Coarse Screening Process: In-channel Habitat Conditions

Table 5B.2. Summary of Coarse Screening Process standards: In-channel habitat conditions.

Element and Standard Condition Related Land Management Standards
Channel Substrate
Surface fine sediment (diam.<0.25 in.):
Average amount of area covered by surface fine sediment ≤20% in spawning habitat; no increase where already ≤20%.

Cobble embeddedness (CE): Average CE ≤30% in rearing habitat; no increase where already ≤30%.
Substrate standards met and estimated sediment delivery ≤20% over natural. No increase in sediment delivery from single or combined activities. Offset all new activities with potential to produce sediment by at least equivalent sediment abatement via active restoration.
Substrate standards met but estimated sediment delivery >20% over natural. Reduce sediment delivery via passive and active restoration to ≤20% over natural. Combine all new activities that increase erosion with sediment abatement measures that result in a net reduction in sediment delivery.
Substrate standard exceeded and estimated sediment delivery >20% over natural; surface fine sediment or CE increasing. Reduce sediment delivery via complete passive restoration until sediment delivery ≤20% over natural and substrate conditions meet standards or exhibit a statistically significant (p<0.05)
improving trend over ≥5-year period. Implement active restoration as needed to reduce sediment delivery and improve substrate conditions.
Substrate standard exceeded and estimated sediment delivery ≤20% over natural. Reduce sediment delivery via complete passive restoration until substrate conditions meet standards or exhibit a statistically significant (p<0.05) improving trend over ≥5-year period.
Implement active restoration as needed to reduce sediment delivery and improve substrate conditions.
Fines (diam.<0.25 in.) in spawning gravel to depth of egg deposition:
Although not set as a numeric standard, monitoring substrate trends at depth is recommended as part of adaptive management.
Regardless of condition. Monitor fines by depth in key areas to evaluate correlation with surface fine sediment by area.
Channel Morphology
Large woody debris (LWD):
Land management standards set in lieu of numeric standard.
Regardless of condition. Fully protect vegetation and soils within riparian reserves, meet bank stability standards, and monitor LWD. Implement active restoration as needed to reestablish natural LWD recruitment from riparian zones. Add LWD to streams only after causes of LWD loss have been adequately addressed and where ecologically appropriate.
Pool frequency and volume:
Land management standards set in lieu of numeric standard.
Regardless of condition. Fully protect vegetation and soils within riparian reserves, meet bank stability standards and limit/reduce sediment delivery to ≤20% over natural. Monitor pool frequency and volume. Add LWD only after causes of pool loss have been adequately addressed and where ecologically appropriate.
Residual pool volume: 
Not set as a numeric standard. Achieve an increasing trend in residual pool volume.
Regardless of condition. Fully protect vegetation and soils in riparian reserves, meet bank stability standards, and limit/reduce sediment delivery to ≤20% over natural. Monitor residual pool volume.
Declining trend from baseline. Reduce sediment delivery via passive and/or active restoration.
Bank stability:
Bank stability on all streams average ≥90%; no decrease in bank stability when >90%.
Average bank stability <90% or a decrease in bank stability. Implement passive restoration (suspension of grazing within half one site potential old growth tree height of floodplains or streams) until bank stability meets standard or exhibits a statistically significant (p<0.05) improving trend over ≥5 years. Implement active restoration
addressing causes of bank instability as needed to improve bank stability. Do not mechanically stabilize banks (e.g., rip-rap).
Average bank stability ≥90% Apply appropriate management controls to maintain bank stability.
Water Quality and Quantity
Water temperature:
Maximum daily water temperature ≤60°F in historically usable spawning and rearing habitat.
Maximum daily water temperature >60°F. Fully protect vegetation in riparian reserves. Implement complete passive riparian restoration to reduce water temperature. Suspend grazing within riparian reserves until water temperature meets standard or exhibits a statistically significant improving trend over ≥5 years. Implement
active restoration as needed to improve water temperature conditions.
Maximum daily water temperature ≤60°F. Fully protect vegetation within riparian reserves from any additional impacts. Control and monitor on-going activities within riparian reserves to ensure that they do not increase water temperatures.
Stream shading:
Land management standards set in lieu of a numeric standard.
Regardless of condition. Fully protect vegetation within riparian reserves.Prohibit activities that decrease shading or forestall recovery
Miscellaneous pollutants:
Review and revise current state and federal water quality standards as needed to adequately protect salmon. In the interim, meet current water quality standards.
Regardless of condition. Monitor water quality parameters set as state and federal water quality standards where the potential for pollution exists. Eliminate or restrict transport of toxic materials along and upstream of spawning and rearing reaches. Eliminate storage of toxic materials within watersheds
with spawning or rearing habitat.
Water quantity and timing:
Not set as numeric standards.
Regardless of condition. Suspend additional groundwater and surface water withdrawals in watersheds with spawning and rearing habitat until studies determine instream flows are more than adequate for salmon production and survival, and maintenance and restoration of favorable habitat conditions. Where flows are inadequate, acquire instream flows. Protect and restore wetlands and degraded meadow systems. Fully protect vegetation and soils within riparian and roadless
reserves.
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