• I
Environmental
evaluation
of snoqualmie
national forest
resource
management
programs
\
UJ
REGION X 1200 SIXTH AVENUE
SEATTLE WA 98101
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ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATION OF
SNOQUALMIE NATIONAL FOREST RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS
Prepared By
El don H. Edmundson
REPORT NUMBER: REGION X-2
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
REGION X
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101
March 1973
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CONTENTS
PAGE
I. Introduction 1
II. Recommendations 3
III. Results and Discussion 9
A. Study Area - Snoqualmie National Forest 9
B. Recreation 13
1. Drinking Water 13
2. Sanitary Wastes 20
3. Solid Waste 25
C. Natural Resource Utilization 27
1. Timber 27
a. Harvesting 28
b. Pre-commercial Thinning 31
c. Roads 31
d. Forest Residues 32
e. Monitoring 36
f. Unroaded Areas 37
2. Mining 38
3. Grazing 40
D. Special Environmental Problems 41
1. Pesticides 41
2. Municipal Watersheds 43
3. Administrative Sites 45
4. Oil and Hazardous Materials 46
IV. Appendix 47
ii
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LIST OF TABLES
TABLE PAGE
1. Water supply and waste disposal at special use 15
permit recreational areas
2. Sanitary survey inspections of selected campgrounds 22
in Snoqualmie National Forest
3. Approximate hectares (acres) and volume cut by 29
silvicultural practices within a working circle
between January 1, 1971 to December 31, 1971
4. Hectares (acres) of logging residue burned during 34
1968-1971 in Snoqualmie National Forest
5. Average costs for fuel treatment 35
6. Estimated Fiscal Year 1973 pesticide use on 42
Snoqualmie National Forest
7. Municipal supply watersheds 44
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INTRODUCTION
This report presents the findings of a field study to assess
the environmental impacts of resource management activities on the
Snoqualmie National Forest. The study was conducted to (a) gain
a better understanding of the problems associated with overall
resource management, (b) identify specific areas where degradation
occurs as a result of such management, and (c) to develop
procedures for minimizing or preventing such degradation.
This activity is a part of the Environmental Protection
Agency's current orogram to assist the Federal agencies in meeting
their environmental responsibilities. The conclusions and
recommendations, while specific to the Snoqualmie National Forest,
could also apply to other Forest Service areas having similar
activities and problems.
The Snoqualmie Forest is managed for recreation, timber
production, water supply, wildlife, grazing, and mining purposes.
Problems associated with these activities are often concentrated
into specific geographical areas, such as ski resorts, campgrounds,
and clearcuts.
Effects of these activities on air and water quality were
evaluated during the field studies. In addition, orograms for
public water supply protection, solid wastes management, pesticides
.*
use, and oil and hazardous materials handling and storage were
examined.
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Approximately five weeks were spent on the forest. In this
time frame, it was not possible to conduct an in-depth analysis of
all activities, but merely to identify major problems and obtain an
indication of the impacts from the various operations. Information
was obtained through discussions with Snoqualmie National Forest
personnel in the supervisor's office and on the ranger districts.
Field inspections were also conducted with and without Snoqualmie
National Forest personnel.
The cooperation and assistance of Mr. Donald Campbell, Forest
Supervisor, and the entire Forest staff was greatly appreciated.
This study would not have been possible without the cooperation
and constructive attitudes of the Forest Service personnel ,
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RECOMMENDATIONS
The following recommendations are presented according to
priority of overall environmental control so that their relative
importance will be indicative to managers responsible for alloca-
ting limited resources. It should be stressed that only the more
significant control measures have been addressed in these recom-
mendations and that all are essential to an effective environmen-
tal control program. The recommendations were developed in full
recognition of the budgetary and manpower resource limitations of
the Forest Service.
General
1. Strengthen coordination with State agencies regarding
application and enforcement of environmental law and regulations.
One means of accomplishing this is through reaffirming existing
working agreements and development of new agreements as necessary
to clearly define responsibilities and planned actions of all
concerned parties.
2. Improve compliance with the National Environmental Policy
Act. Special attention should be given to improving methods for
predicting the environmental impacts of proposed resource manage-
ment activities and for developing alternative management plans to
allow public choices and opportunity for expressing their choices.
3. Establish a Forest-wide air and water monitoring program
with the State of Washington, counties, U.S. Geological Survey and
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EPA compatible with the regional monitoring program coordinated by EPA.
The program should be designed to detect standards violations
associated with ongoing resource management activities, to docu-
ment baseline quality, and establish long-term trends or changes
in the quality.
4. Refine procedures to ensure licensees, grantees, contrac-
tors and special use permittees comply with applicable environ-
mental standards and regulations.
Recreation
1. Water Supply - Strengthen water supply monitoring,
inspection, reporting and enforcement programs for Forest Service
and special use permit facilities. Specific actions suggested
should include:
a. Transfer control for Forest Service water supplies
from districts to the Supervisor's office to a qualified water
supply specialist. The specialist's duties may include:
(1) Ensuring that samples are collected in accord-
ance with the Forest Service Manual.
(2) Follow-up action on any unsatisfactory sample.
(3) Initiating a chemical data base covering all
campground water supplies. Developing a chemical sampling program
where the maximum time between samples is three years.
(4) Conductinglannual and follow-up sanitary surveys
on all drinking water systems including those found unsatisfactory
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during ongoing operations.
(5) Ensuring that county and State regulations
involving drinking water systems on special use permit areas are
enforced.
b. Conduct periodic training sessions for all employees
involved with water supplies.
2. Sanitary Wastes - Strengthen sewage disposal inspection,
monitoring, reporting and enforcement program for Forest Service
and special use permit facilities. Specific actions should
include:
a. Review a portion of the treatment facilities at
special use permit areas yearly.
b. Provide facilities for receiving sewage from self-
contained travel trailers and campers.
c. Move pit toilets which periodically fill with ground
water, or change them to sealed vaults.
3. Solid Waste - Implement procedures for handling solid
wastes from winter recreation areas during heavy peak as well as
normal day use.
Natural Resources
1. Timber - Many of the following recommendations are also
found in the U. S. Forest Service publication, National Forest in
a Quality Environment Action Plan. Ensure that presently
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unquantified environmental values are given appropriate considera-
tion in decision making along with economic and technical consid-
erations. Specific actions which can be used in reducing degrada-
tion from timber management activities are:
a. Continue to write impact statements on multiple use
plans. Improve predictions in the planning phase, of the effects
from individual actions. For example, on a timber sale, include
whether these activities will adhere to water or air quality standards.
If deviations are expected, list them and the duration of such devi-
ations. Also, continue to prepare environmental analysis reports
through public involvement. Write impact statements on those
specific projects significantly affecting the environment.
b. Establish a program to monitor water and air quality
affected by logging to ensure compliance with Federal, State and
local air and water pollution laws and regulations and for compar-
ison with predicted effects mentioned in paragraph a. above.
c. Determine level of regular field inspection of
logging and road building operations necessary to ensure compli-
ance with environmental standards. Defer those operations that
cannot be provided a proper level of administration.
d. Strengthen contract language to allow an effective
means of penalizing timber sale contract violations.
e. In areas where road locations are questionable from
environmental impact standpoint, use logging methods not requir-
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ing new roads or refrain from logging that area.
f. Ensure that restoration of logged areas is adequate.
If timber sale funds are not adequate for restoration work, do not
log that area.
Special Environmental Problems
1. Pesticides - Strengthen inspection, monitoring, reporting,
and enforcement programs for storage, application, and disposal of
pesticides used by Forest Service, licensees, grantees, contractors,
and special use permittees. Specific suggestions are:
a. Prepare impact statements on individual pesticide
application projects, particularly conifer release programs,
rights-of-way spraying, and range revegetation which may cause a
significant impact on the environment.
b. Require licensees, grantees, contractors, and
special use permittees to identify methods and locations for
disposing of pesticide residues and containers. Approve only
those permits where the methods and locations are acceptable.
c. Continue to store hazardous pesticides in sealed
containers until acceptable disposal methods are identified.
2. Municipal Watersheds - Identify watersheds used for
municipal or private drinking water supplies on maps for public
distribution. Identify and publicize uses or activities prohibited
or restricted in these drinking water supply watersheds, and
restrict uses accordingly.
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3. Oil and Hazardous Materials
a. Develop contingency plans for use at the district
level.
b. Conduct training sessions for people transporting oil
and hazardous materials through Snoqualmie National Forest lands.
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Study Area - Snoqualmie National Forest
Snoqualmie National Forest is located 48 km (30 miles) east
of the largest metropolitan area in the Pacific Northwest, the
Seattle-Tacoma area, which includes some 1.5 million people (See
Map). Snoqualmie National Forest also encompasses some of the Dougle.s
fir and ponderosa pine forests, which supply wood products to a
large and important timber processing industry.
During the past few years, an increased demand has also occur-
red on the forest for recreation use. To protect recreational
areas, greater citizen involvement has occurred in deciding where
and how timber will be harvested. Year round recreation at Sno-
qualmie National Forest during 1971 was 3.23 million visitor days.
(A visitor day is considered 1 person for 12 hours or 2 persons for
6 hours, etc.). These people utilize 78 campgrounds, 12 resorts,
400 organizational sites (YMCA, Boy Scouts of America, etc.), about
850 summer homes, and the rest of the approximately 460,000 ha (1.5
million acres) present. This places a tremendous strain on sewage
disposal systems, drinking water systems, solid waste collection
systems and on the environmental character of the area.
In the case of timber, these changes have resulted both in
reduced amounts harvested and in different harvesting techniques.
New or different equipment is necessary to harvest timber in
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WASHINGTON
SNOQUALMIE
NATIONAL
FOREST
LAND
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accordance with required methods. Improved timber harvesting
methods can be expected to increase costs, making small volume
operations marginal. This has, in many cases, caused the timber
industry to apply pressure to increase the amount of timber allow-
ed to be cut.
Snoqualmie National Forest is also used for municipal or
private water supplies. Presently, there are 10 municipalities, 8
special use permittees and 850 summer homes utilizing more than
41,000 ha (100,000 acres) of forest watersheds as a source of
drinking water supplies. In order to meet the Public Health
Service drinking water standards and established criteria for
watershed activity, the Forest Service provides strict control
over these areas.
The resource manager on the forest is faced with many deci-
sions and is pressured by many different groups. To ensure that
proper environmental considerations have been taken to comply with
the recent environmental laws, greater care must be taken to plan
what is the best land use and how the activity within that area
should be carried out.
The above examples are just a few of the potential conflicts
in land use that the Forest Resource Manager faces. He must carry
out his function, satisfying as many of these demands as possible,
and still comply with the applicable environmental Executive Orders
and laws.
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During this study, environmental problems from forest activi
ties were separated into three main types: Recreation, Natural
Resource Utilization, and Special Environmental Problems.
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Recreation
Recreation covers activities at the Forest Service campgrounds
and at special use permit organizational camps, summer homes and
winter and summer resorts. Occurring at these sites are major
problems with drinking water supply and inadequate sanitary waste
disposal and a minor problem of inadequate solid waste disposal.
Various executive orders and laws state that Forest Service acti-
vities must comply with Federal, State and local laws. Also, the
Forest Service Manual states explicitly that all special use
permittees must also comply with Federal, State and county regula-
tions. This general requirement is included as a condition of the
permits or leases.
Drinking Water
Provision of the safe drinking water at developed recreation
areas is a primary responsibility of the resource management agency.
In carrying out this responsibility, the U.S. Forest Service has
developed policy statements and operating criteria for both admin-
istrative and field operations.
This review of the water supply aspects of Snoqualmie National
Forest operation, therefore, focused on two areas: 1) adequacy of
policy statements and operating criteria and 2) compliance of
field operations with established criteria.
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U.S. Forest Service Manual Title 5600 - Engineering, Para-
graph 5652 - Water and Sanitation Systems, describes the policy,
responsibilities, and general criteria for water supplies under
agency jurisdiction. Water supply directives are also contained
in other Titles such as Title 2300 - Recreation Management. Each
of these titles was reviewed to determine the adequacy of Forest
Service policy and directives with respect to current public
health management practices. The following areas are considered
to have the most significant impact on Forest Service water supply
operations.
The water supply objective, as set forth in 5652.02, is to
ensure a safe, adequate water supply as well as a sanitary envi-
ronment at all administrative sites and public use areas. Policy
statements include those of prohibiting the use of drinking water
systems utilizing untreated surface water. The policy continues
by requiring that known contaminated lakes and streams in developed
areas be conspicuously posted, "Water Unsafe to Drink." Review
of facilities and field observations indicate that not all permittee
water supplies utilizing surface sources are adequately treated
(Table 1) nor are known contaminated streams in developed areas
properly posted.
Forest Service Manual Paragraph 5652.21 requires a sanitary
survey of all proposed water supply sources to determine potential
for pollution. Analyses for physical, chemical and bacteriological
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WATER SUPPLY AND
PERMITTEE
WASTE DISPOSAL
WATER SUPPLY
TABLE 1
AT SPECIAL USE
TREATMENT
PERMIT RECREATIONAL AREAS
WASTE DISPOSAL
Alpental Ski Area
Alta Silva
Bumping Lake
Chris's Cove
Crystal Mt. Ski Area
Kunz's Resort
Rimrock Landing
Silver Beach
Snoqualmie Summit
Ski Area
Stevens Pass
White Pass
Open Stream
Open Stream
Open Stream
Springs
Open Stream
Open Stream
Open Stream
Open Stream
Open Stream
Chiorination
Chi orination
Chiorination
Chiorination
Chiorination
Chiorination
Chlorination
Chlorination
Chlorination
Septic Tank & Drain-field
Septic Tank & Drainfield
Septic Tank & Drainfield
Septic Tank & Drainfield
Septic Tank & Drainfield
Septic Tank & Drainfield
Septic Tank & Drainfield
Septic Tank & Drainfield
Hyak Lagoon System
Open Stream Chlorination Septic Tank & Drainfield
Sealed Springs No Chlorination Septic Tank & Drainfield
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quality are also required to ensure conformance of water quality
with the PHS Drinking Water Standards. A review of Snoqualmie
National Forest office records shows that surveys are conducted
and samples are collected. Chemical analyses, however, are not run
on the complete set of quality criteria in the Drinking Water
Standards. In most cases, no analyses are provided for the manda-
tory constituents such as lead, silver, cadmium, etc. From the
standpoint of public health, these mandatory limit constituents
are the most critical; yet data are completely lacking.
Sampling programs for quality control are a critical aspect
of any operation and maintenance program. Paragraph 5652.41
describes the bacteriological sampling program for agency water
supplies. No mention is made, however, of routine sampling for
chemicals - a definite inadequacy. There appears to be some
question also of the adequacy of bacteriological sampling program
described in Paragraph 5652.41. The manual states that the frequency,
which is based on visitor use days and the system's prior sampling
record, was worked out with the Public Health Service. The
frequency appears inadequate, however, particularly in view of
the type of recreational supply normally encountered. In Snoqual-
mie National Forest for example, the majority of the supplies are
surface sources with simple chlorination or shallow wells in
alluvial material. As an example, a small campground supply with
a previously good record would be sampled once prior to opening
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of the system for the season and then only once again during the
operating season. Having observed a representative number of
Forest Service water systems, it appears that this sampling
frequency, or even once per month sampling, will not detect the
unusual circumstances that a statistical sampling procedure such
as that included in the Drinking Water Standards is designed to
detect. It appears that the bacteriological sampling frequencies
need revision. Title 5600 - Engineering is apparently being
revised with water supply being retitled 7420. It would appear
that the entire Paragraph 7420 should be reviewed by EPA for
adequacy with respect to public health.
Sampling programs, particularly those for bacteriological
determinations, have limited value if not accompanied by current
sanitary survey information. Paragraph 5652.42 requires documented
condition surveys of all water supply and distribution systems by
a technically qualified inspector at least once per year. A
review of Snoqualmie National Forest operations indicates that
such surveys are not being accomplished. The significance of
Snoqualmie National Forest bacteriological data currently being
collected, therefore, is questioned. In this regard a spot check
was made of a bacteriological sampling program within a Snoqualmie
National Forest district. This survey indicated that in some
cases bacteriological samples are not being collected even in
accordance with the present frequency schedule.
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Eighteen campgrounds have developed drinking water supplies
consisting of either handpumps or pressure systems. The others
have no developed water supply and the public either brings their
own water or utilizes nearby streams.
As a check on the adequacy of water supplies provided by
Snoqualmie National Forest, a survey of facilities operated by
Naches and Tieton Ranger Districts was conducted on August 22-23,
1972. Both handpump and piped pressure systems were observed.
In general, the water supply facilities were acceptable from the
standpoint of proximity to potential contamination. Care must be
taken in location of pit toilets as many of the wells are shallow
with water being drawn from unconfined water-bearing strata at
depths as shallow as 9.1 m (30 ft.). Specifics of facilities
surveyed and deficiencies noted are included in the Appendix.
In general, all handpump installations were of relatively
recent construction and, except for repairs of a few seals at
the base of the pump casing, were maintained satisfactorily. The
older piped systems exhibited need for more maintenance as shown
by system deficiencies described in the Appendix. For example,
oil leaking from a feed pump had contaminated the chemical feed
day tank used as part of the iron and manganese removal system at
Hause Creek Well #2. A rat's nest and excreta were also noted on
top of the potassium permangenate tank. Access holes through the
tank cover for the feed lines provided the potential for contamin-
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ation of the solution with animal excreta. Although hopefully an
extreme, this example illustrates the need for additional surveil-
lance of facilities and adequate maintenance to prevent contamin-
ation of the water supplies.
Bacteriological samples were taken from each of the systems
surveyed. Samples were taken to the State Department of Social
and Health Services laboratory in Seattle for analysis. One
sample, that from the handpump in the Wild Rose Campground, was
reported as unsatisfactory.
As mentioned, a review was also made of the chemical data on
hand in the Snoqualmie National Forest office in Seattle. Many
of the supplies exceed the Public Health Service recommended
limits for iron (0.3 mg/1) and manganese (0.05 mg/l)s and no
routine chemical sampling program is provided. This is true even
of the Hause Creek supply where treatment is provided for iron
and manganese control. No trace metal analyses are provided for
the supplies. This would appear to be a significant deficiency
in view of the fact that exceeding one of the PHS Mandatory
Chemical Limits is grounds for rejection of the supply for drink-
ing purposes. In another case, a sample from the American Forks
Campground supply was analyzed for zinc with a level of 7.3 mg/1
being reported. The recommended level for zinc is 5.0 mg/1.
Snoqualmie National Forest also has 12 developed water
supplies associated with special use permit recreation areas.
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These consist of wells, open streams with chlorination, and sealed
springs without chlorination. A list of these water supplies are
given in Table 1. Water samples are taken by the permittee, county
or State Health Department, and Forest Service and sent to the coun-
ty for analysis.
A survey was also made of the water supply at Bumping Lake
Resort, a special use permit facility. The operation of this system
has inadequate protection at the source, poor maintenance of the
transmission facilities, inadequate control of chlorination, insuf-
ficient chlorine contact time prior to distribution to the first
customer, and questionable distribution system pipe sizing to
maintain adequate pressure.
Sanitary Wastes
There are two activities which require some type of sewage
disposal system, campgrounds and recreational areas under the special
use permit. Presently, all waste is disposed of by either septic
tank and drainfield or pit toilets. The Forest Service Manual
states that wastes from these activities must be such that waters
are protected and Federal, State and local regulations are met.
There are approximately 76 campgrounds having a total of 300
pit toilets on Snoqualmie National Forest. It is known that
water leaks into many of these toilets during high water and drains
out as the water table drops. Snoqualmie National Forest is now
using maintenance funds to convert many of the problem pits to
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sealed vaults. On those campgrounds where water supplies were
present, pit toilets were inspected for location to water supplies
and streams, cleanliness, rodent control, and presence of
groundwater in the pit (Table 2). All inspected campgrounds were
located on old streambeds, adjacent to the existing streams.
The groundwater level is approximately 1.52 m (5 ft) or greater
below the pit toilets during the summer recreation period. How-
ever, during heavy spring runoff, many pits are filled with ground-
water. Pit toilets are pumped annually, but not necessarily at
the end of the season. Generally, all pit toilets were clean and
only one had an excessive odor problem. At many of the sites, pit
toilets were located upstream from drinking water supplies.
There is another problem arising from campground use, that
being waste disposal from self-contained travel trailers. The
use of this type of recreation vehicle is becoming increasingly
popular. However, there are few, if any, locations on Snoqualmie
National Forest where the waste from these containers can be
satisfactorily disposed. Funds have been requested to develop
such facilities but were turned down because of lack of ability
to show a pollution problem.
Recreational areas under the special use permit are another
activity causing pollution. Presently, the sewage from the 11
resorts, 400 organizational sites (YMCA, Boy Scouts of America, etc.)
and around 850 summer homes is disposed of with septic tanks and
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TABLE 2
SANITARY SURVEY INSPECTIONS OF SELECTED CAMPGROUNDS IN SNOQUALMIE NATIONAL FOREST
Water Supply
Campgrounds
Well &
Hand
Cougar Flats Pump
Kanen Flat '
Sawmill Flats
Cottonwood '
Pipe &
Pressure
Indian Creek System
Hand Pump
Hause Creek Wells
Wild Rose
Willows
Windy Point
Distance From
Pit Toilets
m (ft)
45 ( 150)
45 ( 150)
9 (30)
downstream
45 ( 150)
downstream
6 (20)
45 ( 150)
45 ( 150)
45 ( 150)
45 ( 150)
Pit Toilets
Nearness to
Streams Rodent
Odor m (ft) Types Proof Comments
45 ( 150)
minor to
medium' 45 ( 150)
minor 45 ( 150)
minor 45 ( 150)
minor 45 ( 150)
minor 45 ( 150)
none 45 ( 150)
none 45 ( 150)
none 45 ( 150)
Possible drainage
from pits into low
. ' Yes area 6 (20)-7.6 m.
(25 ft.) away
Inspected 8 pits;
1 Possible ground-
water
Possible ground-
Yes water in 1 pit
1 Yes Well located down-
stream from
Earth Yes
Concrete Box Possible ground-
Not Waterproof No water in 1 pit
1 Yes Freshly cleaned
1 Yes Freshly cleaned
' Yes Freshly cleaned
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TABLE 2 (CONTINUED)
Water Supply
Campgrounds Type
t
Well-
Pressure
Silver Springs System
Silver Springs "
Silver Springs '
Hells Crossing
Hells Crossing
Well &
Hells Crossing Hand Pump
Distance From
Pit Toilets
m (ft)
45 ( 150)
4.5 (15) &
7.6 (25)
45 ( 150)
45 ( 150)
45 ( 150)
downstream
15.2 (75) &
30.0 (100)
Odor
minor
minor
minor
considerable
minor
medium
Pit Toilets
Nearness to
Streams
m (ft)
15 (50)
45 ( 150)
45 ( 150)
45 ( 150)
15 (50)
45 ( 150)
Rodent
Type Proof
Concrete Box
Not Waterproof Yes
Earth Pit Yes
Concrete Box
Not Waterproof Yes
No
No
No
Comments
Potential for
erosion to wash
these 2 pits away
No paper
Possible ground
water in pit
Location of pits
upstream from wel
American Forks
45 ( 150)
45 ( 150)
Recently, there
were 2 pit toilets
No 7.6 m (25 ft.)
from well
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drainfields, or pit toilets. There is little information available
on the effects to the aquatic environment of these activities.
However, the adequacy of disposal systems at a few resorts is
highly questionable. For example, White Pass Ski Area has a
dosing type system. According to a State Health Department
employee, the switching mechanism for the dosing system does not
operate effectively,'and for extended periods of time only one
side is used. As a result, effluent has seeped into nearby areas.
Snoqualmie National Forest has put the permittee on notice that
the problem must be corrected. As another example, Crystal
Mountain Ski Area, which presently has a septic tank and drain-
field, is planning in the future to switch to lagoon. One pro-
posed location for the new facility is near the main highway. A
condition exists here where other developments could utilize the
system, if planning is done properly. A summer resort, summer
homes, Snoqualmie National Forest campgrounds, and Mount Rainier
National Park campgrounds are all within service distance of the
new location. The Snoqualmie National Forest is urging the other
parties to form a total service area to utilize one treatment
facility but is having difficulty getting cooperation. There is
no information on the problem of sewage disposal from summer homes.
While most of the 850 residents use pit toilets, the adequacy in
terms of location and seepage has not been documented. However,
some substandard disposal systems were pointed out as examples of
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what was occurring. The special use permit states that the
permittee must comply with State, local and Federal standards.
Solid Waste
Solid waste generated from recreation and administrative
activities is disposed at city or county dumps and landfills. In
relation to this disposal on non-Forest Service land, the Forest
Service Manual 7460.34 states that "land disposal off Forest Ser-
vice land, of solid waste from forest facilities and activities
shall be limited to the following two alternatives:
1. The disposal method is by sanitary landfill.
2. The disposal method is by a "modified" operation regulated
by State law with the State regulations being enforced on a contin-
uing basis by local authorities having jurisdiction."
There are no active solid waste disposal sites on Snoqualmie
National Forest. However, according to a Snoqualmie National
Forest inhouse report, three inactive sites located in the North
Bend Ranger District (RD) need cleanup. All solid waste is hauled
to off-forest disposal sites. The solid waste hauling contract
requires the contractor to comply with State regulations.
The Washington minimum functional standards for solid waste,
which became effective on November 24, 1972, specify only sanitary
landfills. Over the next few years, there will be a phasing in
period for these standards, but modified landfills should not be
considered adequate. Snoqualmie National Forest will contract
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next year to only those who have landfills meeting Federal require-
ments. However, it is questionable whether any of the presently
used landfills will meet these guidelines. Presently, the Naches
and Tieton RDs1 wastes are hauled to the Yakima City landfill;
Skykomish RD, to Skykomish landfill; North Bend RD, to Cedar Falls
County landfill; and White River RD, to Buckley or Tacoma landfill.
According to State authorities, the landfills will either be closed
or upgraded to meet State standards. It is not known at this time
what the time frame will be for either closing or upgrading. It
has also been reported that some recreation facilities pile up
waste during bad weather and haul it in better conditions. Accumu-
lated wastes were observed this winter on Snoqualmie Summit and at
Crystal Mountain Ski Area.
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Natural Resource Utilization
Natural resource utilization in Snoqualmie National Forest (SNF)
includes a major activity, timber management, and two minor activi-
ties, mining and grazing.
Timber
Timber management on National Forests has received much criti-
cism in the last few years. Much of the criticism has been aimed
at the way logging has been conducted and the lack of environmental
controls to minimize the impacts. Several studies on timber man-
agement have been performed, recommending changes which the Forest
Service should undertake for reducing the adverse impacts. One of
these studies was conducted by a Forest Service team commissioned
to review National Forest timber management activities. The report
identified thirty problem areas that needed attention. The Forest
Service has developed a National Forest in a Quality Environment
Action Plan to treat these thirty findings. Included in the plan
are, among other things, actions for reducing adverse environmental
impacts from timber harvesting and road construction. Adverse
impacts from timber activities on SNF should be reduced when these
action plans are followed.
The total National Forest land administered by SNF is approxi-
mately 471,000 ha (1,150,006 acres). Of this 254,309 ha (620,267
acres) is commercial forest which supports an annual allowable cut
of 214.3 million board feet. Timber harvesting is divided into
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28
two working circles, the Snoqualmie (westside) and the Naches-
Tieton (eastside). Timber on the westside consists largely of
Douglas fir, hemlock and true firs while that on the eastside is
ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and associated species. Predominant
silvicultural practices for harvesting on the westside are clear-
cutting and preparatory seed, and on the eastside overstory re-
moval and intermediate cut. Estimates of the harvesting, by silvi-
cultural practice during calendar year 1971 are given in Table 3.
Over the whole forest the Snoqualmie working circle contains
60% of commercial forest land and 75% of the total estimated
volume. During 1971, the Snoqualmie working circle cut 30% of
the total logged acres for that year. Of this, 10% or 676 ha
(1,689 acres) of commercial land cut during 1971 produced approx-
imately 50% of the timber. Discussed below are environmental
problems resulting from harvesting, pre-commercial thinning, road
construction and forest residues. Also present are short discus-
sions on the Forest Service monitoring program to evaluate these
impacts of timber management, and on roadless areas in SNF.
Harvesting. Unfortunately, in a study like this, the envi-
ronmental costs associated with timber harvesting cannot be fully
quantified;, and it is difficult, therefore, to evaluate whether the
activity is resulting in violation of the various environmental
laws. Some effects can be identified from field observations;
but the long-term, many times more damaging, effects are difficult
-------
TABLE 3
APPROXIMATE ACRES AND VOLUME^ CUT BY SILVICULTURAL PRACTICES WITHIN A WORKING CIRCLE
BETWEEN JANUARY 1, 1971 AND DECEMBER 31, 1971
Si Jvi cultural Practice
Snoqualmie
Working Circle
Naches - Tieton
Working Circle
Total
Reg. Sanitation & Salvage
Regulated Clearcut
Preparatory Seed
Overs tory Removal
Intermediate Cut
Unregulated
ha (acres)
149 ( 364)
692 (1689)
204 ( 449)
56 ( 137)
510 (1244)
418 (1020)
Vol ume
1.5
87.3
8.8
3.5
3.6
4.0
ha (acres)
408 ( 995)
38 ( 93)
0 ( 0)
3066 ( 7480)
1612 ( 3932)
0
Volume
0.7
2.1
.0
53.7
4.8
.3
ha (acres)
557 ( 1359)
730 ( 1782)
204 ( 499)
3122 ( 7617)
2122 ( 5176)
418 ( 1020)
Vol ume
2.2
89.4
8.8
57.2
8.4
4.3
TOTAL
2029 (4953) 108.7 5124 (12500) 61.6 7153 (17453) 170.3
]_/ In million board feet and includes unregulated cut
-------
30
to measure without an extensive monitoring program to document
both "before" and "after" conditions.
During this study, examples of past and present timber sales
were observed. In past sales, Forest Service employees pointed out
improper practices such as logging adjacent to and through streams,
excessive slash material left around yarding areas and next to
streams, and excessive logging spurs. On a present sale observed
in the Cedar River Watershed, there appeared to be proper environ-
mental controls and sale administration to minimize the effects of
the logging operation. For example, slash was being piled for
burning; barriers v;ere placed in temporary roads to control
erosion; and a Forest Service employee inspected the sale daily.
However, an ongoing clearcut timber operation in the White River
drainage showed evidence of trees fallen across a small stream
flowing through the sale area. According to a Forest Service em-
ployee, this was the result of an old contract and would have been
prevented under the new contract language.
The Forest Service is developing stream side management
procedures to aid in reducing the impact of logging. Some of
these procedures to help protect streams include: leaving buffer
strips along stream sides, prohibiting logging through streams,
requiring slash to be removed from streams, and felling trees away
from streams. While these requirements will help in reducing the
impact, the actual effectiveness of the new contract will depend
-------
31
on how the Forest Service administers the timber sale. Generally,
it is agreed by the Forest Service and others that sale layout and
administration has been inadequate in the past. In most cases,
this was due to staffing limitations. It is still questionable
whether the Forest Service has adequate sale administration. One
method of determining whether there are sufficient sale adminis-
tration and environmental controls on a timber operations is by
monitoring the area for changes in water, air, or other environ-
mental quality indicators. Presently, the Forest Service does
little, if any, water monitoring of a timber operation to ensure
compliance with applicable environmental standards.
Pre-Commercial Thinning. Pre-commercial thinning involves
removal of certain trees to allow better growth in the stand.
This can be done by applying chemicals directly to individual
trees, or by mechanical or manual cutting. One by-product from
pre-commercial thinning activity is excessive slash. The associ-
ated environmental problems will be discussed under forest resi-
dues. SNF has stopped all chemical thinning activity and used
mechanical means on only 309 ha (755 acres) during 1971.
Roads. The majority of the roads in a forest are constructed
for timber harvesting purposes. However, the number constructed
depends on how the timber is harvested and the existing road
system. For example, clearcutting usually requires fewer roads
than partial cutting because less acreage is required to obtain
-------
32
a given volume of timber. During FY 72, approximately 129 km
(80 miles) of roads were constructed for timber management and
only 16 km (10 miles) for non-timber purposes. The majority of
these roads were single lane, handling light traffic and included
both temporary and permanent system roads. Environmental impacts
from road construction involve slash disposal and erosion result-
ing from drainage changes, culvert and bridge placements and road
runoff. The Forest Service Manual mentions repeatedly the concern
for protecting the water, soil, fish, aesthetics and recreation
values and for meeting the State or Federal environmental stan-
dards. For example, the Forest Service Manual 2482.2a on "Measures
for Prevention and Control" states that during road construction,
"Road cuts should be sloped and graded with careful regard to soil
type. Soil stabilization measures such as matting, terracing,
compacting, mulching and planting with grass or shrubs should be
used as necessary."
To obtain some indication of problems from roads, a survey
of roads in the White River and Naches Ranger District was con-
ducted during May, 1972. In general, road placement and design
were satisfactory. However, there was a considerable amount of
exposed soil, indicating that soil stabilization measures were
apparently unsuccessful. One place where excessive erosion was
evident occurred on a road built on a steep hillside.
Forest Residues. Forest residues are becoming an increasingly
-------
33
important problem in National Forest lands. A study conducted by
the Forest Service in 1971 found that in the Northwest Douglas fir
region, forest residues varied from 70-500 tons/ha (32 to 227tons/acre)
The total forest residue amounted to 50% of the wood consumption by
the timber industries in western Washington and western Oregon for
1968.
Forest residues must be treated as a usable resource. Consid-
erable amounts of forest residues were generated on SNF. For ex-
ample, clearcutting on the eastside generates approximately
55-99 tons/ha (25-45 tons/acre), depending on method of piling.
During the period from 1968-1971, an average of 130,940'tons
t.
(163,279 tons) of residue was burned each year (Table 4) with
approximately 85% of it coming from the westside clearcutting.
Presently, forest residues are-handled by either broadcast burning,
machine pile burning, cable yarding, handpile and burning, or
chipping. The average cost for fuel treatment on SNF is given in
Table 5. In most cases, 100% cleanup of residues and non-organic
debris is required.
Disposal by burning is presently conducted under the Washington
State Smoke Management Plan. Burning woody materials affects air
quality through the emission of hydrocarbons, particulate matter,
and carbon monoxide. Because of the broad variety of fuel constit-
uents and burning modes involved, accurate emission inventories for
-*
this source of air pollution are difficult to obtain. In turn, the
-------
TABLE 4
HECTARES (ACRES) OF FOREST RESIDUES BURNED DURING 1968-1971 IN SNOQUALMIE NATIONAL FOREST
Clearcut
Broadcast Machine Piling
Partial Cut
Machine Piling Hand Piling
1968
1969
1970
1971
Total
Westside
Eastside
Westside
Eastside
Westside
Eastside
Westside
Eastside
Westside
Eastside
659
710
489
148
2,006
(1607P
(1732)
(1192)
(363)
(4894)
25
11
48
35
60
109
60
(61)
(27)
(109)
(85)
(147) *
(282)
(147)
20
104
30
235
21
156
143
595
214
1,083
(48)
(260)
(74)
(575)
(50)
(381)
(351)
(1452)
(523)
(2668)
11
188
2
383
29
56
6
11
58
638
(27)
(459)
(932)
(70)
(136)
(15)
(27)
(117)
(1554)
]_/ average tonnage per ha (ton/acre) is:
198 (90) - Westside clearcut
132 (60) - Eastside clearcut
110 (50) - Westside Partial Cut Machine Piled
99 (45) - Eastside Partial Cut Machine Piled
44 (20) - Westside Partial Cut Hand Piled
55 (25) - Eastside Partial Cut Hand Piled
-------
TABLE 5
AVERAGE COSTS FOR FUEL TREATMENT
Cost (Dollars) (Cost (Dollars) for
Method for 1 ha for 1 Acre)
Broadcast Burn 156 -• 65
Machine Pile and Burn 112-360 80-150
Cable Yard (YUM) 720 -.1200 300 - 500
Hand Pile and Burn 240 - 360 100 - 150
Chipper 480 200
Supplemental Protection 7.68 3.20
(Per Year)
-------
36
lack of an adequate emission inventory or other suitable data
makes it difficult to assess the impact of slash burning on the
atmospheric environment. In general, however, it has been stated
that greater emissions result from low temperature fires associ-
ated with broadcast burning.
Perhaps the most obvious concern about slash burning at this
time is the Deduction in visibility due to the smoke generation.
This situation is especially severe in dry air where significant
visibility reductions have been noted up to 40.25 km (25 miles)
from a test fire and particulates have remained in the air for
more than four hours after the major smoke emission.
Monitoring. As has been shown, recreation, logging, pesticides,
spraying, and other Forest Service activities can result in environ-
mental degradation. Surveillance of these activities is necessary
in order to measure the effects and to ensure compliance with the
applicable environmental standards. For water quality, the Forest
Service Manual Title 2404.3 states that the Regional Forester and
Supervisor will "Develop, approve and implement water quality
plans to establish baseline water quality and provide surveillance of
resource use, management and development." Presently, the Forest
Service collects water quality data at approximately 70 sites.
However, bacteriological, chemical and physical data are collected
intermittently at these sites. The Washington Department
of Ecology, U. S. Geological Survey and the Environmental Protection
-------
37
Agency also have several water quality monitoring stations on
streams flowing from Snoqualmie National Forest. Data collected
from these streams includes chemical, bacteriological and physical
parameters. A total surveillance network uniting Forest Service,
Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Ecology and the
U. S. Geological Survey programs to monitor activities on SNF has
not been developed.
Unroaded Areas. Approximately 40% of the total area in SNF
meets the criteria of further consideration for preservation in a
natural state, e.g., unroaded areas 2,050 ha (5,000 acres) in size
or larger. Public hearings held during 1972 in Oregon and Wash-
ington by the Forest Service, Region 6, indicated that of these
199,944 ha (487,670 acres), approximately 70% were generally
supported for wilderness study, 6% not supported, and 15% question-
able. The Chief of the Forest Service will make the decisions on
areas to be chosen for wilderness study in January, 1973.
-------
38
Mining
Mining on National Forest land has been environmentally
devastating since the formation of the early mining laws. Legally,
all Forest Service land is open to mining entry except campgrounds,
roads, administrative sites, and a few specialized areas. A mine
claim need only be staked out as either a placer or load claim,
registered wi.th the county, and have a minimum of $200 expended in
the claim each year.
By law, the miner has the right of access to his claim, but
must consider Forest Service interests. He can use any timber on
the claim for his own personal use but may not sell it. If the
mine proves to be profitable, the claim owner can have it patented
and withdraw the land in his own name, or mine it as an unpatended
claim.
The Forest Service is not automatically notified when a mine
claim is staked out. They learn of new claims through observation
or by checking with county records. Also, there are only a few
instances in which the Forest Service can exercise some control on
the operation. If it is suspected there is not enough mineral
present to mine economically, or if the owner does not perform the
required improvements on the claim, then the Forest Service can
contest the validity of the claim to the Bureau of Land Management,
who administers the mining law. If the owner cannot prove he is
complying with the- law, then the claim is withdrawn. In another
-------
39
case, if any Forest Service land adjacent to the claim is needed for
mine tailing, buildings, or roads, then a special use permit is
required. Through this permit, the Forest Service can make certain
requirements; however, these must be reasonable and normally not
involve the mining operation. As a result, the usual Forest
Service involvement in mining is through cooperation with the
State on safety, health and environmental regulations, and interest
in placement of buildings and mine tailing. They have little
control over where mine claims can be staked.
Presently, there are no active mines on SNF, however, two
exploratory sites have potential for becoming active. They are
Bren Mac Mine and the Middle Fork Mine.
The Bren Mac Mine is located in Sultan Basin near Vespers Peak
and is at the headwaters of the Everett municipal watershed.
Minerals present are copper, molybedium, tungsten, gold and silver.
Presently, the owners are fulfilling Forest Service requirements
to activate the mine into full production. Although the mine is
patented, some of the tailings ponds will be on Forest Service land
and a special use permit will be required. According to the SNF
personnel, before the permit is issued, an environmental impact
statement will be prepared and circulated. The Middle Fork Mine
is located on the Middle Fork of Snoqualmte River on Hardscrabble
Creek. The minerals present are copper, molybedium, and silver.
The mine is still in an exploratory stage; however, the owners have
applied for a special use permit to construct a road to the claim.
-------
40
Grazing
Grazing on SNF is rather limited and occurs on the Naches and
Tieton Ranger Districts only. There are approximately 700 head of
cattle, 1500 head of sheep, and 500 horses grazing on 38,540 ha
(94,000 acres) of Forest Service land. The grazing season extends
from July 15 to September 15. Animals kept in the area after this
time cannot be grazed on Forest Service land. These operations
are also administered under the special use permit and therefore
are subject to all requirements in the permit.
-------
Special Environmental Problems
This section covers those activities which are either involved
with both of the preceding sections or not included in either. The
topics include those environmental problems associated with pesti-
cides, municipal watersheds, administrative sites, and oil and
hazardous materials.
Pesticides
Pesticides are used for six purposes: conifer release,
right-of-way maintenance, range revegetation and noxious weed con-
trol , insect control, resident and campground weed control, and
scrap fish control. Estimated FY 1973 uses by chemical and pur-
pose are given in Table 6. Review and approval for Forest Service
pesticide programs come from either the President's Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ) working group on Pesticides or the
Forest Service Regional Office in Portland. The CEQ working
group reviews all uses for (a) specified chemicals, (b) any pesti-
cide applied to an area greater than 41 ha (100 acres), (c) non-
registered uses, and (d) any application to water. The Forest
Service Regional Office approves all other pesticide activities.
The pesticide user is divided into two groups: Forest Service
and special use permittee. Except for domestic activities, actual
application of SNF-sponsored uses are normally contracted to a
private firm which also usually supplies the pesticide. A Forest
Service employee who has a State Public Pesticide Operator License
-------
TABLE 6
ESTIMATED FISCAL YEAR 1973 PESTICIDE USE
ON SNOQUALMIE NATIONAL FOREST
USE
Conifer Release
Right of Way
Maintenance
Range Revegetation
and Noxious Weed
Control
Insect Control
Forest Service
Residence and Camp-
groung weed control
Scrap Fish Control
CHEMICAL
2, 4-D Amine
2, 4-D L.V. ester
Picloram
2, 4, 5-T ester
2, 4-D (Tordon 101)
2, 4-D L.V. ester
Atrazine
Simazine
2,4, 5-T amine
amitrole
bromacil
2, 4-D
2, 4-D amine
2, 4-D amine
Purina fly bait
Malathion
2, 4-D amine
Rotenone
AMOUNT
Kg (lb)
1.8
0.9
3.6
0.9
1.8
16.
13
13
25.
39
49
44
38
10.4
.05
3.8
4.5
11.3
4
2
(8)
S2
4)
(36)
(29)
(29)
(56)
(86)
(108)
(96)
(84)
(23)
0.12)
8.3)
(10)
(25)
-------
43
monitors SNF operations to ensure that the chemicals are applied
in an acceptable manner. Pesticides used under the special use
permit are applied by a contractor or the special use permittee
and are not monitored by SNF.
Forest Service pesticides are stored at North Bend and
Naches Ranger District headquarters. At North Bend, the chemicals
are stored in a wire cage on the second floor of a wooden ware-
house. At Naches, pesticides are stored in a wooden building in
a small wood box. Included in this pesticide volume is 19 L (5 gal)
of DDT which is being stored until acceptable disposal methods are
developed. Signs are placed at both locations to denote pesticide
storage. Waste pesticide containers are disposed of at the Cedar
Falls landfill in King County.
For non-Forest Service uses, the SNF contracts and special
use permits state that contractors and permittees must store and
dispose of pesticides in compliance with State regulations. These
regulations for pesticide storage are satisfactory; however, dis-
posal sites have not yet been designated by the State.
There is no water quality monitoring of pesticide applica-
tions. Also, contingency plans for handling spills or emergency
situations were not evident at the district level.
Municipal Watersheds
Thirteen municipalities obtain drinking water from areas
partially or wholly within SNF boundaries (Table 7). Forest
-------
TABLE 7
MUNICIPAL SUPPLY WATERSHEDS
MUNICIPALITY
DRAINAGE AREA
APPROXIMATE
NUMBER OF
ha (acres)
PERCENT ON
F.S. LAND
Everett
Seattle
Bering
Grofte
Timber!ane Village
Scenic
Seattle
Tacoma
Buckley
Yakima
Lester
Index
Skykomish
Sultan River Drainage
Lower South Fork of the Tolt River
Small Drainage North of Bering
Small Drainage North of Grofte
Anthracite Creek
Small Drainage South of Scenic
Cedar River Watershed
Green River Watershed
East Fork of South Prairie
Naches and Tieton
Lester Creek
Junction of North & South Fork of Skykomish
Maloney Creek
24,600 (60,000) 30%
3,975 (9,696) 33%
123 (300) 100%
262 (640) 100%
164 (400) 100%
492 (1,200) 100%
32,538 (9,360) 25%
60,680 (148,000) 33%
4,391 (10,710) 70%
215,418 (525,412) 100%
1,558 (3,800) 50%
31 (75) 82%
1,522 (3,714) 70%
-------
45
Service Manual Paragraph 2543.03 requires a municipal supply water-
shed management plan for each watershed when quality is a prime
consideration. In view of the minimal treatment provided by each
of the thirteen municipalities, quality is definitely a prime con-
sideration and a management plan is therefore required for each
watershed. To date, thirteen management plans have been developed
and formal agreements have been established with three municipali-
ties. These agreements provide that all activity within the water-
shed is subject to approval by the municipality. According to
Forest Service Manual 2543, maps for public distribution should
have municipality watersheds identified. None of the maps observed
had such identification.
Administrative Sites
There are five administrative sites using septic tanks and
drainfields for sewage disposal. On two of these, the Naches and
Tieton District Headquarters, the systems are inadequate. Pres-
ently, SNF has sent to their regional office a request for funds
to construct new facilities at these locations. At the North Bend
District Headquarters, it is believed that the water table is high,
allowing direct contact with the drainfield. Abatement procedures
have been identified; however, the decision as to which, if any,
of these problems get corrected depends on the amount of money
allocated.
-------
46
Oil and Hazardous Materials
Oil and hazardous material use on Forest Service land is
limited to road oiling, pesticide spraying, gas for equipment and
dynamite. In perspective, the amount used is quite small; however,
an oil spill or an oil truck tipping over in a stream could have
serious consequences. There is also little knowledge of the
effect of runoff from road oiling on aquatic environment. Very
little oil, gas, pesticides, or explosives are stored on SNF.
A complete inventory of how much material present was not obtained
because the volume fluctuates such that it would be almost mean-
ingless. However, there are no storage.containers greater than
189 L (50 gal) for any oil or gas near waterways.
There was no apparent contingency plan present at the district
level to handle oil or hazardous material spills. While the chance
for such a spill occurring is remote, the district personnel should
be aware of the contingency plan.
-------
APPENDIX
-------
48
LEGEND OF TABLE "IMPROVED CAMPGROUNDS AND PICNIC GROUNDS"
FACILITIES AVAILABLE
BL - Boat Launching
CK - Community Kitchen
FT - Flush Toilet
GP - Group Picnic
PW - Piped Water
W - Well with Hand Pump
X - No trailer camping recommended
because of rough and narrow
access road
$ - Charge area under Land & Water
Conservation Fund Act
THINGS TO DO
(Activities Available)
B - Boating
BP - Berry Picking
F - Fishing
G - Geological
H - Hunting
Hi - Hiking
Hist - Historical
L - Lake
MC - Mountain Climbing
NT - Nature Trail
R - Riding
S - Swimming
Sc - Scenery
St - Stream
WS - Water Sports
-------
49
IMPROVED CAMPGROUNDS AND PICNIC GROUNDS
Size (Units)
Name
American Forks
Asahel Curtis Picnic
Grounds
Beckler River
Big Creek
Boulder Cave
Bumping Lake Public
Boat Landing
Bumping Crossing
Bumping Lake
Cedar Springs
Clear Lake
Clear Lake Boat
Landing
Cora Lake
Corral Pass
Cottonwood
Cougar Flat
County Boat Landing
Crane Park
Crow Creek
Deception Falls
Picnic Ground
Deep Creek
Denny Creek
Dog Lake
Dry Creek Picnic Ground
East Point
Foss River
Granite Lake
Grey Creek
Halfway Flat
Hause Creek
Hells Crossing
Huckleberry
Indian Creek
Indian Flat
Kaner Flat '
Little Naches.
Tent
Sites
20
-
8
22
22
4
7
31
14
60
6
3
12
14
2
4
6
4
-
6
45
10
-
3
5
9
5
12
49
12
8
45
8
34
17
Trailer
Sites
6
-
-
8
-
42
-
-
-
13
-
-
X
1
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
X
-
-
-
-
X
-
11
5
-
9
-
11
-
Picnic
Sites
9
26
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
7
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
4
-
5
-
6
3
-
-
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
49
-
Facilities and
Things to Do
CK,F,H,St,W
F,H,Hi,NT,St,W
F,St
$,F,H,Hi,PW,St
CK,F,G,H,Hi,St
B,F,H,L,Sc,WS
B,H,F,St
B,F,H,L,WS
$,F,H,St
F,H,L
BL,F,H,L
FsH,Hi,L,Sc
BP,H,Hi,R,Sc
$,F,H,St,W
$,F,H,Hi,St,W
B,BL,F,Hi,L
F,HisL,WS
F,H,Hi,St
F,Hi,St
H,Hi,R,St
F,G,GP,H,Hi,Hist,St,W
B,BL,F,H,Hi,L
F,H,Hi
F,Hi,L,WS
F,Hi,St
B,F,H,Hi,L,Sc
F,H,Hi,St
F,H,St
$,F,H,Hi,PW,St
$,F,H,St,W
BP,H,Sc
$,F,H,L,PW,St
F,H,St
$,F,H,Hi,Hist,St,W
F,H,St
-------
50
IMPROVED CAMPGROUNDS AND PICNIC GROUNDS (CONT'D)
Size (Units)
Name
Lodgepole
Lonesome Cove
Lost Lake
McDaniel Lake
Money Creek
Morning Glory
Morse Creek
Pine Needle
Pleasant Valley
Rimrock Public Boat
Landing
River Bend
Russell Creek
San Juan
Sawmill Flat
Section 3 Lake
Silver Salmon Cove
Silver Springs
Soda Springs
South Fork
South Fork Bay
Taylor River
The Dalles
Troublesome Creek
Twin Camps
Tye Canyon
Upper Bumping Lake
West Fork
Miller River
White Pass Lake
Wild Rose
Wi 1 1 ows
Windy Point
Tent
Sites
22
4
6
3
17
-
8
6
6
4
6
-
12
3
2
-
16
20
11
4
21
19
27
3
2
4
4
20
7
16
15
Trailer
Si tes
7
-
-
-
-
-
X
X
-
-
X
-
-
16
X
X
34
-
-
-
X
26
-
X
X
X
X
-
-
-
4
Picnic
Sites
4
1
-
-
6
14
-
-_
-
-
-
5
-
19
1
4
10
-
-
-
-
11
-
2
-
-
-
-
4
-
-
Facilities and
Things to Do
$,F,H,St
F,L,WS
F.Hi.L
B,F,H,Hi
$,F,H,PW,St
FT,Sc
F,H,Hi,St
F,H,St
CK,F,H,Hi,St
B,BL,F,L,WS
$,F,PW,St
F,L,WS
F,St
$,F,H,SH,St,W
H,Hi,MC,R,Sc
F,H,WS
$,BP,CK,F,H,Hi,
PW,R,Sc
CK5F,G,H,Hi,St
F,H,St
B,F,H,Hi,L,St,WS
F,H,Hi,MC,St
$,BP,CK,F,H,Hi,
NT,St,Sc
F,Hi,R
BP,H,Hi,PW,R,Sc
F,Hi,St
H5Hi,R
F,St
B,BL,F,H,R
$,F,H,St,W
$,F,H,St,W
$,F,H,St,W
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51
WATER SUPPLY FACILITIES - SNOQUALMIE NATIONAL FOREST
NACHES AND TIETON RANGER DISTRICTS
Location
Silver Springs
Hells Crossing*
American Forks*
Observations
The well is located in a pit and is equipped
with a submersible pump. A split cover is
provided for the pit. Recommend a solid,
overlapping cover with security lock.
A 37,800 L (10,000 gal) fir construction
reservoir rides on the system and appears
satisfactory. Recommend a check of access
to tank through old water level recorder inlet
hole. Hole should be plugged if access to
possible contamination is found.
System distribution in the campground previously
consisted of a loop to an island in the river.
Water to the island is now cut off with two
dead ends into the river. The river has cut
back the bank so that valve boxes are sub-
merged during periods of high water.
Hand pump, concrete slab, seals on pump and
between pump casing and slab are in good con-
dition. All hand pump installations are
identical construction with concrete slabs
around the casing. Forest Service specifications
also call for bentonite seal from the surface
to a depth of at least 4.5 m (18 feet) or 1.5 m
(5 feet) into an impervious strata. Pit toilets
located 22.5 (75) - 37.5 m (125 feet) upstream
from well. Driller well log indicates blue
clay layer at depths 3 (10) - 8.4 m (28 feet)
and water bearing strata at 8.4 (28) -10m
(33 feet) depth. High iron and manganese --
0.67 and 0.22 mg/1 respectively.
Hand pump, seals satisfactory. Pit toilets
previously located 7.5 (25) - 10 m (33 feet)
away have been removed. Water bearing strata,
17.4 (58) - 23 m (77 feet) depth. Iron =
3.7 mg/1, Manganese = 0.24 mg/1, Zinc = 7.3 mg/1.
Very strong hydrogen sulfide odor noted.
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52
Location
Cougar Flat*
Sawmill Flat*
Cottonwood
Kaner Flat
Indian Creek*
Hause Creek
Observations
Hand pump, seals satisfactory, no apparent
nearby contamination. Water bearing strata
14 (47) - 15.6 m (52 feet) depth. Iron and
Manganese - 0.50 and 0.06 mg/1.
Hand pump, concrete cracked around pump base.
Water bearing strata 10.5 (35) - 12 m (40 feet)
depth. Iron and Manganese - 0.49 and 0.08 mg/1.
Hand pump, seals satisfactory. Water bearing
strata 12.3 (41) - 12.8 m (46 feet) depth.
Hand pump, seals satisfactory, no apparent
nearby contamination. Water bearing strata
20 (65) - 21 m (70 feet) depth, Hardpan 7.5 (25)
9.8 m (32 feet) depth. Iron and Manganese -
0.16 and 0.00 mg/1.
Pressure system, submersible pump located in
well house, drainage satisfactory. Hole for
possible access of contamination noted in top
plate of pump. Time did not permit inspection
of the storage reservoir which rides on the
system. Reservoir reported to be similar in
construction to other pressure systems which
were satisfactory. Iron and Manganese —
0.11 and 0.07 mg/1.
Well #1. Submersible pump located in well
house. Chemical feed equipment for iron and
manganese control. Power to building turned
off, well not in use, Seal on top of well
needs repair. Floor drain from building allows
water to enter building rather than providing
drainage.
Well #2. Pump located in well house along with
chemical feed equipment and pressure sand filter
for iron and manganese control. Oil leaking
from the chemical feed pump had contaminated
the day tank with oil observed floating on
chemical solution and coating the interior of
the tank. A rat's nest and excreta were also
observed on top of the day tank. Holes in
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53
Location Observations
Hause Creek the tank cover for access of the chemical feed
(Cont'd) line provided a potential for contamination of
the solution with animal excreta. Raw water
iron and manganese - 1.0 and 0.26 mg/1. Hause
Creek Reservoir is wood construction, 189,000 L
(50,000 gal) tank. Access hole for old water
level guage should be closed. Security lock
on access cover is also needed.
Wild Rose Hand pump, seals satisfactory, no apparent
nearby contamination. Water bearing strata
10.8 (36) - 12 m (40 feet) depth. High iron
and manganese.
Willows* Hand pump, seals satisfactory, no apparent
nearby contamination. Gravel formation 7.8 (26) -
10 m (33 feet) depth with basalt to 45 m (150 feet).
Iron and manganese - 2.2 and 0.05 mg/1.
Windy Point Hand pump seals satisfactory, no apparent
nearby contamination.
Water supplies in which one or both chemicals exceed PHS Water
Supply Standards.
U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1973-797-313/75 REGION 10
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