In trying to understand how to protect the Columbia River and its tributaries from eutrophication, we need to have a basic understanding of the geology, the hydrology and the ecology of the region.
The great basalt flow of this region and the Missoula floods dominate the public perception of this region. We are more interested in the area currently used for agriculture and that means we need to understand how the Ringold Formation was, well, formed. Along with the related Ellensburg, Hanford and Umatilla Formations, these primarily alluvial deposits are where we irrigate and grow our best crops. We will also include the Palouse region but that more eastern land is not typically irrigated and the soils are wind deposited loess.
The hydrology of the region can be separated into pre and post dam installation. The dams radically dampened the dynamics of the river flow and one of their primary purposes was flood control. The other major impact was the creation of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project (CBIP) as well as many secondary irrigation systems. The CBIP is an artificial aquifer system that changed the water distribution in the nominally very dry Shrub-Steppe habitat that here before dam installation. The CBIP dispenses the equivalent of 40” of rain on farm land that previously saw a little as 8” of rain. That is roughly the same amount of rain as Seattle gets.
The ecology of the regions is ostensibly Shrub-Steppe which supports a unique but minimal range of flora and fauna. One often forgets the essential wetlands and riparian areas that form along the river channels and support most of the habitat and wildlife that existed or exist in this region. To emphasize this combined set of habitats, we refer to it as the Wetland, Riparian, Shrub-Steppe (WRSS) ecosystem. We will see how the geology and hydrology (natural or artificial) impact the nature of the WRSS ecosystem and begin to propose potential enhancements that protect the health of our rivers, preserve the quality of our drinking water and support our invaluable recreation economy
Here will be a survey of shoreline sites along the Columbia River shoreline in Franklin Co. and Pasco. The article is in draft form and a map has been prepared. Both are not ready for publication
The links below are long rants on the pre and post dam hydrology of the Mid-Columbia Basin.