WORKING PAPER NO. 13 COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN PROJECT For Water Supply and Water Quality Management BIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION - YAKIMA RIVER September, 1961 Feb. 28, 1962 Prepared by JNW & PAH Reviewed by Approved by DISTRIBUTION Project Staff Cooperating Agencies General U. S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION AND WELFARE Public Health Service Region IX Division of Water Supply and Pollution Control 570 Pittock Block Portland 5, Oregon ------- This working paper contains preliminary data and information primarily intended for internal use by the Columbia River Basin Project staff and cooperating agencies. The material presented in this paper has not been fully evaluated and should not be considered as final. ------- BIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION - YAKIMA RIVER September, 1961 As a part of a more comprehensive investigation of the Yakima River, including physical, chemical and biochemical tests, a biological investigation was made on September 14 and on September 19-20, 1961. The following stations are on the Yakima River except as indicated: River Mile 190 173.5 153.5 138.5 109.5 98 85.3 78 NANFOPLANKTOH Description Above Easton Above Cle Elum Above Ellensburg Rotary Club camp ground Below Wilson Creek Below Ellensburg Unnamed camp ground Naches River near jet. with Yakima at bridge on Hwy, U.S. 410 Near Sunnyside Diversion Dam Zillah-Toppenish Bridge Granger Bridge Mabton-Sunnyside Bridge Kiona-Benton City Bridge Type Sample Sample lost Bottom Fauna Bottom Fauna Plankton Bottom Fauna Bottom Fauna Bottom Fauna Bottom Fauna Bottom Fauna Plankton Plankton To determine the effects of pollution and the addition of nutrients to the waters of the Yakima River upon the -drifting microscopic plants and animals, three nannoplankton samples were collected and analyzed in the laboratory. By "nanno" is meant "dwarf" plankton, as against the mesoplankton or net plankton, such as would be collected in a Clarke-Bumpus or Wisconsin net. ------- All three of the samples were collected from the main stem of the Yakima River. The sample from Wilson Creek mouth above Ellensburg represents the relatively unpolluted condition of the river. At Mab ton-Sun-iy side the river has received most of its pollutional dischargee &ad the major portion of return irrigation flows as well. Tha third station for plankton was at Kiona-Benton City which is about 25 miles above the mouth. The follqwing table presents some salient results from the plankton analysis with certain data on nutrient content of the waters from the physico-chemical investigation of the same time. TABLE I NANNOPLANKTON IN RELATION TO CERTAIN PHYSICO-CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WATER SEPT. 19-20, 1961 Test Conductance Potassium Mg./L Nitrate Mg./L Phosphate Mg./L Calcium Mg./L Magnesium Mg./L Total Nannoplankton/L Blue-green Algae Total Genera-species Below Wilson Creek 49 0.8 0.1 0.045 5 4 182,000 Few 25 Mabton- Sunnyside 280 3.5 2.22 0.22 27.5 14 502,000 Abundant 18 Kiona- Benton City 310 3.7 2.56 0.215 26 12 220,000 Decreased 16 These data indicate a decrease in nannoplankton in the lower river despite the maintenance of most nutrients at a high level. Reasons for this may become evident in subsequent investigations. The following Table II presents the complete counts of the nannoplankton. ------- TABLE II RESULTS OF NANNOPIANKTON ANALYSES Organism Blue-green Algaa Auabaena sp« Oscillatoria sp. Green Algae Anrlstrodesmus falcatus Ccsmarium sp. Pediastrum boryanum Scenedesmus quadricauda Diatoms Achnanthes sp* Asterionella gracillima Amphora oval is Cocconeis sp. Ceratoneis sp. Cyclotella sp. Cymatopleura solea Cymbella sp. Diatoma vulgare Eunotia sp. Fragilaria capucina Fragilaria crotonensis Gomphonema acuminata Gyros igma sp. Melosira sp. Navicula sp." Nitzschia sp. Pinnularia sp. Stephanodiscus sp. Surirella sp. Synedra sp. Miscellaneous Chironoinid larva Dinobryon sertularia Gymnodinium sp. Nematode Total YAKIMA SURVEY NUMBERS/LITER SEPT. 19-21, 1961 Below Wilson Creek 300 1,200 300 300 2,400 40,000 1,500 15,600 600 300 300 1,800 47,700 1,800 900 5,100 2,700 35,100 900 37 1,200 1,800 4,500 14,700 300 181,337 Mabton-Sunny- side Bridge 136,000 1,200 1,800 1,200 19,800 1,200 1,200 2,400 7,200 6,000 1,200 1,200 600 248,000 600 72,000 present present 501,600 Kiona-Benton City Bridge 300 21,000 300 11,700 1,200 900 2,400 2,400 23,000 600 300 900 300 84,000 600 70,000 219,900 (Cont'd.) ------- Predominant Genera: Wllsor Creek - Asterionella gracilllma Diatoma vulgare Mabton-Sutmyside- Oscillatoria sp. Bridge Navicula sp. Kiona-Benton City-Oscillatoria spj Bridge Navicula sp. Synedra sp. BOTTOM FAUNA Collections of bottom fauna, primarily insects, were made at six stations in the Cle Elum to Kiona reach of the main stem Yakima River on September 14 and 21, 1961. The complete record is presented in Table III. A summarized interpretative treatment is shown in Table IV. In terms of total production of animal matter, the collections showed a trend similar to nannoplankton production - that is, high in the section from Zillah to Mabton and falling off by the time Kiona is reached. The heavy production at Zillah-Toppenish of 8.21 grams/ square foot was comprised of caddisfly larvae, Macronemum sp., for the most part. This is four times the production generally referred to as rich from the standpoint of fish food production for streams throughout the country. ------- TABLE III YAKIMA RIVER - BOTTOM FAUMA - NO. ORGANISMS/SQ. FT. Organism Cle Elum 1/4 mi. upstream from Ellensburg T A T I 1/2 mi. below Wilson Creek 0 N Zillah-Toppenish Granger Bridge Bridge Kiona-Benton City Bridge Coleoptera Amphizoidae Diptera Orthocladiinae Simuliidae Tipulidae Ephemoptera Baetidae Ameletus Baetis Ephemerella Heptageriidae Cinygmula Ironodes Lepidoptera Pyralididae Elophila Odonata Coenagrionidae Amphiagrion Plecoptera Perlidae Acroneuriinae Acroneunia Neoperla 3 1 7 1 54 a 2 1 31 2 3 12 54 2 80 7 9 4 14 215 1 chiron. 4 10 22 24 99 (caenis 5 ( 4 51 12 16 ------- vO TABLE III (Cont.) Organism Nemourldae Brachyptera Trtcoptera Brachycentridae Brachycentrus Hydrosychidae Macronemum Arctopsyche Cheumatopsyche Tricoptera Psychamyiidae Psychamyia STATION 1/4 mi. upstream 1/2 mi* below Zillah-Toppenish Granger Kiona-Benton Cle Elum from Ellensburg Wilson Creek Bridge Bridge City Bridge 43 1 7 10 1349 28 117 9 6 118 26 26 8 Total number of organisms per sq. ft. Vol. of organisms per sq. ft. cc. Wt. of organisms per sq. ft. gms. 46 46 189 1535 277 443 .07 1.1* .8 6.8 1.3 1.8 .07 V , r 1.05* .75 8.21 4.04 .9 * Total sample based on reconnaissance. ------- TABU; iv SUMMARY OF BOTTOM FAUNA ~ YAKIMA RIVER. WASHINGTON - INSECTS INDICATION OF POLLUTION o/o 0 F T 0 T A L NUMBER Station Cle Elum 1/4 mi. upstream from Ellensburg 1/2 mi, below Wilson Creek Zillah-Toppenish Bridge Granger Bridge Date Coll, 9/14 9/14 9/19 9/14 9/14 G$ .07 cc/ n.2 .07 Recon» .75 8.21 4.04 ,8 6.8 1.3 Tot. # Coleoptera 46 46 4.35 189 1535 277 Dictera Eijhamor>t«.-r.a L? 8.70 23.92 6.50 30.38 22.05 3.64 6.51 81 ..02 8.07 jpidopter ft Cfl omtft, . P,lp.c npter t. 8.69 33,62 26.43 .92 1.04 o/o L Trichoptprn Poll lit- 58.69 56,53 21.14 87.89 10.91 OF TOTAL NUPffiFR l«n-l F.««lt«MW 91.31 62.03 75.57 9^.96 100.00 m«««. 8.69 37.97 26.43 1.04 Kiona-Benton City Bridge 9/21 .9 1.8 443 6.06 24.32 11.51 2.70 53.04 97.30 2.70 ------- 8 RECOMMENDATIONS Investigations should be continued on the Yakima and principal tributaries including the main irrigation drains. It is suggested that besides the biological sampling described herein, an additional study should be made to determine the rate and speciation of the accumulation of organic matter and algae on the river bed. This may be done in various ways: (1) the smaller (4-inch) tile box, (2) respiration method used at Oregon State University using wire baskets filled with stream gravel and held in the stream for given periods of time, and (3) submerged glass microscope slides. It is suggested that the study of algae on the river bed be started immediately after the spring freshet has subsided and before heavy accumulations of algal material have had an opportunity to develop. ------- |