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| 2.10.1 | Fish |
| 2.10.2 | Culvert Crossing Inventory |
| 2.10.3 | Refugia |
| 2.10.4 | Benthic Macroinvertebrates |
| 2.10.5 | Wildlife |
 |
As part of the Lower Columbia River Evolutionary Significant Unit, steelhead and Chinook are listed as threatened in Johnson Creek under the Endangered Species Act. Recent information on fish in the Johnson Creek watershed comes from several surveys, fish kill reports, and occasional observations made by volunteers, residents, and agency personnel. The City of Portland in 1992 and ODFW in 1993 conducted surveys of the fish community in Johnson Creek. The fish community is dominated by species tolerant of warm water and disturbed conditions, particularly redside shiners, reticulate sculpin, and speckled dace (McConnaha 2002, JCCC 1995). Large-scale suckers are abundant in the lower reaches.
Johnson Creek historically had large salmon populations. Numbers declined dramatically once urbanization began and particularly after the channelization work was completed (McConnaha 2002). However, adult salmonids have been observed in recent years, including: coho salmon, Chinook salmon, cutthroat trout, and steelhead (ODFW unpublished data, as cited in Portland BES, 1999). The 1995 Johnson Creek Resources Management Plan summarized the different salmonid life stages and species use in Johnson Creek. A summary of salmonid species occurrence follows.
Winter-run adult steelhead return to spawn in Johnson Creek from mid-November through May. Two separate runs appear to peak in January-February and again in April-May. Eggs or salmon fry can be present in the gravel from December to July. Juvenile steelhead can remain in Johnson Creek for one to two years before migrating as smolts to salt water. Steelhead are likely to use the mainstem and tributaries.
Historically, coho salmon were observed in the lower reaches of Johnson Creek and Crystal Springs Creek from late September through early November. Eggs or coho fry could be within Johnson Creek gravels between October and March. Fry attempt to establish territories and remain in streams as juveniles for one to two years before smolts migrate to salt water.
Chinook salmon probably enter Johnson Creek to spawn during mid-September through October. Fry emerge from gravels in January or February. Unlike steelhead or coho salmon, Chinook only spend a few weeks near spawning grounds before migrating to salt water, and are usually out of the freshwater systems by June.
Table 11. Water Quality Indicators in the Johnson Creek Watershed
| Indicator |
Baseline Condition |
Key Function |
Key Process |
Effect |
Notes |
| Temperature |
Not Properly Functioning |
Temperature is related to shading and microclimate functions, and amount of impervious surface. Temperature affects the amount of dissolved oxygen in a stream and, in turn, fish physiology and health. Salmonids require cold water (less than 17 degrees Celsius). |
Temperature can be influenced by air temperature, cold water inputs such as seeps and springs, groundwater interactions, stormwater runoff, canopy cover, solar heating, and channel width-to-depth ratios. In addition, the orientation (such as east to west) of a stream can have significant effect on temperature regimes. High temperatures result from inputs of warm stormwater and a loss of riparian vegetation, which moderates stream microclimates. |
Warm water temperatures impair native fish health by increasing their susceptibility to disease and parasites. Warm water also has a direct effect on the amount of dissolved oxygen it can contain. Warm water can act as a barrier and have a significant effect on reproduction success. Negatively affects productivity and activities of aquatic species. |
Temperatures throughout Johnson Cr. exceed water quality standards during the summer months. Temperatures begin to exceed the spawning and incubation standard in April, although data is lacking to determine whether eggs and fry are still present within the gravel during this period. Temperatures at the mouth of Johnson Cr. are consistently higher than temperatures in the middle and upper watershed. |
| Thermal Refugia |
Not Properly Functioning |
Tributary streams and confluences, springs, seeps, and other groundwater inputs provide refuge areas for salmonids. |
Development, barriers, groundwater usage, and climate changes can impact thermal refuge areas. |
Lack of thermal refuge areas can have a significant impact on fish and aquatic species during critical times of their life cycles. |
No extensive survey of thermal refugia has been conducted in Johnson Cr. However, two key tributaries within Johnson Cr. – Crystal Springs and Kelley Cr. fail to meet temperature standards during summer months. Crystal Springs has large inputs of 55°F groundwater and yet exceeds temperature standards. |
| Eutrophication: (Nutrients, D.O., and Chlorophyll a) |
At Risk |
Nutrients and chlorophyll provide energy requirements to living organisms. High eutrophication associated with sediment and nutrient loading is negatively correlated with fish and aquatic habitat functions. |
Sources of eutrophication include erosion, and other human activities on the landscape including residential, commercial, agriculture, and others. |
Low D.O. can cause stress and lethal impacts. High nutrient loads can contribute to excessive aquatic vegetation densities and large diurnal changes in D.O. levels. High Chlorophyll a concentrations can lead to visibility problems. |
Nutrient concentrations exceed federal guidelines (Edwards, 1992; Reininga, 1994). D.O. concentrations frequently drop below 8.0 mg/L in summer; approximately thirty percent of the measurements throughout Johnson Cr. in August are below this value. Low dissolved oxygen concentrations are likely due to a combination of elevated temperatures and nutrient loading. |
| Toxic Materials |
At Risk |
Toxic materials have negative correlation with fish and wildlife health. |
Sources of toxic pollutants include agricultural, municipal, and industrial wastewaters, stormwater runoff, and chemical spills. Toxic chemicals bind to sediments, are ingested by aquatic organisms or are washed and deposited downstream. |
Toxics can cause lethal or sub lethal effects in aquatic organisms. Sub lethal effects include impaired reproduction. Bioaccumulation of pollutants in fish can negatively impact human health and piscivorous birds. Toxins can become a chemical barrier for aquatic species. |
Johnson Cr. is on the 303(d) list for DDT and Dieldrin. Instream DDT concentrations measured in a USGS study are among the highest measured in the region (Edwards 1994). Concentrations of PCBs and PAHs have also been recently observed exceeding state water quality standards, and are proposed for 303(d) listing. |
| Sediment |
At Risk |
Normal sediment inputs replenish scoured areas and contribute to bank creation. |
Sediments originate from the landscape from overland flow / stormwater runoff or upstream. Sediments also originate normally from stream channels and from excessive high flows and erosion of streambed and banks. |
High levels of sediment (or turbidity) can impair feeding and respiration and limit, impact, or destroy food resources. Turbidity abrades fish gills and skin leading to infection. |
Fines in certain portions of Johnson Cr. are presently at levels that seriously limit fish food production or embed spawning areas. |
Source: Portland ESA Program and modified by Adolfson
Coastal subspecies of cutthroat trout are also present in Johnson Creek. This coastal subspecies has both sea-run and resident forms. No current documentation of the sea-run form exists. Data from 1992 and 1993 indicated that cutthroat trout were present in low numbers throughout the mainstem of Johnson Creek, but were more abundant in many of the smaller headwater tributaries. Coastal cutthroat trout spawn from late December through February, and most fry emerge from the gravel by mid-April. This can vary depending on the spawning period and water temperature. Resident forms of coastal cutthroat trout typically remain in, or relatively close to their natal streams. Juvenile sea-run coastal cutthroat trout often spend a year in the small headwater streams and then move downstream into larger streams for the remainder of their freshwater residency. They can live in these larger stream systems for a period of two to nine years, but typically spend three years in freshwater before migrating to the ocean.
Clyde Brummel, a local resident, with the assistance of the Sellwood-Moreland Improvement League (SMILE), maintained a small hatchery (hatch box) on Crystal Springs Creek from 1981 to 2001(Ellis 1994, Caldwell 2003). From 1981 to 1993, an average of 15,000 coho and steelhead eggs were incubated in the hatch box then released as fry in the winter into upper Crystal Springs Creek to rear for approximately one year. Egg numbers dropped to 1,000 to 5,000 after 1993. From 1991 to 1997, a hatch box was maintained on lower Johnson Creek (RM 2.5) by a private landowner, Steve Johnson. An average of 15,000 to 20,000 coho and steelhead eggs were hatched from this box and released as fry in Lower Johnson Creek. ODFW supplied fertilized eggs for both hatch boxes through the Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program (STEP). In 1994, ODFW released substantial numbers of hatchery-reared juvenile fall Chinook salmon as part of an effort to support restoration.. A “put and take” rainbow trout fishery was also maintained through spring stockings of hatchery-reared catchable rainbow trout downstream of S.E. 82nd Avenue. The fishery programs ended in 1997 with the ESA listings.
In 2001, ODFW and the City of Portland’s Endangered Species Act program began a project to inventory fish communities within Johnson Creek to determine salmonid presence, life history and habitat usage throughout the watershed (Graham and Ward, 2002). Fish surveys were conducted in eight Portland streams including Crystal Springs, Johnson, and Kelley. Study results also showed that native fish were observed in Johnson Creek (1,626), Kelley Creek (904), and Crystal Springs Creek (868). A total of 131 non-native fish were collected and identified, all from the lowest reach of each stream (Graham and Ward, 2002).
The largest reach sampled was Reach 16 in Johnson Creek, which included 1,330 m2 or approximately 18 percent of the total area sampled. The largest catches of salmonids out of the eight study streams sampled this study were obtained in the Johnson Creek watershed (Johnson, Crystal Springs, and Kelley creeks). This is not surprising, because Johnson Creek is the longest stream sampled and had the highest flow (Graham and Ward, 2002). Johnson Creek had the greatest number of families including salmonids, lamprey, cottids, cyprinids, and centrarchids. Johnson Creek had both cutthroat trout and rainbow trout/steelhead. Coho salmon were only found in Johnson Creek. Lampreys were limited to reaches 8, 14, and 16 within Johnson Creek. Lampreys were most abundant in Kelley Creek with 132 individuals. Cutthroat trout was the most abundant salmonid present. Cutthroat trout populations in Kelley Creek are of particular interest because of several potential impassible barriers.
Table 12 summarizes the estimated number of salmonids per 100-m of selected reach sampled during the summer 2001 through spring 2002 surveys.
Table 12. 2001-2002 Fish Inventories in Johnson Creek Watershed
| Stream, reach |
Season |
Cutthroat Trout |
Rainbow trout/ Steelhead |
Coho salmon |
Chinook salmon |
| Crystal Springs 1 |
Winter |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| Spring |
0 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
|
| Johnson 2 |
Fall |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Spring |
0 |
1 |
1 |
14a |
|
| Johnson 4 |
Fall |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Johnson 16 |
Summer |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Fall |
8 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Spring |
7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Kelley 1 |
Summer |
8 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Fall |
19 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Winter |
12 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Spring |
8 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Kelley 2 |
Fall |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Winter |
15 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
| Spring |
31a |
0 |
0 |
0 |
a = Data provided is upper confidence limit; distribution of catch among passes resulted in negative abundance estimate.
An index of biotic integrity (IBI) was calculated during the ODFW 2001 study for both the extensive summer sampling and intensive seasonal sampling. An IBI is a scoring criteria used to rank a stream based on current biological integrity (Hughes et al. 1998 in Graham and Ward, 2002). The IBI is useful for assessing the effects of humans on entire fish assemblages. Final scores indicated that 21 of the 23 reaches surveyed were severely impaired. Marginally impaired reaches were limited to Johnson Creek reaches 2 and 16. No scores were considered acceptable (Graham and Ward, 2002). Low IBI scores can probably be attributed to barriers and environmental disturbances. The study concludes that due to environmental disturbances in Johnson Creek, restoration efforts should be concentrated in middle reaches, which are deep, lack cover, and are channelized by WPA tiling (Graham and Ward, 2002).
Plans for 2002-2003 call for repeat sampling in all stream reaches. Multiple years of data will allow the monitoring and comparing of fish communities, comparison of data under variable flow and environmental conditions, and characterization of population dynamics such as age, growth, and rates of recruitment (Graham and Ward, 2002).
During 2000-2001, a committee composed of jurisdictions within the watershed (known as the Johnson Creek Joint Culvert Crossing Committee) was formed to identify and inventory culverts within the Johnson Creek watershed and to make an assessment of their condition and fish passability. In addition to culverts, other instream passage structures such as bridges and potential obstructions such as dams, weirs, or exposed pipes within the public right-of-way were also inventoried. Six jurisdictions were involved including Multnomah and Clackamas Counties, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), and the cities of Portland, Gresham, and Milwaukie. Results were fed into Geographical Information System (GIS) analysis and mapped by Portland (Newel, 2002).
A total of 226 structures were inventoried watershed wide. Seventy-eight culverts were inventoried within Portland and a total of 38 structures were inventoried within Gresham. An assessment was made of the condition of each culvert in terms of degree of blockage and various maintenance considerations. In addition, ratings were given for conditions such as distance to next culvert, instream and riparian habitat quality, fish presence, and downstream access (City of Portland ESA, 2002). Due to timing restrictions on federal grant fund programs and other constraints, the jurisdictions completed only the first phase of the inventory. Additional assessment will be required to finalize the culvert prioritization process. Both Clackamas and Multnomah Counties have ranked public right-of-way culverts within their jurisdictional boundaries. A summary of the public right-of-way culvert crossing inventory database is provided in the Action Plan in Appendix D (PDF, 47 KB). Culverts and other fish passage barriers on private lands have not been assessed. See 2.11.2 Data Needs.
The assessment shows that there are no culverts on the mainstem until high in the upper reaches of the watershed. Culverts are present, however, on nearly all the tributaries to Johnson Creek. Crystal Springs, an area used by local and migratory Willamette salmonids, has a series of partially impassable culverts along its length. Kelley Creek and its tributaries have a number of impassable culverts and dams. However, the City of Portland recently removed a partial passage barrier by installing a new culvert at SE 162nd and Foster Road, providing fish access to lower Kelley Creek. Some of the least developed Johnson Creek tributaries along the southern side of the middle reach also have culverts along their confluences with the mainstem.
Apart from culverts additional passage barriers exist along Johnson Creek. Four instream structures within Johnson Creek have either recently been removed or plans are being finalized for removal. During 2000, Metro acquired property and removed a private instream dam on Johnson Creek above Hogan Road in Gresham. In 2002, BES began finalizing plans for removing a concrete sewer pipe within the streambed of Johnson Creek in Tideman Johnson Park. Multnomah County has also approved a permit to replace culverts in Johnson Creek mainstem above SE 282nd with an arched culvert/bridge (see Appendix D (PDF, 47 KB) and Appendix I (PDF, 119 KB)). Figure 8 (PNG, 435 KB) presents a preliminary list of known fish barriers throughout the Johnson Creek watershed.
Refuge areas for fish consist of both chemical and thermal refugia. Refuge areas for fish are local areas where fish can escape chronic or episodic events such as high turbidity flow events during the winter or high water temperatures during the summer and early fall. Thermal refugia areas generally include groundwater springs, seeps, confluences of tributaries, and in some stream systems, localized areas of intact healthy riparian shaded areas.
DEQ obtained both field temperature data and the Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR) imaging data during 2002. These surveys were conducted during a very low period (approximately 1 cfs). Preliminary results yielded no significant coldwater refugia areas. This was due in part to the low flow conditions and the limits of the FLIR capabilities (E-mail communication with Greg Geist, DEQ, 2003). See Figure 9 (PDF, 80 KB) for a preliminary plot of Effective Shade by River Mile showing the current and potential conditions. This plot was produced by DEQ for development of the Draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL).
Currently, fish usage within the Johnson Creek watershed is not fully documented. Salmonids and lamprey have been observed in the following areas:
| Lower Kelley Creek and possibly Lower Hogan Creek |
Steelhead |
| Crystal Springs Creek |
Rainbow/Steelhead |
| Lower and Upper Kelley, Johnson Creek Reach 16 |
Cutthroat Trout* |
| Lower Crystal Springs Creek, Johnson Creek Reach 1 and 2, Reach 5 |
Coho spawners |
| Johnson Creek Reach 1 and 2 |
Chinook |
| Kelley Creek, Crystal Springs Creek, and Johnson Creek Reaches 4, 6, 8, 12, and 16 |
Lamprey |
* Cutthroat Trout are likely in other areas of Johnson Creek and its tributaries.
During 1999, Portland State University (Pan, et. al, 2001) conducted a pilot bioassessment study of urban streams including Johnson for the City of Portland BES. The main objective of this study was to assess the spatial variation of biota in two urban streams (Johnson and Tryon Creek) and two adjacent rural ecosystems (Clear Creek and Deep Creek). A total of 65 sites were sampled for physical, chemical, and biological parameters during late August through early September 1999. Of 65 sites, 30 were in Johnson Creek, 25 of which were on the main stem. Sites were sampled monthly for diatoms, macroinvertebrates, and water chemistry. The results of the study found that benthic communities are degraded in comparison to regional reference creeks within the same ecoregion (Hoy 2001; Pan et al. 2001; Walker 2001). Specifically in Johnson Creek the results indicated marginal conditions for physical habitat, macroinvertebrates and lack of a quality food base.
As expected, macroinvertebrate assemblages were significantly different between the urban and rural streams. Of 22 metrics, 14 were significantly different. Species diversity and total number of sensitive taxa (Mayfly, Caddisfly and Stonefly), which generally indicate the degree of stream health, in the two urban streams were significantly lower than those in the rural streams. Results also reveal that both macroinvertebrates and diatom assemblages were significantly different between urban and rural streams and that richness metrics were consistently different between urban and rural streams for two years. The scores also indicated that overall physical habitat conditions in Johnson Creek were marginal. Water quality variables such as conductivity, ortho-phosphate, and NO3+NO2 were greater and more variable at the urban than the rural site throughout the year.
The scores indicated that overall physical habitat conditions in Johnson Creek were marginal. Of the generally sensitive taxa found in Johnson Creek most were pollution tolerant species indicating marginal conditions for sensitive macroinvertebrates and the lack of a quality food base within Johnson Creek.
The Portland ESA Program assessed baseline conditions for biological indicators in Johnson Creek (Table 13). These indicators and their assessed base line condition compared to properly functioning conditions were incorporated into an Ecosystem Diagnosis & Treatment (EDT) Model. See Chapter 2.12.1 for discussion of this model and results of selected indicator attributes and their protection and restoration values.
Table 13. Biological Indicators in the Johnson Creek Watershed
| Indicator |
Baseline Condition |
Key Function |
Key Process |
Effect |
Notes |
| Instream Communities |
At Risk |
Benthic and aquatic invertebrate, and other instream communities support higher orders of wildlife species and are widely used as indicators of stream health and condition. Many fish species rely on benthic organisms as a food source. |
Highly sensitive to pollutants, temperature, and flow changes. |
Biotic integrity of Johnson Cr. is degraded. Many native fish species have been extirpated or greatly reduced, and many introduced or nuisance species currently occupy their habitat. Benthic communities in Johnson Cr. are significantly degraded in comparison to local reference streams (Hoy 2001; Pan et. al., 2001; and Walker, 2001). |
|
| Salmonids |
Not Properly Functioning |
Salmonids are important in stream ecosystems because they are often the largest species in the community and at the top of the food chain in the aquatic system. |
The physical stream habitat, geographic location, and evolutionary history of the species determine the numbers and species composition of fish in a given stream. |
The cumulative impacts of the factors listed above threaten salmonid survival and salmonid populations locally and upstream and have been greatly reduced from historical numbers. |
|
| Interspecific Interactions |
At Risk |
Non-native species compete with native species. Changes to the watershed system can increase the competitive advantages of some native species as well. |
Non-native species may be directly introduced, such as certain game fish, or may be escaped species. |
Competition with and predation by introduced and native species has been increased by 1) introductions of non-native species; 2) habitat alterations that provide hiding places for predators; and 3) increased temperature regime which provides competitive advantages to more tolerant species. |
Source: City of Portland ESA Program
Currently, no large or exhaustive database of information exists on wildlife resources and their habitats throughout the watershed. Overall, the diversity of wildlife species in the watershed has been significantly reduced. Large mammals were once common, such as black bear, bobcat, cougar, wolf, fox, elk, and coyote (JCCC, 1995). A cougar sighting was recently reported. Black-tailed deer and coyotes are likely the only large mammals that can still be commonly found in or near the remaining forested areas. Birds are the most abundant wildlife forms living in urban and rural areas within the watershed. Sensitive species known to occur in the riparian areas of Johnson Creek include three salamander species (long-toed, northwestern, and Columbia), two frog species, and one toad species. Painted turtles have been identified in the upper watershed (east of 162nd Street). Other sensitive species have been sited in the following specific areas: 1) 162nd and Kelley Creek (salamanders); 2) 182nd and Springwater Corridor, opposite Fairview Creek headwater wetlands area (great horned owls, red-legged frogs, hawks, and coyotes); and 3) Powell Butte (Tall bugbane, listed as a sensitive species on the ODFW state sensitive species list) (Portland ESA, 2000).
The wildlife habitat value of the Johnson Creek watershed is greatly diminished due to growth and development. Many different factors influence and generally reduce these values. Several important limiting factors listed the 1995 Johnson Creek Resources Management Plan include: lack of structural diversity; narrow and degraded riparian corridor; lack of dead wood, standing or snags, or down wood; limited connection or linkage between riparian and upland habitats; fragmentation, disturbance; and encroachment of non-native vegetation.
