ATCH-5 Malheur Drafting Guidelines.pdf

Malheur National Forest Water Drafting Guidelines

Water use

1. Malheur National Forest District Aquatics specialist will assist in choosing drafting site location and provide further guidance on site, as needed.

2. Follow NMFS guidelines below.

The following guidance is intended to minimize or avoid adverse effects to listed fish when engaging in water drafting activities. As with any activity, site specific or project specific information may require more stringent or relaxed criteria to avoid adverse effects. In addition, compliance with these criteria may not minimize adverse effects to avoid take of listed fish in all cases, and therefore does not preclude the need for consultation. Projects will be reviewed on a case by case basis to ensure that guidance is reasonable, prudent, and adequately avoids or minimizes adverse effects to listed species.

a) Any intake used for drafting water will be screened according to NOAA Fisheries Juvenile Fish Screen Criteria for Pump Intakes for salmonid fry (available at http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/1hydrop/nmfscrit1.htm).

b) Non-stream water (for example, ponds) sources will be used prior to the use of stream sources whenever feasible.

c) When non-stream sources are unavailable, streams with the greatest flow will be used whenever feasible.

d) Water withdrawal will not reduce stream flow by more than 1/10th. In order to accomplish the lowest reduction of flow from marginal water sources (sources in which water drafting will reduce flows by more than 5 percent), the lowest drafting rate on pumps which have adjustable draft rates, and the smallest volume tender appropriate for the project will be used. Whenever feasible, marginal water sources will be avoided.

e) During drafting, streams will be monitored for reduced flows. If a flow concern is identified, operators will reduce pumping rates to ensure that flow reduction is not more than 1/10th of the existing stream flow is being removed or discontinue drafting.

f) If marginal water sources are used, withdrawal from single marginal sites will be limited to 18,000 gallons per day.

g) No more than one high-volume pump per site will be used, except sites in which the use of multiple pumps will not measurably decrease stream flows.

h) No drafting will occur from any pools which contain adult salmonids.

i) Operators will avoid direct effects to redds or pre-emergence alevins by placing the intake hose in the deepest part of a drafting pool (where redds are unlikely to be present) and will avoid placing equipment on areas that redds are known or suspected to be.

Operators will also ensure that tailout areas of pools that are known or suspected to have redds will not be dewatered.

j) Drafting will not occur after sunset or before sunrise to avoid attracting fish to drafting pools with the use of lights.

https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nwr.noaa.gov%2F1hydrop%2Fnmfscrit1.htm&data=02%7C01%7C%7C175054f4ae694d313f5108d7a43bd508%7Ced5b36e701ee4ebc867ee03cfa0d4697%7C0%7C0%7C637158449209929311&sdata=27uXlgoopikGmoUT%2BmG58Y2ajUrHlkda%2BCjSJMjQpeg%3D&reserved=0

Malheur National Forest Water Drafting Guidelines

k) Blading, shaping, aggregate placement, and dust control of roads should be performed in spring and early summer when flows are high, to take advantage of available road soil moisture content to minimize the need for water drafting. Exceptions during the low-flow period will be limited to roads receiving heavy summer through fall traffic creating hazardous road surface conditions that require maintenance for human safety reasons.

Essential maintenance during low-flow conditions will be deferred, when possible, until fall precipitation reduces the need for water drafting. Spring and fall blading and shaping will minimize demands for water usage, will minimize dust production, and will reduce sediment generated from surface erosion.

l) NOAA Fisheries may periodically review drafting activities to ensure that these measures are adequate for the protection of listed fish.