Clearwater

An E-Newsletter from the

Devils Lake Water Improvement District

Winter 2014

Invasive Spotlight

Invasive Spotlight:
Parrotfeather

(Myriophyllum aquaticum)

Parrotfeather is a non-native species that is easily transported on boat propellors & hulls. It spreads proliferously through underwater stems (rhizomes). It is named for the resemblance that its leaves have to bird feathers.

It has both emergent (above water) and submergent (below water) leaves, arranged around the main stem in "whorls" of 4 to 6.

This plant provides EXCELLENT choice habitat for mosquito larvae!

What can you do?

Once established it is difficult to eradicate, therefore it is best to catch the invasion early!

It is adapted to high-nutrient waters, and herbicides (chemical sprays) have not been shown to be entirely effective.

This plant should be removed manually by hand, making sure to remove as much of the root mass as possible.

Parrotfeather spreads easily through fragmenation, so care must be taken to not cut or rototill the plant because even small pieces can grow new plants quickly.

Check out DLWID's Save Our Shoreline native vegetation planting program here to see how you can decrease nutrient run-off into Devils Lake by adding beautiful, low-maintenance plants to your landscape!

Read more information about Parrotfeather here,

and check out DLWID's invasive species guide here.

We hope this newsletter finds you well, warm, and dry inside! As you may have supposed from the blustery and ultra wet conditions, winter is upon us again. December 21st marks the winter solstice, the day those of us in the northern hemisphere experience the shortest amount of daylight and thus the longest night. Luckily, the length of the daytime sunshine will only increase from here on out (good for us coastal Oregonians with much need for vitamin D).

With the exception of the upcoming Devils Lake

Dunk on January 1st, you may not be spending much time in and on the water. While staying cozy inside, take a few minutes to get caught up on all that the District has been doing by visiting our website, checking out our YouTube channel, or watching past board meetings.

Did you know that you can stream all of the District's meetings straight to your computer, iPad, or Kindle Fire? Plus, you can skip around the video to catch the parts that you're most interested in. Visit our Meetings page for a year in review, 2014!

What else is news worthy? Only celebrating our biggest move in a decade! As we ring in the New Year, we are coming upon our 1st anniversary in a new space. Come see our new offices and shared lab at the North County Campus of the Oregon Coast Community College! We'd love to have you.

Dinosaurs, the Hydrological Cycle, and the Water Budget

As the rainy season continues on, naturally we thought we'd talk about the little molecule H₂O that plays such a big role in our lives (especially living on the coast!). Rain allows lake organisms to persist at levels they are adapted to, and plays a large role in flushing out the HABs that were discussed in last quarter's e-newsletter.

From fogbanks to raindrops to running streams, water is present around us in a variety of shapes and forms. You've probably heard the quotation that, "We are using the same water today that the dinosaurs did," or "The water we drink is basically dinosaur pee," but may have never had it explained why this is true.

As it turns out, 'the amount of water in the

hydrological cycle has remained more or less constant since the time of the dinosaurs (if not longer)' (Campana 2011). This means that while the same molecule of H₂O that was present among dinosaurs 200 million years ago may not be in existence today, the very ions that specific molecule consisted of (H+ and OH- ) are still present in nature; these ions have disassociated and recombined an unknown number of times (Campana 2011) with other H+'s and OH-'s.

Thus, while one specific H₂O molecule may or may not have stayed constant and unchanged through time, the ions themselves have stayed constant. This also means that water is recycled through time in the hydrological (water) cycle, always changing between gaseous, solid, and liquid forms. So, next time you take a dip in Devils Lake, the mixture of ions you're swimming in just may include those a dinosaur swam in!

You may have wondered how Devils Lake stays full of water at an approximately constant level, despite a continuous outflow of water from the lake through the D River and into the great Pacific Ocean. Let us first discuss the concept of a

water budget, and later discuss the Devils Lake

watershed.

A water budget is 'an attempt to "follow the water" or account for the movements and transformations of water in a watershed of region' (uiuc.edu). For the water in a given lake, stream, or pond to stay more or less constant, the inputs and outputs to the water body must be approximately constant as well.

uiuc.edu

The amount of water in a given system (or body of water) is determined by the ratio of inputs to outputs or outputs to inputs. For a perfect balance to be maintained, inputs must equal outputs. Examples of inputs include direct precipitation, groundwater inflow, and surface water overland flow from precipitation run-off or excess water from saturated land.

The water body itself is both a storage source of water and a sink that drains and releases water through outputs. Examples of stored waters are those stored deep in soils, below ground, and actual surface waters.

Devils Lake receives an annual average precipitation input of between 90-112 inches (DEQ 2011), in addition to two main inflows of water from streams: Rock Creek and Thompson Creek.

Devils Lake also acts as a sink by having water outputs in the forms of evaporation, evapotranspiration by aquatic plants, streamflow, and groundwater outflow. The most significant output (outflow) is the D River which flows onwards to the Pacific Ocean. (devilslakeor.us)

So, what's a watershed?

A watershed is, 'the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place'. It is, 'that area of land, a bounded hydrologic system, within which all living things are inextricably linked by their common water course and where, as humans settled, simple logic demanded that they become part of a community.

uppergrandriver.org

Watersheds come in all shapes and sizes. They cross county, state, and national boundaries. In the continental US, there are 2,110 watersheds; including Hawaii Alaska, and Puerto Rico, there are 2,267 watersheds!' (EPA 2014).

The Devils Lake watershed encompasses Neotsu, much of the north end of Lincoln City, south to the approximately Tanger Outlets, and east to the foothills of the coast range. The watershed drains out through the D River, with the water coming from sources found across the 12 sq. mile watershed.

Devils Lake Dam

D River Dam

Speaking of watersheds, did you know that since 1997, the District has installed a small dam at the D River? This small impoundment has the capacity to elevate the lake slightly (2"-15" depending on naturally variable lake levels), and is currently only used primarily in the summer months, June 15 to Oct 1 to limit the impacts on Coho salmon & other sea-going species during outward migrations.

It was built on the cement base of the old grass carp "fence". However, this cement base traps sand and sediment behind it and restricts flow out of the D River, particularly in the wintertime. This occurs because large oceanic swells bring water, sand, and debris up the D River. The sand and debris settles out, getting stuck behind the cement base. The accumulation of sand forms a sand bar, which among other things, sea gulls have become quite fond of leaving their wastes to accumulate thus degrading water quality.

A current proposal being discussed by the Board is to consider removing the cement base in favor of a purely temporary summertime structure, allowing the lake to run run free 8 to 9 months a year. Removing the impediment of the concrete foundation would allow for a faster flowing, deeper, more natural channel.

Potential benefits:

Increased velocity in the river allowing more sand to be transported back to the beach in the winter.
The lake level would recede faster, reducing flooding issues and shoreline erosion.
Lower winter lake levels would reduce saturation of low lying septic tanks and drain fields.
Improved habitat for wild Coho salmon and other species traveling in and out of the lake.
Increased lake turnover which is a benefit in fighting Harmful Algal Blooms.
Reduction of the sandbar east of the 101 bridge will limit the seagull gathering during the summer, in turn reducing the E. coli warnings and improving water quality.
Reduction of the sandbar could also reopen the river to paddle boards and kayaks.

Read more about this proposal in the last two staff reports or watch the video from the November Meeting. Be sure to follow the agenda item in future meetings under the heading "Replacement of the water impoundment device (The dam)".

D River Storm Surge - December 9, 2014

Devils Lake Dunk

Ring in the New Year with a revitalizing dip into Devils Lake! Now in its fifth year, a quick dunk into Devils Lake is a great way to kick off the New Year on January 1st. Each year we've had a great turn out from 30-50+ people diving in, with another 30 or so watching from the shoreline (coffee in hand, of course!).

Whatever your fancy, you are welcome to participate in this informal, unofficial gathering at Regatta Grounds. Just don't be late as the Devils Lake Dunk starts at 11 a.m., and 11 a.m. SHARP!

Devils Lake Dunk 2012 | Lincoln City Oregon Polar Plunge

Devils Lake Dunk
New Years Day -- 11 a.m., Sharp!
Regatta Grounds, Lincoln City, Oregon

Video by Coda Cha

Find DLWID on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter!

In addition to our website, {www.DLWID.org}, you can get updates from the District on Facebook and Twitter. Catch a video or two on our YouTube channel! Watch recent storm footage, get up to speed with our SOS program, or geek out on our science channel.

Have a safe and wonderful holiday season!

Paul Robertson, MSc Environmental Diagnosis
Imperial College of London

Lake Manager

and

Ava Laszlo, BS Environmental Sciences
Oregon State University
Water Quality & Educational Outreach intern