1-BMP_Excerpts_(Forest_Service_Handbook).pdf

2509.22_10

FOREST SERVICE HANDBOOK

SOUTHWEST REGION (REGION 5)

VALLEJO, CA

R5 FSH 2509.22 - SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION HANDBOOK

CHAPTER 10 - WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT HANDBOOK

Amendment No.: 2509.22-2011-1

Effective Date: December 5, 2011

Duration: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

Approved: RANDY MOORE Regional Forester

Date Approved: 12/5/2011

Posting Instructions: Amendments are numbered consecutively by Handbook number and calendar year. Post by document; remove the entire document and replace it with this amendment. Retain this transmittal as the first page(s) of this document. The last amendment to this Handbook was 2509.22-2 (7/16/1990) to chapter 50.

New Document

2509.22_10 237 Pages

Superseded Document(s) by Issuance Number and Effective Date

None

Digest:

New issuance.

R5 AMENDMENT 2209.22-2011-1

EFFECTIVE DATE: 12/05/2011

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

Table of Contents

01 - AUTHORITY

02 - OBJECTIVES

03 - POLICY

04 - RESPONSIBILITY

04.1 Regional Forester

04.2 - Regional Staff Director

04.3 - Forest Supervisor

05 - DEFINITIONS

06 - REFERENCES

11 - INTRODUCTION

11.1 - NEPA and the Interdisciplinary Approach

11.2 - Application of BMPs

12 - BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

12.1 - Timber Management

12.11 - Timber Management Best Management Practices

12. 2 - Road Management Activities

12.21 - Road Management BMPs

12.3 - Mining 12.31- Mining BMPs

12.4 - Recreation

12.41 - Recreation BMPs

12.5 - Vegetation Manipulation

12.51 - Vegetation manipulation BMPs

12.6 - Fire Suppression and Fuels Management

12.61 - Fire Suppression and Fuels Management BMPs

12.7 - Watershed Management

12.71 - Watershed management BMPs

12.8 - Range Management

12.81 - Range Management BMPs

13 - ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES

13.1 - General Procedures

13.2 - National Environmental Policy Act Procedures

13.3 - Project Implementation

14 - ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT

14.1 - Purpose and Scope

14.2 - PLAN

14.21 - Roles and responsibilities

14.22 - Identify risk and uncertainty

14.23 - Conceptual model and key monitoring questions

14.3 - DO—Implement the BMPs and Water Quality Management Handbook

14.4 - CHECK—Implementation, effectiveness, and validation monitoring strategy

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

14.5 - ACT—Short-term corrective actions, reporting, and recommendations or decisions for programmatic change

14.51 - Response procedures for monitoring program components

14.52 - Reporting

15 - WATERSHED PRIORITIZATION FOR RESTORATION

15.1 - Priority Watershed Selection

15.2 - Watershed Condition Assessment

15.3 - Watershed Improvement Needs Inventories

15.4 - Essential Project Identification

15.5 - Watershed Restoration Plans

15.6 - Annual Watershed Improvements Accomplishments Reporting

15.7 - Project Level Restoration

16 - MONITORING

16.1 - Objectives

16.2 - Program Management

16.3 - Monitoring Protocols

16.31 - Monitoring common to all projects and activities

16.32 - Baseline In-Channel Monitoring

16.33 - Rangeland water-quality monitoring

16.34 - Project-Level Monitoring for Projects in Watersheds without Baseline Monitoring that are at or above thresholds of concern for cumulative watershed effects ... 258257

16.4 - Reporting

17 - TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD IMPLEMENTATION

17.1 - Minimizing Adverse Effects of Current Activities

17.2 - Repairing Damage from Past Activities

17.3 - Monitoring

18 - NEEDED FUTURE ACTIONS

18.1 - Administrative Practices

18.2 - BMPs 18.3- Restoration

18.4 - Monitoring

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

This handbook provides guidance for protection and improvement of water quality on National Forest System lands in California.

01 - AUTHORITY

As a Federal agency, the Forest Service is bound by Federal laws, Executive orders, and Department of Agriculture directives, which are the basis for Forest Service programs and operations. Federal laws and Executive orders of direct and specific application to water-quality management include the following:

1. Organic Administration Act of 1897 (16 U.S.C. 475). This law defines original national forest purposes to improve and protect the forests; to secure favorable conditions of water flows; and to furnish a continuous supply of timber for the use and necessities of the citizens of the United States.

2. Multiple Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 (16 U.S.C. 528). This law expands national forest purposes to include watershed, wildlife and fish, outdoor recreation, range, and timber. Renewable surface resources are to be managed for multiple use and sustained yield of the several products and services that they provide. The principles of multiple use and sustained yield include the provision that the productivity of the land shall not be impaired.

3. Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (16 U.S. C. 1271.1287; PL 90-452) requires that the Forest Service manage for nondegradation and enhancement of water quality in designated rivers on national forests.

4. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321, 4331.4335, 4341.4346, 4346a-b, 4347). This law declares a national policy that encourages a “productive and enjoyable harmony between humans and their environment.” All Federal agencies, including the Forest Service, are required to use a systematic interdisciplinary approach to planning and decision-making. In addition, Federal agencies are to prepare detailed statements assessing the environmental impact of and alternatives to major Federal actions significantly affecting the environment.

5. Environmental Quality Improvement Act of 1970 (42 U.S.C. 4371.4374). This act establishes a national policy for the environment, which provides for the enhancement of environmental quality.

6. Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, as amended (33 U.S.C. 1251, 1254, 1323, 1324, 1329, 1342, 1344). This series of laws establishes goals, policies, and procedures for maintaining and improving the Nation's waters. It addresses both point and nonpoint sources of pollution and establishes or requires programs for controlling both sources of pollution. Section 208 requires area-wide waste-treatment management plans and water-quality management plans for nonpoint sources of pollution. The act

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

established specific roles for Federal, State and local authorities in the regulation, enforcement, planning, control, and management of water pollution. Section 313 requires Federal agencies to comply with water-quality regulations of state and local governments.

Section 319 addresses nonpoint source pollution and also requires development of water-quality management plans.

7. Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1600- 1614). This law provides for systematic, long-range planning in managing renewable resources. The plans are based on a national assessment conducted every 10 years. The plans are updated every 5 years and submitted to Congress.

8. National Forest Management Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 1600-1602, 1604, 1606, 1608.1614). This law amended the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act, emphasizing interdisciplinary involvement in the preparation of land and resource management plans. The law reinforced the concept of multiple use management of NFS lands and added requirements for resource protection.

9. Executive Order 12088 of October 13, 1978. This order requires Federal agencies to comply with environmental laws to be consistent with requirements that apply to a private person. Compliance will be in line with authorities and responsibilities of other Federal agencies, State, interstate, and local authorities as specified and granted in each of the various environmental laws.

The Antideficiency Act, 31 U.S.C. §1341. This act prohibits federal agency officials from obligating funds in advance or in excess of Congressional appropriations. As a result, a federal agency official cannot agree to commit the federal agency to future, indefinite, or potentially unlimited financial obligations or expenditures of funds for which there is no Congressional appropriation. All actions by the USFS as a federal agency are covered by this act. However, under this handbook, implementation and monitoring of BMPs are required for funded USFS projects.

02 - OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this Water Quality Management Handbook for NFS lands in California are:

1. To ensure that the quality and beneficial uses of water are maintained where they are in good condition, consistent with the Federal and State anti-degradation/non-degradation policies, and the principles of conservation biology.

2. To protect the quality and beneficial uses of water from further degradation in water bodies that are trending toward impairment, as defined by Clean Water Act Section 303 (d).

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

3. To make substantial progress toward eventual delisting of water body segments listed pursuant to Clean Water Act Section 303(d).

4. To remediate legacy sources of pollution.

5. To ensure compliance with Federal and State water-quality objectives and legal requirements in the most efficient manner.

6. To enhance Forest Service performance as a water-quality management agency, and increase and improve its responsibility, transparency and accountability in its relationships with the Water Boards and the public.

03 - POLICY

The Forest Service will comply with the objectives, policies, and procedures of agency directives, handbooks and manuals, including, but not limited to, those required in FSM 2532.

The Forest Service will comply with applicable forest plan standards and guidelines.

The Forest Service will be responsive, in an ongoing and cooperative manner, to the environmental intent, goals and objectives provided by the Clean Water Act, the Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments, and related EPA regulations.

The Forest Service will comply with the State’s Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, applicable water-quality control plans and policies enacted by the Water Boards, and regulatory mechanisms imposed by the Water Boards.

The following actions will be used to manage water quality on NFS lands in California:

1. Implement BMPs during all current management activities on all NFS lands in California.

2. Review and revise BMPs as needed to reflect the most recent state-of-the-art methods and techniques of BMP implementation and changes in Forest Service policy and direction.

3. Implement an iterative adaptive management process for BMP implementation (14).

4. Correct legacy water-quality problems (15).

5. Establish a monitoring program (16) to determine the effectiveness of the Water Quality Management Handbook for protecting and improving water quality.

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

04 - RESPONSIBILITY

See FSM 2504 and 2530.4 for the water quality management responsibilities for the Regional Forester, Forest Supervisors and District Rangers.

04.1 - Regional Forester

The Regional Forester will conduct Forest Service activities in accordance with the Regional USFS Water Quality Management Handbook and the 2011 Memorandum of Understanding with the State Water Resources Control Board.

04.2 - Regional Staff Director

The Regional Staff Director will:

1. Review the reference section of the BMP handbooks needed to verify that the directives cited as references for BMPs are still valid source documents. In most cases this will involve the review of multiple BMP reference sets.

2. Continue to refine and update existing BMPs to keep pace with state-of-the-art knowledge and to develop new practices where voids exist or as needs arise.

04.3 - Forest Supervisor

The Forest Supervisors shall:

1. Apply BMPs for water quality protection and improvement in day-to-day management activities.

2. Evaluate attainment of water quality management goals through formal and informal reviews of project planning, and through monitoring using BMPEP protocols.

3. Conduct BMP training annually on an as needed basis, before each field season for new employees, new line officers, and new resource personnel. Training of a new resource person shall include practical instruction in the application of BMPs for planning and administration of various management activities.

05 - DEFINITIONS

Amendment. Revised sections of the Forest Service Manual and the Forest Service Handbook system to keep the text updated.

Apron. A reinforcement mechanism that protects soil from erosional and gravitational displacement.

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

Armoring. Protective coverings or structures used to dissipate the erosive energy of water.

Aprons and rip-rap are types of armoring.

Beneficial Use. A use of the waters of the state to be protected against quality degradation, including but not necessarily limited to domestic, municipal, agricultural, industrial supply, power generation, recreation, esthetic enjoyment, navigation, conservation and enhancement of fish, wildlife, and aquatic resources.

Best Management Practice (BMP). A practice, or a combination of practices, that is determined by the State (or designated area-wide planning agency) after problem assessment, examination of alternative practices, and appropriate public participation to be the most effective, practicable (including technological, economic, and institutional considerations) means of preventing, or reducing the amount of pollution generated by nonpoint sources to a level compatible with water-quality goals.

Best Management Practice Evaluation Program. The field evaluation process developed and used by Region 5, to systematically evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of BMP.

Cross Drain. A ditch constructed to intercept surface water runoff and divert it before the runoff concentrates to erosive volumes and velocities.

Crowning. Forming a convex road surface, which allows runoff to drain from the running surface to either side of the road prism.

Designated Stream. A stream or portion of a stream identified as warranting special consideration in management decisions and project activities. See also Stream or Streamcourse.

Designated Swimming Waters. Those waters in which swimming, wading, dabbling, diving, and other forms of primary water-contact recreation are specifically encouraged by signs, or public notice.

Earth Scientist Air resource specialists, geologists, hydrologists, and soil scientists working for the Forest Service in the field of natural sciences. These personnel, with knowledge and skills in the fields of soil-precipitation-runoff relationships, are primarily concerned with on-site productivity and protection of water quality.

Erosion Hazard Rating (EHR). A relative rating of the potential for soil erosion on a given site.

Commonly used to estimate the erosion response expected from a given land management activity. Ratings are the result of a composite analysis of the following factors: soil, topography, climate, soil cover.

Extremely Unstable Lands. Land areas exhibiting one, or more of the following characteristics:

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

1. Active landslides.

2. Erosion hazard rating is greater than a score of “29” on the R-5 rating scale.

3. Inner gorges.

4. Portions of shear zones and dormant landslides having slope gradients that are typically steeper than 60 to 65 percent.

5. Unconsolidated deposits with slope gradients at, or steeper than the stable angle of repose.

6. Lands with slope gradients at, or steeper than the mechanical strength of the underlying soil and rock materials.

Floodplain. The areas adjoining inland streams and standing bodies of water and coastal waters, including debris cones and flood-prone areas of offshore islands, including at a minimum, that area subject to a 1.percent chance of flooding in any given year.

Ground Cover. Material on the soil surface that impedes raindrop impact and overland flow of water. Material may include duff and organic matter such as needles, sticks, and limbs, in addition to exposed roots, stumps, surface gravels, and living vegetation

Hazardous Substances . Any of a wide variety of materials—solid, liquid, or gas—which requires specific cautionary handling and procedures to permit their safe use. (Health and Safety Code 6709.11, chapter 9)

Horizontal Drains. Horizontal pipes installed in road cut slopes and fills to drain subsurface water and guard against landslides. Includes perforated metal or plastic pipes in horizontal drill holes in water-bearing formation.

Inner Gorge. A geomorphic feature that consists of the area of channel side slope situated immediately adjacent to the stream channel, and below the first break in the slope above the stream channel. Debris sliding and avalanching are the dominant mass wasting processes associated with the inner gorge.

Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP). A forestwide document that provides direction for managing National Forest System lands within the forest boundaries, with the goal to fully integrate a mix of management actions that provide for multiple use and protection of forest resources, satisfy guiding legislation, and address local, regional, and national issues for the plan period. Also frequently referred to as LMP.

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

Legacy Site. A site disturbed by a previous land use that is causing or has potential to cause adverse effects to water quality.

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Permit System (NPDES). The system for issuing, conditioning, and denying permits for the discharge of pollutants from point sources, by State water-quality regulatory authorities, or the Environmental Protection Agency. The program is administered by the Regional Water Quality Control Boards of California.

Nonpoint Source. Diffuse sources of water pollution that originate at indefinable sources, such as from silvicultural and recreational activities. Practically, nonpoint sources do not discharge at a specific, single location such a conveyance pipe.

Outsloping. Shaping a road prism without an inside drainage ditch to direct runoff to the outside shoulder, as opposed to insloping which directs runoff to an inside ditch. Emphasis is on maintaining flow at an angle across the road to avoid buildup of an erosive flow of water.

Permittee. Individual or entity that uses National Forest System resources by permit from the Forest Service.

Pesticide. A general term applied to a variety of chemical pest controls, including insecticides for insects, herbicides for plants, fungicides for fungi, and rodenticides for rodents.

Pipe Underdrains. A perforated pipe or fabric at the bottom of a narrow trench backfilled with filter material. This kind of installation is used where there is a need to lower the water table adjacent to the roadbed, or other structure.

Pitting. Making shallow pits or basins of adequate capacity and distribution to retain water from snowmelt and rainfall to enhance infiltration, augment soil moisture, and retard runoff.

Point Source. Water pollution originating from a discrete identifiable source, or conveyance.

Road Decommissioning. Activities that result in the stabilization and restoration of unneeded roads to a more natural state (36 CFR 212.1), (FSM 7703)

Sale Area Improvement Plan (SAI Plan). A plan of work for post sale enhancement and improvement of the sale project area. The plan addresses development, protection, and maintenance actions for the future production of renewable resources.

Sale Area Map. A map of suitable scale and detail to be legible, which is part of a timber sale contract. The map identifies sale area boundaries and contract requirements specific to the sale.

Sale Plan. The document used to identify the approved locations for timber harvest and transportation improvements in a given sale, including a description of project results to be

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

accomplished. The sale plan also includes required mitigation measures that were identified in the environmental documentation process.

Specified Road. A forest development transportation-system road identified (specified) in a timber sale contract.

Stabilization Trenches. These are wide trenches with sloping sides and a blanket of filter material approximately 3 feet on the bottom and sides. Perforated drainpipes are installed on the bottom of the trench to transmit the collected water. Stabilization trenches are placed in swales or ravines and under side hill fills, to stabilize fill foundation areas that are saturated.

Standard Specifications. Standards and design requirements, from the current version of “Engineering Management (EM) 7720-100,” Forest Service Standard specifications for constructing roads and bridges, which direct Forest Service construction activities.

Stream Classification. The ordering of streams in a manner that reflects (1) flow characteristics,

(2) present and foreseeable downstream values of the water, and (3) physical characteristics of the stream environment—as evaluation criteria. Class I is the highest value stream, Class IV is the lowest value stream.

Streamside Management Zone (SMZ). An administratively designated zone adjacent to ephemeral, intermittent, and perennial channels; and around standing bodies of water, wetlands, springs, seeps and other wet or marshland areas. SMZ is also meant to include other naming conventions for streamside buffering areas such as stream protection zone, riparian reserves, riparian habitat conservation areas, and so forth. SMZs are designed and delineated for the application of special management controls aimed at the maintenance and/or improvement of water quality. SMZ delineation may include floodplains and riparian areas when present. SMZ delineation can have synergistic benefits with other resources such as maintenance and improvement of riparian area-dependent resources, visual and aesthetic quality, wildlife habitat, and recreation opportunities.

Suitable Forest Land. Land that is subject to being managed for timber production on a sustained scheduled basis. Some determinants of land suitability for harvesting are reforestation potential, timber growth rate, economics, and land stability. Also included are forest lands where the land and resource management plan recognized an emphasis for achieving other key resource objectives, such as recreation, visual, wildlife, water, and so forth, in addition to timber management.

Timber Sale Contract Provisions. Often referred to by the section of the timber sale contract in which they occur:

1. B Provisions - Standard provisions for Forest Service timber sale contracts, located in section “b” of the contract.

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

2. C Provisions - Special provisions needed to tailor the timber sale contract to meet specific management objectives in R-5, located in section “c” of the contract.

Unsuitable Forest Land. Forest land that is not currently suitable for timber production. Some reasons for classifying land as unsuitable include: potential soil productivity loss and potential, irreversible damage to soil which cannot be prevented using current technology, mineral withdrawals, low-volume growth rates, and inadequate assurance that the land can be restocked within 5 years after harvest.

Watershed Restoration. The process of assisting the recovery of resilience and adaptive capacity of ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. Restoration focuses on establishing the composition, structure, pattern, hydrologic function and ecological processes necessary to make terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems sustainable, resilient, and healthy under current and future conditions.

Wetlands. Those areas that are inundated by surface or groundwater with a frequency sufficient to support a prevalence of vegetation, or aquatic life that requires saturated or seasonally saturated soil conditions for growth and reproduction. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas such as sloughs, potholes, springs, seeps, wet meadows, river overflows, mud flats, and natural ponds.

06 - REFERENCES

Ahearn, D.S.; R.W. Sheibley; R.A. Dahlgren; Michael Anderson; Joshua Johnson; and K.W.

Tate. 2005. Land use and land cover influence on water quality in the last free-flowing river draining the western Sierra Nevada, California: Journal of Hydrology 313: 234.247.

Antos-Ketcham, Peter S. and Richard Andrews, Ed., 2001, Backcountry Sanitation Manual Green Mountain Club/Appalachian Trail Conference, 220 p.

Birkby, Robert C., 2006, Lightly on the Land: The SCA Trail-Building and Maintenance Manual, 268 p.

Bisson, P.A., J.M. Buffington, and D.R. Montgomery. 2006. Valley segments, stream reaches, and channel units: chapter 2 in Methods in Stream Ecology, Elsevier Publishing, 23.49.

Frazier J.W., K.B. Roby, J.A. Boberg, K. Kenfield, J.B. Reiner, D.L. Azuma, J.L. Furnish, B.P.

Staab, and S.L. Grant. 2005. Stream Condition Inventory Technical Guide Version 5.0: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region - Ecosystem Conservation Staff, Vallejo, California, 111 p.

Burton, Timothy A., Steven J. Smith, and Ervin R. Cowley. 2008. Monitoring Streambanks and Riparian Vegetation - Multiple Indicators. Technical Bulletin No 2008.5.

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

California Department of Fish and Game Aquatic Bioassessment Laboratory, Rancho Cordova, California:

http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/swamp/docs/reports/cmap_conditionassessment .pdf

California State Parks. 2008 Soil Conservation Standard and Guidelines, 50 p.

Crimmons, Tom M., 2006, Management Guidelines for Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation, NOHVCC, 51 p.

Demrow, Carl and David Salisbury, 1988, The Complete Guide to Trail Building and Maintenance, 3rd Edition, 256 p.

Domagalski, J.L.; D.L. Knifong; P.D. Dileanis; L.R. Brown; J.T. May; Valerie Connor; and C.N.

Alpers. 2000. Water Quality in the Sacramento River Basin, California, 1994-98: U.S.

Geological Survey Circular 1215, 36 p., on-line at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/circ1215/

International Mountain Bicycling Association, 2004, Trail Solutions: IMBA's Guide to Building Sweet Singletrack, 272 p.

Kratzer, C.R. and Jennifer Shelton. 1998. Water Quality Assessment of the San Joaquin-Tulare Basins, California: Analysis of Available Data on Nutrients and Suspended Sediment in Surface Water, 1972-1990: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1587, 93 p.

http://ca.water.usgs.gov/sanj/pub/usgs/pp1587/pp1587.pdf

MacDonald, L.H., and Coe, D., 2006, Influence of headwater streams on downstream reaches in forested areas: Forest Science 53(2):148.168.

Meitl, J., and Maguire, T. (eds.), Compendium of Best Management Practices to Control Polluted Runoff: A Source Book. Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. March 2003.

(http://www.deq.state.id.us/water/data_reports/surface_water/nps/reports.cfm#bmps )

Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, 1999, BMPs for Grazing.

Napper, Carolyn, 2008, Soil and Water Road-Condition Index - Field Guide, 0877 1806P, San Dimas, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, San Dimas Technology and Development Center, 104 pp. http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/pdf/08771806.pdf

NRCS National Conservation Practice Standards (http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/standards/nhcp.html) -- 383 Fence

Ode, P.R. 2007. Ecological condition assessment of California’s perennial wadeable streams.

Report to the State Water Resources Control Board’s Non-Point Source Program: California U.S.

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

Department of Agriculture. Forest Service. 2004. Best Management Practices Evaluation Program, 1992.2002 Monitoring Results U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region. 76 p.

Ode, P. 2009. Recommendations for the development and maintenance of a reference condition management program (RCMP) to support biological assessment of California’s wadeable streams. Report to the State Water Resources Control Board’s Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP), SWAMP Aquatic Bioassessment Laboratory/ Water Pollution Control Laboratory California Department of Fish and Game.

Parker, Troy Scott, 1994, Trails Design and Management Handbook, 230 p.

Parker, Troy Scott, 2004, Natural Surface Trails by Design: Physical and Human Design Essentials of Sustainable, Enjoyable Trails, 80 p.

Steinholtz, Robert and Brian Vachowski, 2001, Wetland Trail Design and Construction. USDA Forest Service.

SWRCB Agreement 04.121.555.0. Implementation of Vegetative Buffer, Irrigation, and Grazing Best Management Practices to Reduce Pathogens, Organic Carbon, and Colloids in Runoff from Rangelands and Irrigated Pastures. P.I. K.W. Tate, UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences.

SWRCB Agreement 04.122.555.0. Source Identification, Optimized Monitoring and Local Outreach for Reducing Agricultural Pathogens into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary.

P.I. E.R. Atwill, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

SWRCB Agreement 04.317.555.0. Upper Feather River Watershed (UFRW) Irrigation Discharge Management Program. P.I. H.A. George, UC Cooperative Extension.

Tate, K.W., E.R. Atwill, N.K. McDougald, and M.R. George, 2003, Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Cattle Feces Deposition on Rangeland. J. Range Management. 56:432.438.

USDA Forest Service — Engineering Staff, 1996 Standard Specifications for Construction and Maintenance of Trails, EM-7720-103 and EM-7720-104, September 1996.

USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region, 2001. A Field Evaluation of the Use of Small Trail Tractors to Maintain and Construct OHV Trails on National Forests in California, August 22, 2001.

USDA Forest Service, 2002, Investigating water quality in the Pacific Southwest Region, Best Management Practices Evaluation Program: A User’s Guide: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, Vallejo, California.

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

2509.22_10

R5 FSH 2509.22 - SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION HANDBOOK

CHAPTER 10 - WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT HANDBOOK

USDA Forest Service, 2004, FSM chapter 2520, Watershed Protection and Management

USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, 2004, Revised OHV Trail Monitoring Form (GYR Form) and Training Guide, July 30, 2004.

USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, 2006, Rolling Dips for Drainage of OHV Trails, January 2006.

USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, 2006, Restoration of OHV-damaged Areas - A Ten-Step Checklist, May 31, 2006.

USDA Forest Service. 2009. Water Quality Protection on National Forests in the Pacific Southwest Region: Best Management Practices Evaluation Program, 2003.2007. U.S.

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region. 28 p.

USDA Forest Service, 2010 Restoration of Off-Highway Degraded Landscapes San Dimas Technology and Development Center (in press).

USDA Forest Service, 2010, FSM 2020, Ecological Restoration and Resilience

USDA Forest Service, 2011, FSH 2509.22 Soil and Water Conservation Handbook, chapter 20, USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, 1998, TR1737.15, Riparian Area Management - Guide to Assessing Proper Functioning Condition and the Supporting Science for Lotic Areas.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, 1999, TR1737.16 Riparian Area Management - Guide to Assessing Proper Functioning Condition and the Supporting Science for Lentic Areas.

University of Idaho. 2004. Stubble height study report: University of Idaho Forest, Wildlife, and Range Experiment Station Contribution No. 986, 33 pp.

Wernex, Joe, 2002, Off-Highway Motorcycle and ATV Trails: Guidelines for Design, Construction, Maintenance and User Satisfaction, Second Edition, 56 p.

Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, 1997, Best Management Practices for Grazing (http://deq.state.wy.us/wqd/watershed/Downloads/NPS%20Program/92602.pdf)

Pages 16-96 omitted.

Available upon request to CO or COR

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

12.21 Exhibit 05

BMP 2.5 - Water Source Development and Utilization

Objective: To supply water for road construction, maintenance, dust abatement, fire protection, and other management activities, while protecting and maintaining water quality.

Explanation: Water source development is needed to supply water for road construction and maintenance, dust control, and fire control. In-stream water drafting can substantially affect water flow and/or configuration of the bed, bank, or channel of streams. Aquatic species present could be at risk due to rapid changes or sustained reductions in flow, reduced dissolved oxygen, and/or increased water temperature. Exposed surfaces of water holes or other developments could erode and discharge sediment back into the waterway. In addition to direct hydrogeomorphic (forming and shaping landform by water) disruption to the channel and subsequent impacts to aquatic species, water-quality impacts can occur from road approaches that access the water drafting site. Many water drafting sites have steep approaches and in the absence of adequate drainage or surfacing, these approaches can become chronic sources of sediment and runoff to the channel. Water trucks often leak oil, and sometimes fuel, onto drafting pads, becoming a source of petroleum product contamination to surface waters.

Regular monitoring of water supply developments, during construction and use, and enforcement of contract and sale clauses, specifications, and restrictions is the responsibility of inspectors, contracting officer representatives, engineering representatives, sale administrators, and force account crew foreman.

Implementation

Location and Development:

Critical to the effectiveness of this practice is the coordination of engineering representatives, hydrologists, fishery biologists, and permit and sale administrators. Locate existing developments, or proposed streams, and evaluate for feasibility of use; determine scope and scale of environmental risks; select techniques for mitigating disturbance to water quality; and compare with the economics of development and use:

1. Water sources designed for permanent installation, such as piped diversions to off-site storage, are preferred over temporary, short-term-use developments.

2. If off-site storage is not an option then the following locations shall be considered.

a. Locations where flowing side channels rather than the main thread of the channel can be used for drafting.

b. Areas with existing pools that can be partially blocked, rather than in-channel excavation are preferred.

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

12.21 Exhibit 05 -- Continued

c. Sites where road approaches can be hydrologically disconnected from streams.

d. Sites where the drafting pad can be placed above the bankfull elevation of the channel with little or no excavation and/or fill placement.

3. Develop and implement Erosion Control Plan for water supply site construction and use.

4. Follow the forest’s wet weather operations standards and guidelines. See BMP 2.13.

5. Excavation of streambed or bank materials for approaches, drafting pads, and water drafting intakes are subject to local or regional restrictions on ground-disturbing activities.

a. Excavations should not occur during peak runoff season.

b. Federally listed threatened and endangered species, sensitive (including State-listed) species, management Indicator species, and aquatic organisms of interest may impose further restrictions.

c. Other restrictions such as spawning season may be applicable

6. Basins shall not be constructed at culvert inlets for the purpose of developing a waterhole, as these can exacerbate plugging of the culvert.

7. Access approaches are located as close to perpendicular as possible to prevent stream bank excavation.

8. Access approaches are stabilized with appropriate materials, depending on expected life and use frequency of the developed water source.

9. Fish-bearing streams that are temporarily dammed to create a drafting pool shall provide fish passage for all life stages of fish.

10. Temporary dams shall be removed when operations are complete.

11. Removal shall be done gradually so that released impoundments do not discharge sediment into the streamflow.

12. When diverting water from streams, bypass flows shall be maintained that ensure continuous surface flow in downstream reaches, and keep habitat in downstream reaches in good condition.

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

Drafting Operations:

1. For fish-bearing streams, the water drafting rate should not exceed 350 gallons per minute for streamflow greater than or equal to 4.0 cubic feet per second (cfs).

2. Below 4.0 cfs, drafting rates should not exceed 20 percent of surface flows.

3. Water drafting should cease when bypass surface flows drop below 1.5 cfs.

4. For non-fish-bearing streams, the water drafting rate should not exceed 350 gallons per minute for stream flow greater than or equal to 2.0 cfs.

5. Drafting rate should not exceed 50 percent of surface flow for non-fish-bearing streams.

6. Water drafting should cease from non-fish-bearing streams when bypass surface flow drops below 10 gallons per minute.

7. Intakes, for trucks and tanks, shall be placed parallel to the flow of water and screened, with opening size consistent with the protection of aquatic species of interest.

8. Drafting from gravity-fed storage tanks shall utilize the following

9. Water storage tanks shall be fitted with properly sized pipes designed to cleanly return the tank overflow to the source stream.

10. Outflow pipes shall be sized to fully contain the tank overflow and prevent it from overflowing onto the drafting pad or road surface.

11. Water storage tank return pipes at the water outfall area shall be armored to prevent erosion of the streambed, bank, or channel.

12. At the end of drafting operations, intake screens shall be removed and drafting pipes plugged, capped, or otherwise blocked or removed from the active channel to terminate water drafting during the winter season.

13. Trucks directly drafting from the channel shall utilize the following practices.

14. Water drafting by more than one truck shall not occur simultaneously

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

Approaches and Drafting Pads:

1. Road approaches and drafting pads shall be treated to prevent sediment production and delivery to a watercourse or waterhole.

2. Road approaches shall be armored as necessary from the end of the approach nearest a stream for a minimum of 50 feet, or to the nearest drainage structure (for example, waterbar or rolling dip) or point where road drainage does not drain toward the stream.

3. Areas subject to high flood events shall be armored to prevent erosion and sediment delivery to water courses.

4. Where overflow runoff from water trucks or storage tanks may enter the stream, effective erosion control devices shall be installed (for example, gravel berms or waterbars).

5. All water-drafting vehicles shall be checked daily and shall be repaired as necessary to prevent leaks of petroleum products from entering SMZs.

6. Water-drafting vehicles shall contain petroleum-absorbent pads, which are placed under vehicles before drafting.

7. Water-drafting vehicles shall contain petroleum spill kits. Dispose of absorbent pads according to the Hazardous Response Plan.

Pages 101 - 121 omitted.

Available upon request to COR or CO

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

12.21 Exhibit 13

BMP 2.13 - Erosion Control Plan

Objective: Effectively limit and mitigate erosion and sedimentation from any ground-disturbing activities, through planning prior to commencement of project activity, and through project management and administration during project implementation.

1. Provide seamless transition between planning-level (NEPA) mitigation descriptions and on-the-ground implementation of erosion-control measures tailored to site conditions.

2. Ensure that all disturbance-related mitigation requirements and provisions for field revisions or modifications are accurately captured in one comprehensive document for each project or activity.

3. Activities include, but are not limited to: timber sale harvest; facility site, road, bridge, trail and appurtenance construction, reconstruction, and maintenance; watershed improvement; road and trail decommissioning; legacy site restoration, administratively permitted activities; and vegetation and fuels management activities.

4. Comply with overarching area plans, such as Northwest Forest Plan and Sierra Nevada Framework Plan Amendment.

Explanation: Ground-disturbing activities can result in erosion and sedimentation. By effectively planning for erosion control, sedimentation can be controlled or prevented. Engineering and hydrology personnel jointly develop mitigation recommendations and preliminary BMPs using an interdisciplinary team during the project planning process and environmental analysis phase.

Erosion control plans are not be confused with design features whose primary objective is to provide or improve water quality, such as a bridge; reinforced earth retaining wall; or landscaping. The long-term mitigation objectives are typically described in the NEPA document for the project, and then refined in project drawings and specifications as design features. Short-term mitigation measures to prevent erosion and sedimentation are described in detail in the project’s erosion control plan.

Project mitigations are conceptually described in NEPA analyses but are typically generic.

Detailed mitigation measures are based on site-specific surveys, conditions, and characteristics, and are developed in the project design phase. They are ultimately displayed in the project document’s design documents (specifications and drawings) based on site-specific surveys, conditions, and characteristics. Furthermore, field personnel have the responsibility to make refinements or additional recommendations to adjust to actual current and predicted future conditions.

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

12.21 Exhibit 13 -- Continued

This flexibility is a necessary and desirable component of project implementation, but must ultimately result in implementation of requirements to protect soil and water quality. To ensure that all required and relevant mitigation measures are documented and implemented, an environmental control plan will be prepared to complement design (design addresses required mitigations specified in NEPA documents), site-specific prescriptions, and amended to include changes made in the field. Detailed and accurate environmental control plan will allow Forest Service and Water Board staff to conduct efficient, meaningful inspections of ground-disturbing projects, and will provide a needed check to ensure that mitigation measures for addressing impacts from the activities are accurately communicated to field staff.

Implementation: Ground-disturbing activities will be exempt from the requirement to prepare an erosion control plan under any of the four exemption categories below:

1. Area-based - less than 50 square feet in riparian area; less than 10,000 square feet in a non-riparian area;

2. Activity-based - activities conducted under a categorical exclusion with no wheeled or tracked equipment, or included under North Coast Regional or State waiver Category A;

3. Site-condition criteria - project locations that are: outside of riparian areas and on soils with high infiltration rates (more than 2 inches per hour) and on slopes less than 15 percent.

4. Flexibility criteria - any activity approved by the forest hydrologist with documentation explaining the rationale for the exemption.

BMP checklists will be prepared for all projects (see section 16) even if an erosion control plan is not necessary.

Erosion control plans for any ground-disturbing activity not meeting the exemption categories above will be reviewed and recommended by the forest hydrologist, and approved and signed by the District Ranger. The hydrologist’s recommendation and signature indicates that all mitigation measures prescribed in environmental documents and project plans, or resource specialist's recommendations are included on the environmental control plan. The Forest Supervisor will approve and sign the environmental control plan for forestwide ground-disturbing activities, such as annual road maintenance.

All forests shall develop wet weather operations standards (WWOS). The purpose of the WWOS is to provide guidance with the end result of preventing significant adverse impacts to water quality from wet weather operations on NFTS roads and trails. Such operations may include

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

winter hauling, fuelwood gathering, public access for hunting or Christmas tree cutting, administrative access on closed roads for springtime burning of slash piles, reforestation activities, snow plowing, or other ground disturbance outside normal operating season. WWOS must include notification protocols for informing resource specialists (hydrologists, biologists, soil scientists) as well as line officers prior to initiation or continuation of a project or activity into wet weather season.

Project field operations cannot begin until the District Ranger approves and signs the plan. The erosion control plan will be kept on site during project activity and made available for review upon request of a representative of the Water Board or any local storm water management agency which receives the storm water discharge. The erosion control plan shall be amended if there is a change in control practices, site conditions, or BMPs that may result in less water-quality protection than specified in the project's environmental document, project plan, accepted erosion control plan, or permit/waiver. The amendment must include: name of person requesting the change; a description of the change, including revised BMPs or control practices to mitigate the effects of the change; and why the change is needed.

Even the best erosion and sediment control plan cannot cover the specifics of each situation that will arise on a site during the life of a project. All parties involved in the project have a role and responsibility to ensure the activity complies with the goals or intent of the erosion control plan at all times. All temporary erosion and sediment control practices must be maintained and repaired as needed to assure continued performance of their intended function.

Erosion Control Plan Contents

1. Erosion and Sediment Control shall include:

a. List of anticipated ground-disturbing actions associated with the project (for example, stream diversion; exposed cut slopes; stripped and stockpiled topsoil; water source development or use)

b. Checklist which includes mitigation measures required by project NEPA, and in some cases CEQA documents, requirements to meet BMPs, project plans, specifications, and permits, if any. The selection of erosion and sedimentation control measures shall be based on assessments of site conditions and how storm events may contribute to erosion. Control measures will be selected from the references provided in the On-Line Library at the end of section 12, or will be of equivalent effectiveness as the measures described in those references.

DURATION: This amendment expires 5 years from the effective date unless superseded or remove earlier.

c. Illustrations of control practices designed to prevent erosion and sedimentation.

Illustrations must show construction and installation details for control practices, and must be included in the erosion control plan. (for example, California Stormwater Quality Association BMP standard specifications CASQA at http://www.cabmphandbooks.com, or Caltrans Stormwater and Water Pollution Control guides at http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/construc/stormwater/stormwater1.htm)

d. Map/drawing(s) showing soil or water buffer zones, RCAs, RCHAs, SMZs or other soil or water protection areas to be protected from project activities. Project boundary extends beyond disturbance limits.

e. A description of the color and/or pattern of flagging or marking for soil or water buffer zones, RCAs, RCHAs, SMZs or other soil or water protection areas for each unit.

f. Relevant sections from the forest’s WWOS that apply to activity/activities. The WWOS will provide guidance to prevent significant adverse impacts to water quality from wet weather operations on NFTS roads and trails.

i. Forest motor vehicle use map will be used to determine seasonal closures for all NFTS routes that are not under permit or for administrative use only.

(1) A storm preparedness plan that describes additional control practices to be implemented when the National Weather Service predicts a 50 percent or greater chance of precipitation.

(2) A winterization plan…