Download Skipanon Watershed Council meeting minutes

Skipanon Watershed Council meeting minutes
April 4, 2012
6 PM, Warrenton High School
In attendance: Jim Scheller (SRWC, SRWCD), Pat Jensen (Smith Lake), Norman Kujala (SRWC), Jesse
Jones, watershed council coordinator, Jon Wickersham (NCLC)
I. Correction to minutes: there is no spawning habitat in Alder Creek, there is rearing habitat. Motion
to approve the minutes as amended. Motion carried.
II. Post map work session thoughts: Jim asked Jon how the map exercise at the last Skipanon watershed
council meeting worked for North Coast Land Conservancy. Jon said it was good but asked Jim how did
the council felt? Pat answered that the council needs to have an additional set of printed maps to
continue to assess the area. Jon answered that when he comes back to the table with his report on
Warrenton wetlands outreach, additional maps will be made available. Pat said the council also needs
them for presentation purposes, for exhibition, and for individuals. Pat see this as a part of the larger
outreach to the community and would like to see a high resolution LIDAR with no vegetation so that he
can see how deep the wetlands are. He would also like to know if water flowing through them. Jon says
the water does flow north (property north of the soccer fields). There was some discussion about flow
and depth, where the flow begins, and ditch drainage.
III. Pat is anxious to get things done with the Alder creek tidegates but emphasized that a study must be
done first. He would like the Skipanon Watershed Council to concentrate on this. He shared that one
small culvert on Delaura Beach Road, and another on Ninth are possibly restricting flow from Smith Lake
to Cemetary Lake and continuing north. Old photos show distinctively two areas of flow between the
two lakes. Historically the connection to the two lakes was wide open. Pat also pointed out that the
high point for groundwater movement is just west of Cemetery and Smith Lakes right where the turn is
along Delaura Beach Road, where the Neacoxie makes a turn.
Jesse asked if the council should entertain a new hydrological study of the interdunal lakes?
Pat answered that we need to understand dynamics by getting maps together, getting surveys done and
studying low level aerial photography.
Jesse asked if anyone knew of hydrological studies she could look at of the area. The following were
suggested:
1.
Warrenton Stormwater Management Plan
2. Portland State University Final Report Regional Lake Management Planning for TMDL
Development (Center for Lakes and Reservoirs at PSU) explains which way the water’s running
and the movement of the aquifer.
Pat would like an overview of the Skipanon watershed hydrology. Steve said the council should put all
of the collected information together. Jim said that an assessment is what councils do. Jesse suggested
to start out with Alder Creek assessment, that a hydrological study would be a part of that. There was
mention from the council of an outdated ENS focused on Alder and Skipanon Creeks.
IV. Norm shared a photo of the Galena Street tidegate where much water was rushing through
upstream. Jim agreed that this is a serious issue. It appears as though there was something stuck in the
6 foot diameter tidegate, keeping it open while the tide rushes in. Discussion of the council was that if
the city replaces the lid, they are required to talk to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW).
The question was posed to Norm, what is his solution. He answered he doesn’t have one. Jim suggests
that the city plan a solution with ODFW. Steve suggested that the tidegate be moved to the middle of
Galena.
V Jim reported that he had a good couple of days on the Skipanon with Natural Resource Conservation
(NRCS) engineers. A portable depth sounder was deployed, which measures water levels and depth and
all data recorded that day was put into Hydrologic Engineering Centers River Analysis System
(HEC- RAS). Four people were involved traveling up and down the river. Neighbors were receptive
and the Mayor of Warrenton was happy they were out there and requested that data be shared with
the city. Jim explained “modern data” versus old data, that the old data is three feet lower than new
data. Next step in this process?---cross sections will show how much storage there is behind the dam.
1960 predictions were wrong. HEC-RAS will give the council a prediction about flooding and what the
elevations will be (how far will it back up, for example). It was noted that “damage elevations” start at
perkins road. It was also noted that this is a Columbia River and Pacific Ocean dominated system.
Overall, Jim shared, the culverts at 8th Street are too small. It has been suggested that a bridge be put in
or the road be taken out altogether. This is the 3rd study that’s been done, Jim said. He also shared that
the monitoring went very, very well. They did not mount the gages, but they did get the elevations set.
Good of the order:
~Discussion continued about purchasing a laptop and/or Ipad for the coordinator. Jesse will conduct an
inventory of council resources before any purchase is made.
~ Henry Balensifer received funds to string down fiber optic for the Warrenton High School hatchery. It
will be up and running soon. Coho and Chinook are currently the stock at the school hatchery, and most
are released at dock. Jim asked if the program could possibly release on Cullaby Creek? Steve will talk
with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) about it.
~ Jim will give a presentation to City of Warrenton on April 24th on behalf of the Skipanon water district
about 8th Street developments.
~Jesse is going to start going door to door on Alder Creek discussing restoration with homeowners and
others. She asked Norm if Marie and Judy might accompany her? He said probably not. Steve provided
Jesse with some aerial images of Alder Creek from his Ipad ( and in particular the mobile home park)
which gave her some context about what to expect in terms of landscape and ownership vs rental.