AVisionforFutureIntegratedFloodplainManagementintheColumbiaBasinRobertJNaiman1andStanleyVGregory2

1)  IndependentScienDficReviewPanelandSchoolofAquaDc&FisherySciences,UniversityofWashington

2)IndependentScienDficAdvisoryBoardandDepartmentFisheries&Wildlife,OregonStateUniversity

FutureofOurSalmonConference–19October2016,Portland

OurWorkingVision

ImplemenDngmanagementpracDces,science-basedevaluaDonsandpolicydecisionscompaDblewiththelong-termvitalityoffloodplains,withthemaintenance,protecDonandrestoraDonofaquaDcandterrestrialcommuniDesthatdependonfloodplains,andwiththe

provisionofFirstFoods–water,salmon,game,cous,berries–forTribesandcommuniDesalongtherivers

AVisionforFutureIntegratedFloodplainManagementintheColumbiaBasinCouldtherebeamorecomplexandcontenDoustopic?

Possibly….butthisoneoffersgreatchallengesaswellasoutstandingbenefitsandopportuni;esforinnova;veenvironmental-socialsolu;ons

Photo:Wallicketal.2013

Floodplains:ChangingSocialCondi?onsNumerousbusinessesandtownshavebeenbuiltonfloodplains.Reasons:•  Accesstofreshwater•  FerDlityoffloodplainlandfor

farming•  CheaptransportaDon,viariversand

railroads,whicho[enfollowrivers•  Easeofdevelopmentonflatland•  TransferofwastesAsaconsequence,greatpubliceffortandexpensehasbeendirectedtowardtheprotec;onofthesesocial(cultural)investments–andthisprotec;onmaybeintensifiedinthefuture

ColumbiaBasin:TheSocialContext•  Twocountries•  7USAstates•  15Na?veAmerican

Tribes(+17inCanada)•  11ecological

provinces•  62subbasins(USA)•  >100coun?es+many

ci?esandotheren??esrepresen?ngpaRernsofownership,management,orregulatoryjurisdic?on(e.g.,USFS,BLM,irriga?on&waterdistricts)

Floodplains:ChangingEnvironmentalCondi?ons

ExtensivephysicalalteraDonstowaterandsedimentsupplies,tostreamchannels,andtohowlandisusedhaveresultedinbroadenvironmentalchangesoverthelasttwocenturies.Changesinclude:•  Ecosystem-scalealtera?ons

fromwidespreaduseofar?ficialchemicals

•  Prolifera?onandrangeexpansionsofnon-na?vespecies

•  Rangecontrac?onsandlossoflifehistorydiversitybyna?vespecies

•  Pervasivealtera?onstoriparianzonesandfoodsupplies

•  Climatechange

~1860 ~2010

Source:BCollins,UW

SkagitRiver,WA

MovingForwardThereareunparalleledopportuni/esforimprovingfloodplainfunc/ons

aslongastwosimultaneousbutcomplementaryapproachesare

implemented(ecologicalandsociological)andseamlesslyintegrated

Ecological•  Establishtheappropriate

spa?alscale•  Synthesizeexis?nginforma?on•  Iden?fyessen?alknowledge

anddatagaps•  Selectpriorityfloodplainsfor

conserva?onandrestora?on•  Allowperiodicoverbank

flooding

Sociological•  Iden?fythediversityandspa?al

distribu?onofperspec?vesforfloodplainuse

•  Iden?fyessen?alpolicyissues•  Selecteffec?veapproachesfor

public,Tribalandgovernmentalinterac?ons

•  Cracacomprehensivestrategyforintegra?ngtheecologicalandculturaldemands(uses)offloodplains

OngoingEffortsintheColumbiaBasinNorthwestPowerandConservaDonCouncil’s2014FishandWildlifeProgramTheProgramspecificallycallsfor(amongotherrelatedac?ons):•  Protec?onandenhancementofecologicalconnec?vitybetweenaqua?careas,

riparianzones,floodplains,sidechannels,anduplands•  Reconnec?ngfloodplainsthroughpassiveandac?veimprovementsinchannel

structureandgeomorphologyandre-establishingnaturalriverprocesses-withspecialemphasisontheestuaryandlowerColumbiaRiver

•  Inves?gatethepoten?altofurtherimproveecosystemfunc?onandfloodplainconnec?vity.

TheseacDonsareevidentinseveralsociallyandecologicallycomprehensiveprojects:•  KootenaiRiver•  WillameReRiver•  ColumbiaRiverEstuary

KootenaiRiverFloodplainConduc/ngAc/veRestora/onandQuan/fyingEcologicalLosses

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.0IHA

ISSA

IFA

IFFA

ILCC

IWFA

RMI

RFI

I-IBI

A-IBI

Canyon

Braided

Meander

Opera?onalLossAssessmentIndices Source:KootenaiTribe

WillameReRiverScenarios

Source:WillameReRiverBasinAtlas

Astoria

Longview

Portland

BonnevilleDam

ColumbiaRiverEstuaryAcresrestored,protectedsince2000:21,399

PresentNaDveHabitats:123,266acres

Managedareas,recoverable

‘Recoverychallenged’areas:68,231acres‘Recoverable’areas:77,210acres

Source:CCorbeR,LCRP

IntegratedFloodplainManagementWhatwillitTaketobeSuccessful?

Goldenrulesforsuccessfulintegratedfloodplainmanagement:1.  Linktosocio-economicvaluesandintegrate

withbroaderplanninganddevelopmentac?vi?es

2.  Involveallrelevantstakeholders3.  Iden?fy,understand,andworkwith

watershedandriverineprocesses4.  Restorefloodplainstructureandfunc?onby

workingattheappropriatescaletoaddresslimi?ngfactorstoriver-floodplainhealth

5.  Setclear,achievableandmeasurablegoals6.  Buildresilienceinresponsetofuturechange7.  Ensurethesustainabilityofmanagement

strategiesandrestora?onac?ons8.  Monitor,evaluate,adaptandprovide

evidenceofrestora?onoutcomes

AdaptedfromSpeedetal(2016)andPejtetal(2016) Photo:Wallicketal.2013

DevelopinganAc?on-BasedVisionforaBasin-wideProgram

MajorTasksforFloodplainPolicy&Science

•  DetermineandarDculatetheulDmategoal.Isitbiologicalintegrity,salmonidproduc?on,anintegratedsocial/ecologicalsystemwithmeasurableoutputs,orsomeothertarget?

•  Implementkeysociallinkages.Ini?atepolicydiscussionsrelatedtoflooding,buildregionalcommunica?onforunderstandingmul?pleusesoffloodplains,andbuildadap?vecapacityofdecision-makersandthepublic.

•  QuanDfythespaDaldistribuDonandareaoffloodplains.Whatisthedistribu?onanddiversityoffloodplainlandformsandhabitatsintheColumbiaRiveranditstributaries?Whatisthefootprintoftoday’sfunc?onalfloodplain?

•  Determinetheaggregatecapacityoffloodplainstoholdwaterandrechargeaquafers

•  EstablishaccuratemonitoringandevaluaDonofaggregatefloodplaincondiDons.Thisincludesopera?onallossassessments.

•  EsDmatetheaggregatepotenDalofmulDusefloodplainsformaintainingwaterquality,fish,biodiversity,andagriculturalproducDon.

•  IdenDfyfloodplainswithunusualpotenDalforrestoraDonandconservaDon,aswellasfordemonstraDonsitesforecological-socialintegraDon

•  DefinequanDfiablerestoraDon/conservaDontargetsandestablishDmelines.Whereandhowmuchfloodplainisneededtoreachtheul?mategoal?

KeyChallengesforIntegratedFloodplainManagementintheColumbiaBasin

•  Re-establishadequatefluxesofbedload,suspendedsedimentsandlargewoodontofloodplainsThesearethebuildingmaterialforfloodplains,mostis

trappedbydamsorpreventedfromenteringchannels.

Floodplainsarenotphysicallystable–theychange

drama/callyinresponsetofloodsaswellastoregulated

flows

Opera;onally,thismeansallowingstreamsandriverstoperiodicallyovertopbanksandfillfloodplains.Floodandbankfullstages(asdeterminedbytheUSWeatherService)oUenseektohelppreventoverbankflows

KeyChallengesforIntegratedFloodplainManagementintheColumbiaBasin

•  EstablishahealthyperspecDvebetweenurbanareasandflooding.Thisiscentraltohavinganintegratedfloodplainmanagementstrategy

Rethinkthedesignofci/es,

businesses,andfarmsto

accommodateperiodicflooding–

(e.g.,2-yrinunda/oniscri/calfor

aqua/ccommuni/es,provides

importantfoodresourcesand

manyfunc/onswithoutgreatly

impac/ngadjoininglanduse,and

representsareasmosteasily

alteredbychanneliza/on,riprap,

andlevees)

Resistant?;certainlynotresilient

UrbanDesignstoAccommodateFloodingAdvancesinOpenSpace|Buildings|Infrastructure

http://hongkong.cncn.com/article/62035/

KeyChallengesforIntegratedFloodplainManagementintheColumbiaBasin

•  Overcomecomplexsocialissues(e.g.,landowners,publicpercepDonsandvalues),technicalhurdles(e.g.,engineeringcomplexity,lossassessment,appropriateM&E)andeffecDvecoordinaDon(seamlessintegraDonamongagencies,Tribes,landownersandprojectsponsors)AttheBasinscale,thinkandactincrea/veways,improve

adap/vecapacityasindividualsandascommuni/es,and

empowerstewardshipandtheassump/onofpersonal

responsibility

OurVisionforColumbiaRiverFloodplains

Itis?metomovebeyondisolatedmanagementandrestora?onac?onstoaBasin-scalestrategy.Astrategywithbroadlyintegratedac?onsbasedonalandscapeperspec?ve–onethatseamlesslylinkssocialandecologicalconsidera?onsImplemen/ngsuchaperspec/vewithits

aVendantphilosophies,ethicsandvisions

isjustasimportantforlocalsustainable

economiesandculturesasitisforfish,

biodiversity,andhealthyfloodplains

ThankYou!

Photo:Wallicketal.2013

OurPresenta/onGreatlyBenefiVedfromtheProfessional

Dedica/onandGenerosityProvidedbytheFollowing

ResearchersandColleagues

CatherineCorbeR–LowerColumbiaRiverPartnershipDaveHulse–UniversityofOregon

SueIreland–KootenaiTribeKuei-HsienLiao–UniversityofHongKongSiSimenstad–UniversityofWashington

RobertSpeed–AustralianNa?onalUniversityRoseWallick–USGS