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Lower Columbia RiverPile Dike Assessment
David Gorman, PE
August 2, 2011
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Credits
• Hans R. Moritz, US Army
Corps of Engineers Portland
District
• Carl Kassebaum, AECOM
Project Manager
• AECOM Coastal and Rivers
Section Staff
• Pete Grace, Megabites Fishing
Guide Service
• Lower Columbia River Estuary
Partnership
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 2
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Columbia River Basin – Early 1800’s
Lewis and Clark Lewis and Clark Basin Map
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 3
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Columbia River Basin
Basin Map Basin Statistics
• Basin Area is 258,000 Sq. Miles
• Drains 7 States and BC
• 1243 Miles Long
• Largest River Flowing to Pacific
Ocean from North America
• Supports Many Species of
Anadromous Fish
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 4
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Nineteenth Century Basin Changes Impacting
Anadromous Fish Populations
Dredging – Starting 1864 Canneries – Starting 1867
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 5
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Twentieth Century Basin Changes Impacting
Anadromous Fish Populations
Pile Dikes? Dams
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 6
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Columbia River Average Daily Flow
at The Dalles, Oregon
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 7
0
100000
200000
300000
400000
500000
600000
700000M
ax
6-J
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14-J
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22-J
an
30-J
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7-F
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15-F
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23-F
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3-M
ar
11-M
ar
19-M
ar
27-M
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4-A
pr
12-A
pr
20-A
pr
28-A
pr
6-M
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14-M
ay
22-M
ay
30-M
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7-J
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15-J
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23-J
un
1-J
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9-J
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17-J
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25-J
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2-A
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10-A
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18-A
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26-A
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3-S
ep
11-S
ep
19-S
ep
27-S
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5-O
ct
13-O
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21-O
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29-O
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6-N
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14-N
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alles
(cfs
)
Date
Pre-Regulation (1879 - 1942)
Post-Regulation (1974 - 2010)
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Federal Columbia River Power System
• USBR and USACE Own
and Operate 31 Dams
• Built and Operated by the
Federal Government
• System Provides:
– Hydropower
– Navigation
– Flood Control
– Irrigation
• Has impacted 13 Federally
Listed ESA Fish Species
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 8
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Cumulative Impacts to Columbia River Fish Has Led To
Multiple Listings Under the ESA
• Harvest
• Dams
– Migration Obstacle
• Upstream Passage
• Downstream Passage
• Increased predation
– Flow Regulation
• Reduced Peak Flows
• Increased Low Flows
• Habitat Loss
– Diking, Draining, Development
• Hatcheries
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 9
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Historic Ecosystem Losses in the Lower Columbia River
Estuary – Last 150 Years
• 52,000 acres wetland/marsh habitats
• 3,800 acres of riparian forest habitat
• 27,000 acres of forested wetland
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 10
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Percentage Change in Columbia River Estuary Aquatic
Habitat Types
Habitat Type Change
• Shallow Tidal Flats +10%
• Deep Water -7%
• Medium Depth Water -25%
• Tidal Marsh -43%
• Tidal Swamp -77%
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 11
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FCRPS Biological Opinion
• FCRPS Action Agencies Include USACE, BPA, and USBR
• FCRPS Consultation With NOAA Fisheries on ESA Listed Species
• Biological Opinion Issued by NOAA Fisheries 2008
• Action Agencies Concluded That Operation of These Projects
Without Further Mitigation, Would Jeopardize Listed Species
• Mitigation Measures Include 73 Detailed Reasonable and Prudent
Alternatives (RPA)
• RPA 38:
– Increase access to productive habitat
– Reduce avian predation of juvenile salmonids
• Piling and Pile Dike Removal Program
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 12
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Columbia River Pile Dikes
• Construction Initiated 1885
• Constructed Ended in
1960’s
• Over 233 Constructed
• River Mouth to RM 138
• Reduce Dredging
• Protect Dredge Material
• Provide Bank Protection
• Stabilize Shipping Channel
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 13
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Potential Pile Dike Modifications That May Improve
Salmonid Habitat In the Estuary (BiOp AMP)
• Complete or partial removal of pile dikes
• Reconstruction of pile dikes
• Remove creosote-containing piles
• Placement/removal of dredged material
• Placement of LWD
• Replacement of lost habitat types
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 14
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Columbia River Pile Dike and Pile Field Examples
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 15
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Pile Dike Design and Construction - Elevation
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 16
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Pile Dike Design and Construction - Section
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 17
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USACE Portland District Pile Dike Assessment
• BiOp Obligation and O&M
• AECOM Assessed Each of
233 Pile Dikes For:
– Structural Integrity
– Functional Integrity
– Potential Impact On Juvenile
Salmonids
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 18
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Suspected Pile Dike Impacts to Juvenile Salmonids
• Contaminants Leaching
From Treated Piling
• Cover For Piscivorous Fish
• Perches For Avian
Predators
• Shallow Water Habitat
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 19
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East Sand Island – Lower Columbia River
• World’s Largest Tern and
Cormorant Colonies
• Tern Average Annual
Juvenile Salmonid
Consumption = 5.3 Million
• Cormorant Consumption
Likely Similar
• Island Constructed Of
Dredge Material Protected
By a Pile Dike System
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 20
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Pile Dike Assessment Reach Locations
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 21
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Lower Estuary Reach of Assessment
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 22
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Habitat Components of the Pile Dike Assessment –
Field Work
• Presence/Absence of Shallow Water Habitat
• Presence of Aquatic Vegetation
• Adjacent Wetland Areas
• Presence/Absence of Bank Erosion
• Access to Adjacent Shallow Water Habitat
• Presence of Avian Predators
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 23
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Habitat Improvement Opportunities Evaluated
• Removal of Pile Dike (reduce erosion)
• Removal of Individual Piles (improve access)
• Extend Pile Dike (increase shallow water)
• Remove Creosote Treated Piles (improve water quality)
• Place Large Woody Debris (increase cover)
• Place Fill (increase shallow water/decrease bank slopes)
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 24
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Pile Dike Assessment Habitat Impact Findings
• Very Few Treated Piling –
Not a Contaminant Threat
• Piscivorous Fish Activity
Unobservable – Impact
Inconclusive
• Avian Perching Observed
(Primarily Cormorants) –
Impact Inconclusive
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 25
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Pile Dike Assessment Habitat Impact Findings
• Juvenile Salmonid Rearing
Habitat
– Creation of Shallow Water
Habitat (SWH)
– Protection of 3800 Acres SWH
– Bed Erosion Not Noted
– Adjacent Areas Will Support
Creation of SWH
– Addition of LWD Not
Warranted In Main Channel
– Additional Studies
Recommended
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 26
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East Sand Island – Lower Columbia River
• Island Constructed Of
Dredge Material Protected
By a Pile Dike System
• Removal of Pile Dikes May
Allow Natural Reworking of
Dredge Material
• Role of Large Predators
• 2011 Bald Eagle
Harassment of Nesting
Colonies: 90-100%
Reproductive Loss
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 27
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Thank You
David Gorman, PE
Ecosystem Restoration Engineer
AECOM
Portland, Oregon
August 2, 2011LCR Pile Dike Assessment Page 28
