inhabit the refuge and how different habitat influence what species are present. He also discussed the water control features that are used to control the level of the refuge and to move water through the refuge into Bear Lake.

Claudia Conder at the Lifton Pumping station discussed the hydrology of the lake. The five pumps at Lifton are original equipment (and unique) and can pump a maximum of 3000cfs. The discussion included how the water gets from the Bear River, into Mud Lake and finally into Bear Lake and how water quality is effected. When the inlet structure broke in 1993 and flushed Mud Lake into Bear Lake, the causeway was replaced with a more efficient (water quality wise) structure. Previously, most of the Bear River water entered the lake by backflowing through Lifton and only the excess water going over the causeway was filtered by Mud Lake. The current structure has the capacity to handle all the river water and therefore Mud Lake filters (as effectively as it can) all the Bear River water entering the lake

At Idaho’s Bear Lake State Park on the East side, NRCS geologist Bob Raseley described the dual faulting (as in earthquakes) that produces the valley and Bear Lake. The rock formations are similar on both sides of the lake

At the South end of the lake, Mitch Poulsen from the Bear Lake Regional Commission, described the stream restoration project on Big Spring Creek. With the cooperation of the landowner, Utah Fish & Game and the Utah State Parks the creek will be rechanneled, stream banks stabilized and riparian habitat protected to help assist the spawning of the Bear Lake Cutthroat Trout, save the lives of several calves a year and improve the water quality entering the lake.

Bear Lake Issues (Day 3)

The Bear Lake Fishery
Scott Tolentino, the Bear Lake Project Manager for the Utah Division of Wildlife discussed the Bear Lake fishery. At it’s deepest point, Bear Lake is 208 ft with an average depth of 100 ft. The Bear Lake drainage is 1,272 sq. km. or 491 sq miles. The lake is unique in two aspects – its endemic fish and its water quality. The Bonneville Whitefish, Bear Lake Whitefish, Bonneville Cisco and Bear Lake Sculpin are found only in Bear Lake. The Cisco is the most well know of these fish. In additions to providing sportsmen a wintertime activity in January, they are the primary source of food for the Bear Lake Cutthroat Trout and the Lake Trout (Mackinaw). The Bonneville Whitefish was caught and dried by the early Indian tribes.
Water quality projects are on Swan Creek and Big Spring Creek. They include habitat improvement, stream bank restoration and stabilization and channel realignment.

Hydrology of Bear Lake
Claudia Conder, the water rights administrator for PacifiCorp discussed the hydrology of Bear Lake. The Bear Lake project to divert Bear River water into the lake and then pump it out later for downstream irrigation and electrical power generation began as a dream in the late 1890’s. By 1909 construction had started on the pumping station at Lifton. Utah Power & Light was formed in 1912 with the merger of Telluride Power, Utah & Idaho Sugar, and several smaller groups. By late 1912 through 1919, UP&L had signed contracts to deliver 150,000 acre feet of supplemental water to the major canal (irrigation) companies – U&I Sugar (now Bear River Canal Co.), Last Chance Irrigation Co., Cub River Canal Co. and West Cache Irrigation Co.
Some interesting facts about the hydrology of Bear Lake include:
· UP&L (PacifiCorp, or more correctly Scottish Power) owns the water right to the top 21.65 feet of Bear Lake
· That is equivalent to 1.4 million acre feet.
· In the top 10 feet of Bear Lake, each foot of water is approximately 70,000 acre feet of water.
· The average inflow is 288,000 acre feet
· Evaporation averages about 100,000 acre feet.
· Tributaries to Bear Lake (So Edan, Big Spring Creek, Swan Creek, Fish Haven Creek and St. Charles Creek) contribute about 100,000 acre feet per year.
· UP&L has the water rights for tributaries into Bear Lake of 300 cfs.
· UP&L has two court decisions the hold UP&L liable for flooding downstream of Bear Lake
· In a 1968 agreement with the National Fish & Wildlife Service, UP&L agreed to keep the elevation of the Bear Lake Wildlife Refuge at 5920.5 ft.
· Historically, since 1909, dredging has occurred in 1931, 1977, 1989-1993 and in 2003.
The Bear Lake Settlement Agreement (between PacifiCorp, the Irrigators & Bear Lake groups including Bear Lake Watch was discussed briefly, but only in relation to the new low lake level of 5904.

Bear Lake Limnology
Dr. Vince Lamarra of Ecosystems Research Institute in Logan discussed the limnology of Bear Lake. Limnology is the study of the physical, chemical and biological properties and features of fresh waters. Ecosystems has measured the water quality at the Stewart Dam (where the Bear river is diverted) and at the Bear Lake inflow structure for the 22 year period 1977 to 1999. They have also done some water quality measurements in the lake itself.
Sediment wise, the old inlet structure was less effective than the new structure, since most water use to enter Bear Lake by back flowing through Lifton.

Nutrients are a different story. To support the microorganisms in Bear Lake that provide the start of the food chain that other lake life depends upon, the nutrients Phosphorous and Nitrogen must be present. The ideal ratio of these elements is approximately P:N = 1:15. Both elements, as nutrients, come in many forms or chemical compounds and for simplicity sake are just referred to a Phosphorous (P) and Nitrogen (N). About 50% of the time, in Bear Lake, either one of these elements can be the limiting factor to ideal growth, but both must be present and both must be monitored. A prolonged excess of either can be harmful to the lake’s ecology. The microorganism chlorophyll a is used as the primary measure of spikes in P or N.
The 22 year studies show that the marsh (Mud Lake) can act as either a sink for excess Phosphorous (i.e. the P nutrients settle out in Mud Lake) or act as a huge source of Nitrogen. This depends upon the flow of water through Mud Lake and how much of the refuge is flooded. These surges in nutrients are then reflected in the lake’s water quality. The studies also show that approximately 50% of the time the level of Total Phosphorous entering Bear Lake exceeds the EPA guidelines.

NPS Implementation Projects
The projects that have been implemented in the Bear River drainage and their source of fund were discussed. Mike Allred of Utah’s Division of Water Quality moderated the session.
Wyoming’s major project has been the habitat improvement and erosion control on Smith’s Fork above Cokeville, WY.

Idaho’s major project is the ongoing Bear Lake Cutthroat Trout restoration efforts on the lower Bear River using PacifiCorp funds from the mitigation process during the FERC relicensing of the 3 power generating plants.