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Micelis C. Doyle

Publications and source records attributed to Micelis C. Doyle.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2025

Beaver dams and their effects on urban streams in the Tualatin River Basin, northwestern Oregon

Introduction In response to growing interest in beaver-assisted restoration in the Tualatin River Basin of northwestern Oregon, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in partnership with Clean Water Services, collected data from 2016–17 and completed a series of studies to: (1) inventory known locations of beaver dams and activity in the Tualatin River Basin, (2) estimate the number of beaver dams in the Tualatin River Basin as of 2017 and the potential number of beaver dams that could be supported with riparian vegetation improvements, and (3) assess the effects of beaver dams and ponds on storm hydrology, hydraulics, and floodplain inundation, suspended-sediment transport and deposition, and water quality along two urban stream reaches (Fanno Creek at Greenway Park and Bronson Creek between Kaiser and Saltzman Roads). This fact sheet summarizes the results of these studies and implications for beaver-assisted restoration in the Tualatin River Basin.

Oregon↗
USGS2025

Effects of beaver dams and ponds on the transport and deposition of suspended sediment in urban streams of the Tualatin River Basin, northwestern Oregon

Significant Findings This study investigated the effects of natural beaver dams and ponds on sediment transport and deposition in two urban beaver-affected reaches in the Tualatin River Basin, northwestern Oregon. Data were collected during 2016–17 from Fanno Creek at Greenway Park (between SW Hall Boulevard and SW Pearson Court) and Bronson Creek (between NW Laidlaw Road and NW Kaiser Road); each study reach contained multiple beaver dams. Continuous turbidity, discrete suspended-sediment samples, and streamflow measurements were collected during storms and baseflow periods to calculate suspended-sediment loads (SSLs) and to compare differences in SSLs upstream and downstream from the two beaver-affected reaches. Turbidity was measured continuously upstream, within, and downstream from these reaches to evaluate seasonal and longitudinal turbidity patterns and fluctuations. The volume and mass of sediment deposited in a large pond along the Fanno Creek study reach were also estimated. Study results include: Instantaneous SSLs at the upstream reach boundaries often were greater at Bronson Creek compared to Fanno Creek during storm events. These differences were likely caused by the greater mean basin slope upstream from the Bronson Creek reach and its proximity to the headwaters in the Tualatin Mountains. In contrast, the frequency of sediment transport events was greater at the upstream boundary of the Fanno Creek study reach than at the upstream boundary of the Bronson Creek study reach, likely because Fanno Creek has a larger upstream contributing area and more frequent streamflow runoff events typical of urban streams. During water year 2017, approximately 140 metric tons (t) of sediment (11 percent of the total incoming load) were deposited in the Fanno Creek study reach, and 1,420 t of sediment (89 percent of the total incoming load) were deposited in the Bronson Creek study reach. Longitudinal reductions in turbidity were observed in both study reaches but varied among the two reaches. Turbidity reductions along the Fanno Creek study reach were associated with sediment deposition and storage in the south pond, a large floodplain pond formed by a beaver dam. Turbidity decreased gradually along the Bronson Creek study reach, indicating that sediment was deposited between the upstream and downstream boundaries. Differences in decreases in SSLs and turbidity among the two study reaches were attributed to reach characteristics, such as beaver dam characteristics, stream-floodplain hydraulic connections, and the type and density of the vegetation. The eastern part of the south pond in the Fanno Creek study reach trapped approximately 1,100 cubic meters of sediment (estimated 250 t) from 2012 to 2016 (the period between when beaver dams were first built in the reach and when topographic surveys were collected for this study). This amount is equivalent to about one seventh of the mean annual SSL moving through Fanno Creek as estimated by a previous study at the downstream U.S. Geological Survey streamgage at Fanno Creek at Durham Road (14206950). Beaver dams and ponds in urban streams can reduce SSLs and trap sediment. Consideration of reach-specific factors influencing the effects of beaver dams on sediment transport could help create realistic expectations for restoration programs about this potential benefit associated with beaver activity.

Oregon↗
USGS2020

Evaluation of restoration alternatives using water-budget tools for the Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge, northwestern Oregon

The lakebed in Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in northwestern Oregon was farmed for decades prior to the establishment of the refuge in 2013. Planning for restoration of these lands required extensive data collection and construction of a water budget and tools to design and evaluate potential restoration strategies. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service worked together to monitor streamflow and water levels in and around Wapato Lake NWR, apply the USGS Shoreline Management Tool (SMT), then construct and apply a water-budget-based Water Management Scenario Tool (WMST). The SMT was used to determine the spatial availability of different water depths (as potential habitat for different species) as a function of water level and other factors, based on topographic data. The WMST uses a water-budget approach to predict daily water levels, inflows, outflows, and areas of specific categories of water depth in the refuge over the course of a water year in response to a range of hydrologic and meteorological conditions and potential water-management strategies. In this study, two hypothetical water-management strategies were simulated to predict their effect on water levels and areas with specific water depths as an indicator of potential habitat. In the first scenario, several tributaries that had been diverted around the lakebed since the 1930s were reconnected to the lake, and an outflow weir was used to control lake level and to create a lake and seasonal wetlands of specific depths. In the second scenario, an outflow weir was combined with pumps to help meet target lake levels. Results showed that reconnecting the largest three tributaries to Wapato Lake would provide sufficient water to create a range of aquatic conditions in most years. For a median water year, rainfall and tributary flows in these scenarios provided 99 percent of total inputs to the lake, whereas pumping, weir outflows, and open-water evaporation accounted for 95–97 percent of losses. Management of lake levels could be accomplished with a variable-elevation outflow weir or a combination of a weir and pumps. The lake would take longer to fill to a higher seasonal target level during a dry year. Without an outflow weir or other means of allowing water to flow out of the lake, the largest of two existing pumps would need to be used during late spring or early summer to attain a lower seasonal target water level in summer. High-water conditions downstream of Wapato Lake may prevent the use of a simple outflow weir, as historical downstream water levels in winter and spring sometimes were higher than the target water levels used in these scenarios. Water-budget-based methods applied in this study have proven to be valuable for the design and evaluation of potential restoration strategies at Wapato Lake NWR.

Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge↗
USGS2009

Reconnaissance of pharmaceutical chemicals in urban streams of the Tualatin River Basin, Oregon, 2002

A reconnaissance of pharmaceutical chemicals in urban streams of the Tualatin River basin was conducted in July 2002 in an effort to better understand the occurrence and distribution of such compounds, and to determine whether they might be useful indicators of human-related stream contamination. Of the 21 pharmaceutical chemicals and metabolites tested, only 6 (acetaminophen, caffeine, carbamazepine, codeine, cotinine, and sulfamethoxazole) were detected in filtered stream samples from 10 sites. The concentrations of most of the detected compounds were relatively low (less than 0.05 microgram per liter). The most frequently detected compounds were cotinine (a nicotine metabolite, 8 of 10 samples) and caffeine (a stimulant, 7 of 10 samples). More compounds were detected in urban stream samples than in samples from forested or agricultural drainages. Filtered water samples also were collected from four locations within an advanced wastewater treatment facility to quantify the relative amounts of these chemicals in a municipal waste stream and to determine the degree to which those chemicals are removed by treatment processes. Fifteen pharmaceutical chemicals or metabolites were detected in wastewater treatment facility influent, with concentrations far exceeding those measured in streams. Only five of those compounds, however, were detected in the treated effluent (carbamazepine, cotinine, ibuprofen, metformin, and sulfamethoxazole) and most of those were at concentrations less than 0.2 microgram per liter. The target pharmaceutical chemicals and metabolites showed limited potential for use as tracers of specific types of human-related contamination in Tualatin River basin streams because of widespread sources (caffeine, for example) or extremely low concentrations. Caffeine and cotinine are likely to be good indicators of sources that can occur in urban areas, such as sewage spills or leaks or the widespread use and careless disposal of tobacco products and caffeine-containing beverages. Neither compound, however, is likely to be a good tracer for a specific source unless that source is large. The presence of 1,7-dimethylxanthine (a caffeine metabolite) concurrently with caffeine might indicate the presence of untreated wastewater; in contrast, the absence of the metabolite might help rule out that source. Acetaminophen might make a good tracer for untreated wastewater because of its common usage, high concentration in raw wastewater, and effective removal via treatment. Carbamazepine and sulfamethoxazole have the potential to be good indicators of treated wastewater because of their incomplete removal in treatment facilities. Some of these pharmaceutical chemicals, either singly or in combination, might prove useful as tracers of contamination after further study.

Oregon↗
USGS2004

Water-quality data from 2002 to 2003 and analysis of data gaps for development of total maximum daily loads in the Lower Klamath River Basin, California

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected water-quality data during 2002 and 2003 in the Lower Klamath River Basin, in northern California, to support studies of river conditions as they pertain to the viability of Chinook and Coho salmon and endangered suckers. To address the data needs of the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board for the development of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), water temperature, dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, and pH were continuously monitored at sites on the Klamath, Trinity, Shasta, and Lost Rivers. Water-quality samples were collected and analyzed for selected nutrients, organic carbon, chlorophyll-a, pheophytin-a, and trace elements. Sediment oxygen demand was measured on the Shasta River. Results of analysis of the data collected were used to identify locations in the Lower Klamath River Basin and periods of time during 2002 and 2003 when river conditions were more likely to be detrimental to salmonid or sucker health because of occasional high water temperatures, low dissolved oxygen, and conditions that supported abundant populations of algae and aquatic plants. The results were also used to assess gaps in data by furthering the development of the conceptual model of water flow and quality in the Lower Klamath River Basin using available data and the current understanding of processes that affect water quality and by assessing needs for the develoment of mathematical models of the system. The most notable gap in information for the study area is in sufficient knowledge about the occurrence and productivity of algal communities. Other gaps in data include vertical water-quality profiles for the reservoirs in the study area, and in an adequate understanding of the chemical oxygen demands and the sediment oxygen demands in the rivers and of the influence of riparian shading on the rivers. Several mathematical models are discussed in this report for use in characterizing the river systems in the study area; also discussed are the specific data needed for the models, and the spatial and temporal data available as boundary conditions. The models will be useful for the future development of TMDLs for temperature, nutrients, and dissolved oxygen and for assessing the role of natural and anthropogenic sources of heat, oxygen-producing and -consuming substances, and nutrients in the Klamath, Shasta, and Lost Rivers.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2003

The effect of chamber mixing velocity on bias in measurement of sediment oxygen demand rates in the Tualatin River basin, Oregon

Three sediment oxygen demand (SOD) measurement chambers were deployed in the Tualatin River near Tigard, Oregon, at river mile 10 in August 2000. SOD rates were calculated for three different circulation velocities during each chamber deployment. The SOD rate at each velocity was calculated from a graph of dissolved oxygen concentration versus elapsed time. An acoustic doppler current profiler (ADCP) was used to measure stream discharge and near-bottom water velocities in the Tualatin at river mile 10 and at two upstream locations. Measured river and chamber velocities were similar, indicating that results from the chambers were representative of instream effects. At low to moderate chamber circulation velocities (less than about 7.5 centimeters per second), the measured SOD rate appeared to be only slightly affected by the circulation velocity, indicating that the measured rates reflect the rate of oxygen utilization by chemical and biological reactions in the sediment rather than the rate of physical transport of oxygen to the sediment-water interface. Above about 7.5 centimeters per second, however, the measured oxygen depletion rate was affected by the circulation velocity, as sufficient energy was generated within the chamber to resuspend bottom sediment, as evidenced by increased turbidity. The resuspended sediment particles contributed to the measured oxygen loss rate by increasing the surface area of decomposing material in contact with the water column, resulting in a measured SOD rate that was anomalously high. Two different alignments of the chamber circulation diffusers were tested. With both diffuser alignments, SOD rates were similar at circulation velocities low enough to avoid sediment resuspension. The same resuspension effect probably exists in the Tualatin River during storm-runoff events following prolonged periods of low flow, when increased stream velocity may result in the resuspension of bottom sediments. The resuspension causes increased turbidity and increased oxygen demand, resulting in lower instream dissolved oxygen concentrations.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1997

Water-temperature, specific-conductance, and meteorological data for the Tualatin River basin, Oregon, 1994-95

Water-temperature, air-temperature, specific- conductance, wind-speed, and solar-radiation data are presented from a study conducted in the Tualatin River Basin in northwestern Oregon during 7-month periods from May 1 through November 30, 1994 and May 1 through November 30, 1995. The study was done to assist local and State agencies in understanding temporal and spatial patterns of water temperatures in the river, determining the relation between water temperature and human activities, and developing urban and agricultural management strategies for controlling impacts on stream temperatures. Data were collected at 14 fixed-station continuous monitoring sites located on or near the main stem and major tributaries. Data fromtemperature and specific-conductance sites were collected instantaneously every 30 minutes on the hour and half hour. Wind-speed and solar-radiation data at two sites were averaged every 60 minutes. Wind-speed and solar-radiation data at a third site were averaged every 30 minutes. Water temperature data were also collected during seven synoptic surveys near the two main wastewater-treatment plants. The surveys were conducted during the low-flow period from August to October of 1994 and August to September 1995. During each survey, up to six recording temperature probes were positioned at locations upstream and downstream of plant effluent outlets. The probes collected data every 16 minutes over 48-hour periods.

Oregon↗
USGS1995

Sediment oxygen demand in the lower Willamette River, Oregon, 1994

An investigation of sediment oxygen demand (SOD) at the interface of the stream and stream bed was performed in the lower Willamette River (river mile 51 to river mile 3) during August, 1994, as part of a cooperative project with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. The primary goals of the investigation were to measure the spatial variability of SOD in the lower Willamette River and to relate SOD to bottom-sediment characteristics. The SOD chambers used in the study were open-bottomed, opaque plastic cylinders that were seated and sealed on the river bottom by scuba divers. When seated, the chambers contained 52 liters of isolated river water, which was slowly recirculated for at least 2 hours over 0.225 square meters of relatively undisturbed bottom sediment. These chambers could not be deployed in areas with gravels and cobbles, which represent about 55 percent of the study area above Willamette Falls and 30 percent of the river below Willamette Falls. Sediment oxygen demand is commonly reported as grams of oxygen consumed per square meter of bottom sediment per day (g/m2 p day). The measured SOD rates, corrected to a temperature of 20 degrees C, ranged from 1.3 to 4.1 g/m2' day in the lower Willamette River. The SOD measured above and below Willamette Falls averaged 2.0 and 2.1 g/m2 ' day, respectively. After adjusting for the amount of bottom material composed of gravels and cobbles, the best estimates for reachwide SOD rates above and below Willamette Falls are 1.4 (+ 0.5) and 1.8 (+ 0.3) g/m2' day, respectively. Sediment samples were collected near each chamber and analyzed for percent water, percent sand, and percent organics. The sand content ranged from 0.1 to 6.2 percent and averaged 1.8 percent. The organic content ranged from 1.4 to 9.6 and averaged 5.6 percent. No statistically significant correlations were found between these sediment characteristics and sediment oxygen demand.

Oregon↗