John Day River
Status: YELLOW ALERT
Length: 284 miles
Basin area: approximately 8,000 square miles
The John Day is one of Oregon's cleanest major rivers, but it suffers some water quality problems that need attention.
photo by Angela Stark
Undammed along its entire 284-mile length, the John Day is the second longest free-flowing river in the United States. It drains the Strawberry Mountains, flows through the town of John Day, across sparsely populated parts of northeastern Oregon, through exceptionally scenic canyons, including the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, and finally enters the Columbia River east of the Columbia Gorge. Major tributaries flowing into the mainstem are the North Fork, Middle Fork, and South Fork John Day rivers. The John Day provides excellent habitat for diverse fish species, including salmon, steelhead, bass, redband trout, bull trout, and cutthroat trout.
Historically, the John Day Basin was used by Native Americans, fur trappers and homesteaders. Gold mining fueled settlement starting in the late 1850s, and mining continued as a significant activity into the early 20th century. Today over 95% of the lands within the John Day Basin are zoned for agriculture and forestry. Cattle and sheep ranching, and hay and wheat farming are the primary agricultural uses, and water from the river is used for cropland irrigation on ranches in the basin. Timber production in the area has significantly decreased over the last fifteen years, and many communities have been hard hit by sawmill closures and the decline in forestry jobs. Tourism and recreation are growing industries. Parts of the John Day are designated as a National Wild and Scenic River, and it is an excellent destination for steelhead and bass fishing and whitewater rafting.
A Closer Look
The John Day's water is fairly clean, but water quality is reduced in the summer when water temperatures are higher, there is less water in the river, and pollutants become more concentrated. Disturbance of streamside areas causes the greatest damage to the river. These areas are typically managed as part of agricultural operations, and many streamside areas have been altered from their natural state by water diversions, channelization, and vegetation changes. Runoff from improper agricultural and forestry practices reduces water quality because it carries sediments, fertilizers, and manure. Wastewater treatment plants, faulty septic systems, and urban runoff also impact the river. Historical mining also contributes to water quality problems.
Efforts have been taken to restore streamside areas and improve agricultural practices, which has improved water quality. A number of cooperative projects and landowner initiatives have improved the river's health, and existing efforts should be expanded upon. They include successful incentive programs using federal and state funds. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is currently developing a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan for the John Day River.
Healing Historic Wounds
In Clear Creek, located in the headwaters of the North Fork John Day River, historic dredge mining activity had destroyed the floodplain and made the creek virtually uninhabitable for fish. The dredge mining left piles of river rock over ten feet high in some places and hundreds of feet wide at some points. The consolidated rock has been unmovable by creek flows for over a half century and it constricted about a mile of the channel and made it unnaturally straight. The rock piles were devoid of soil and have remained unvegetated for decades, leaving the creek unshaded. Water velocities were high in the constrained channel, flushing silt and gravels through the reach and making it nearly uninhabitable for fish.
In 2006 the Grant Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) began a project to restore Clear Creek's floodplain. They are re-creating a functioning floodplain by progressively redistributing the historic dredge tailings back from the stream banks. This will allow the creek to overflow its banks when the water is high and deposit silt in the floodplain, creating soil so that vegetation can re-establish itself. Three John Deere 230 excavators, one Caterpillar D8 dozer and three dump trucks redistribute the tailings rock.
Phase I of the project was completed this year, which included redistribution and shaping of 168,640 cubic yards of rock along 0.75 miles of Clear Creek and Beaver Creek. Planned work for 2007 will relocate 93,000 cubic yards of dredge tailings and restore an additional 2,100 linear feet of stream floodplain reconnection. When completed, the project will have moved an estimated 261,500 cubic yards of dredge tailings to restore just under 1.2 miles of stream.
Additional partners in the project include the Umatilla National Forest, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and three private landowners.
Grant SWCD Hydrologist Ed Calame assesses a stretch of Clear Creek before beginning a project to reshape the rock piles left behind by historic mining operations. © Grant Soil and Water Conservation District
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