Water Temperature Dynamics in the Quillayute River Basin, Washington, 2021 - 2023

The Quillayute River Basin in northwestern Washington consists of the Quillayute River and the river systems of its major tributaries, the Dickey, Sol Duc, and Bogachiel Rivers. With a drainage area of 629 square miles, the Quillayute River Basin provides important habitat for 23 distinct runs of anadromous steelhead and salmon, representing one of the largest and most productive watersheds on the Washington coast (Nelson, 1982; Hunter, 2006). The Quileute Tribe maintains treaty-protected fisheries at usual and accustomed areas in the Quillayute River Basin; however, these fisheries are currently at risk during the late summer as water temperatures within these areas may exceed the specific thermal tolerances of salmonids and other cold-water aquatic species. To inform the planning and prioritization of projects that aim to improve the availability of cold-water habitat in the Quillayute River Basin, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Quileute Tribe and Wild Salmon Center, utilized various methods to characterize the late-summer water temperature dynamics of the Quillayute River Basin. These study components and their corresponding objectives included the following:
- Thermal infrared surveys to map and profile water surface temperatures and identify thermal points of interest in the Quillayute River and its major tributaries (126 river miles total).
- Paired air-stream temperature analysis to evaluate the groundwater influence and thermal sensitivity of 11 sites within the Quillayute River Basin.
Repeated longitudinal near-surface and near-bottom water temperature float surveys to locate temperature changes indicative of groundwater discharge and assess the tidal influence on water temperatures along the right edge, left edge, and center of the Quillayute River (20 surveys total)
- Models of groundwater-surface water exchange using streambed sediment temperature data at 6 sites in the lower Quillayute River and 13 sites in the Quillayute River oxbow ponds.
- Cross-sectional profiles of water temperature and specific conductance to support interpretation of continuous water temperature records collected in the Quillayute River oxbow ponds.
The data from these study components are included in the Child Items of this Data Release. In addition to the data presented herein, continuous water temperature data at ten sites representing deep pools in the Quillayute River and Quillayute River oxbow ponds were collected and published on the USGS National Water Information System (USGS, 2024a-e, g-k) as part of this study, along with river stage data at an additional site on the Quillayute River (USGS, 2024f). At each of the ten pool sites water temperature was collected at two to three depths in the water column to assess thermal stratification and the potential effect of tides and groundwater discharge. A forthcoming USGS Scientific Investigations Report will provide interpretation of all data published for this study.
References Cited:
Hunter, J.W., 2006, Quillayute Watershed Prioritized Salmon Restoration Projects: Quileute Natural Resources, accessed May 29, 2024, at https://quileutenation.org/natural-resources/salmon-restoration/.
Nelson, L.M., 1982, Streamflow and sediment transport in the Quillayute River basin, Washington:  U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 82-627, 33 p. [Also available online at https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/ofr82627]
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2024a, USGS 475408124342701 Quillayute River Oxbow Hockey Pond nr La Push, WA, in USGS water data for the Nation: U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database, accessed May 29, 2024, at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7P55KJN. [Site information directly accessible at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=475408124342701.]
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2024b, USGS 475413124351219 Quillayute R Oxbow Long Pond South nr La Push, WA, in USGS water data for the Nation: U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database, accessed May 29, 2024, at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7P55KJN. [Site information directly accessible at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=475413124351219.]
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2024c, USGS 475418124351809 Quillayute R Oxbow Long Pond North nr La Push, WA, in USGS water data for the Nation: U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database, accessed May 29, 2024, at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7P55KJN. [Site information directly accessible at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=475418124351809.]
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2024d, USGS 475422124342503 Quillayute River Oxbow Gravel Pond nr La Push, WA, in USGS water data for the Nation: U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database, accessed May 29, 2024, at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7P55KJN. [Site information directly accessible at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=475422124342503.]
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2024e, USGS 475431124341790 Quillayute River at River Mile 4.0 nr La Push, WA, in USGS water data for the Nation: U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database, accessed May 29, 2024, at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7P55KJN. [Site information directly accessible at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=475431124341790.]
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2024f, USGS 475433124331801 Quillayute River at River Mile 4.8 nr La Push, WA, in USGS water data for the Nation: U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database, accessed May 29, 2024, at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7P55KJN. [Site information directly accessible at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=475433124331801.]
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2024g, USGS 475438124353601 Quillayute River at River Mile 3.0 nr La Push, WA, in USGS water data for the Nation: U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database, accessed May 29, 2024, at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7P55KJN. [Site information directly accessible at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=475438124353601.]
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2024h, USGS 475447124325201 Quillayute River at River Mile 5.2, in USGS water data for the Nation: U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database, accessed May 29, 2024, at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7P55KJN. [Site information directly accessible at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=475447124325201.]
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2024i, USGS 475450124364701 Quillayute River at River Mile 2.0 nr La Push, WA, in USGS water data for the Nation: U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database, accessed May 29, 2024, at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7P55KJN. [Site information directly accessible at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=475450124364701.]
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2024j, USGS 475452124324101 Quillayute River at River Mile 5.4 nr La Push, WA, in USGS water data for the Nation: U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database, accessed May 29, 2024, at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7P55KJN. [Site information directly accessible at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=475452124324101.]
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2024k, USGS 475515124370701 Quillayute River at River Mile 1.3 nr La Push, WA, in USGS water data for the Nation: U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database, accessed May 29, 2024, at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7P55KJN. [Site information directly accessible at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=475515124370701.]

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