Watershed Protection, Monitoring, and Outreach Plan | Beaverton, Oregon
Client: Tualatin Valley Water District (TVWD)
The Willamette Intake Facilities (WIF) Commission, an intergovernmental agreement between TVWD, Beaverton, Wilsonville, Sherwood, Hillsboro, and Tigard, is developing a Watershed Protection, Monitoring, and Outreach Plan. This plan gives the WIF Commission a way to identify risks and opportunities to prioritize projects and initiatives around the protection of source water quality and provide partner agencies with safe, reliable, drinking water for their communities.
The Willamette River watershed is largest watershed in the state of Oregon at over 11,500 square miles. The hydrology in the watershed is dominated by the Willamette Valley Project, a system of 11 reservoirs operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control, irrigation, and habitat purposes. The watershed upstream of the drinking water intake consists of communities, and agriculture and forestry land uses, which may pose risks to the source water quality.
A team of consultants has been conducting literature and data reviews, pollutant loading analyses, risk analyses and stakeholder engagement to develop a long-term source water management plan and program. Rob Annear from AWR provided expert technical advice, senior review, client engagement, and developed a planning strategy.
Source Water Protection Area
Thermal Impacts Analysis and Mitigation, Duff Water Plant Intake Permitting | Medford, Oregon
Client: Medford Water (MW)
Medford Water has applied to build a second intake at the Duff Water Treatment Plant to allow for withdrawal of an additional 90 cubic feet per second (cfs) from the Rogue River to meet future water demands.
The project may affect flowrate and water temperature in the Rogue River downstream of the withdrawal. The river is governed by a water temperature Total Maximum Daily Load and is listed for endangered Coho Salmon.
To ensure meeting future community water demands while also protecting the aquatic habitat for fish, the team developed technical analyses and strategies for thermal mitigation while providing strategic guidance to MW in navigating the permitting process. Rob Annear’s role on the project is provide senior review of the thermal analysis and assist with negotiations with the regulatory agencies.
Image Source: Rob Annear
Skagit Valley Hydroelectric Project Water Quality Modeling and FERC Relicensing | Concrete, Washington
Client: Seattle City Light (SCL)
Three Skagit Valley Project needs to be relicensed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Project consists of three reservoirs: Ross, Diablo, and Gorge.
As part of the relicensing process, SCL is conducting environmental studies to better understand the impacts of the Project on aquatic and terrestrial resources. One of these studies involved understanding the Project impacts on reservoir and downstream temperature and water quality, both critical to productive fisheries.
In collaboration with another firm, Rob’s team developed hydrodynamic, water temperature and quality models (using CE-QUAL-W2) of the reservoirs and river reaches below the dams to be used to explore operational changes at the dams that can potentially modify the temperature regime downstream of the dams to support improving fish productivity. Rob served as the water quality modeling lead, provided expert technical advice, senior review, and led the modeling engagement with the License Participants.
Image Source: Rob Annear
Lacamas, Fallen Leaf and Round Lakes, Lake Cyanobacteria Lake Management Plan | Camas, Washington
Client: City of Camas (City)
The city needs a sustainable long-term lake cyanobacteria management plan for Lacamas, Round, and Fallen Leaf Lakes.
Lacamas Lake is an eutrophic lake fed by Lacamas Creek and directly connected to Round Lake. In recent years water quality problems have persisted in the lakes with algal blooms impacting recreation in 2020 and 2021.
The city is working with a team of scientists and engineers to collect data, develop water and nutrient budgets and develop a long-term lake management plan for the lakes, including stakeholder input. Rob Annear from AWR is supporting this project by providing expert technical advice, senior review, engagement with the client and stakeholders, interpreting field data, and assisting with developing the lake management plan.
Image Source: Rob Annear
