Skip to main content

Urban Hydrology in the Pacific Northwest

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Wild Salmonids in the Urbanizing Pacific Northwest

Abstract

Hydrologic processes control many fundamental dimensions affecting salmonid habitat and populations at several critical life stages. The purpose of this chapter is to review important aspects of streamflow and how those aspects are affected by urbanization, with a focus on North America’s Pacific Northwest. Hydrologic aspects reviewed in this chapter include the timing and magnitude of streamflow, the linkage of streamflow to various physical and biological processes, the use and redistribution of water on the landscape by humans, and the importance of these processes in shaping salmonid habitats.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alberti M, Booth D, Hill K, Coburn B, Avolio C, Coed S, Spirandelli D (2007) The impact of urban patterns on aquatic ecosystems: an empirical analysis in Puget lowland sub-basins. Landsc Urban Plan 80(4):345–361

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • American Forests (1998) Regional ecosystem analysis, Puget Sound metropolitan area, calculating the value of nature. American Forests, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • American Forests (2001) Regional ecosystem analysis for the Willamette/lower Columbia region of northwestern Oregon and southwestern Washington state, calculating the value of nature. American Forests, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Arnold CL Jr, Gibbons JC (1996) Impervious surface coverage. J Am Plann Assoc 62(2):243–258

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Azuma DL, Herstrom AA, Lettman GJ, McKay N, Robinson TJ (2009) Forest, farms and people: land use change on non-federal land in Oregon 1974–2005. Oregon Department of Forestry, Salem, OR

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker DB, Richards RP, Loftus TT, Kramer JW (2004) A new flashiness index: characteristics and applications to midwestern rivers and streams. J Am Water Resour Assoc 40:503–522

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Battin J, Wiley MW, Ruckelshaus MH, Palmer RN, Korb E, Bartz KK, Imaki H (2007) Projected impacts of climate change on salmon habitat restoration. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104(16):6720–6725

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Benner P, Sedell JR (1997) Upper Willamette river landscape: a historic perspective. In: Laenen A, Dunnette DA (eds) River quality, dynamics, and restoration. Lewis, Boca Raton, FL, pp 23–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernert JA, Eilers JM, Eilers BJ, Blok E, Daggett SG, Bierly KF (1999) Recent wetland trends (1981/2–1994) in the Willamette valley, Oregon, USA. Wetlands 19(3):545–559

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Booth DB, Jackson CR (1997) Urbanization of aquatic systems: degradation thresholds, stormwater detection, and the limits of mitigation. J Am Water Resour Assoc 33(5):1077–1090

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Booth DB, Hartley D, Jackson R (2002) Forest cover, impervious-surface area, and the mitigation of stormwater impacts. J Am Water Resour Assoc 38(3):835–845

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brandes D, Gregory JC, Nilson ML (2005) Base flow trends in urbanizing watersheds of the Delaware river basin. J Am Water Resour Assoc 41(6):1377–1391

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brooks BW, Riley TM, Taylor RD (2006) Water quality of effluent-dominated ecosystems: ecotoxicological, hydrological, and management considerations. Hydrobiologia 556(1):365–379

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brown LR, Cuffney TF, Coles JF, Fitzpatrick F, McMahon G, Steuer J, Bell AH, May JT (2009) Urban streams across the USA: lessons learned from studies in 9 metropolitan areas. J North Am Benthol Soc 28(4):1051–1069

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burcher CL, Benfield EF (2006) Physical and biological responses of streams to suburbanization of historically agricultural watersheds. J North Am Benthol Soc 25(2):356–369

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burges SJ, Wigmosta MS, Meena JM (1998) Hydrological effects of land-use change in a zero-order catchment. J Hydrol Eng 3(2):86–97

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burns D, Vivtar T, McDonnell J, Hassett J, Duncan J, Kendall C (2005) Effects of suburban development on runoff generation in the Croton river basin, New York, USA. J Hydrol 311(4):266–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chang H (2007) Comparative streamflow characteristics in urbanizing basins in the Portland metropolitan area, Oregon, USA. Hydrol Process 21(2):211–222

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chang H, Jung I, Strecker A, Wise D, Lafrenz M, Shandas V, Moradkhani H, Yeakley A, Pan Y, Bean R, Johnson G, Psaris M (2013) Water supply, demand, and quality indicators for assessing the spatial distribution of water resource vulnerability in the Columbia River basin. Atmos Ocean 51(4):339–356

    Google Scholar 

  • Chin A (2006) Urban transformation of river landscapes in a global context. Geomorphology 79(3–4):460–487

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chin A, Gregory KJ (2001) Urbanization and adjustment of ephemeral stream channels. Ann Assoc Am Geogr 91(4):595–608

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • City of Portland (2001) Portland’s Willamette river atlas. City of Portland, Portland, OR

    Google Scholar 

  • City of Portland (2005) Actions for watershed health: Portland watershed management plan. Environmental Services, Portland, OR

    Google Scholar 

  • Claessens L, Hopkinson C, Rastetter E, Vallino J (2006) Effects of historical changes in land use and climate on the water budget of an urbanizing watershed. Water Resour Res 42:W03426 [13 p]

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daggett SG, Boule ME, Bernert JA, Eilers JM, Blok E, Peters D, Morlan J (1998) Wetland and land use change in the Willamette valley, Oregon: 1982 to 1994. Wetlands Program, Oregon Division of State Lands, Salem, OR

    Google Scholar 

  • Dingman SL (2008) Physical hydrology, 3rd edn. Waveland Press, Long Grove, IL

    Google Scholar 

  • Dow CL, DeWalle DR (2000) Trends in evaporation and Bowen ratio on urbanizing watershed in eastern United States. Water Resour Res 36(7):1835–1843

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galster JC, Pazzaglia FJ, Germanoski D (2008) Measuring the impact of urbanization on channel widths using historic aerial photographs and modern surveys. J Am Water Resour Assoc 44(4):948–960

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Good JW (2000) Summary and current status of Oregon’s estuarine ecosystems. In: Risser PG (ed) Oregon state of the environment report. Oregon Progress Board, Salem, OR, pp 33–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Gray L (2004) Changes in water quality and macroinvertebrate communities resulting from urban stormflows in the Provo river, Utah, USA. Hydrobiologia 518(1–3):33–46

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gregory S, Ashkenas L, Oetter D, Wildman R, Minear P, Jett S, Wildman K (2002) Revetments. In: Hulse D, Gregory S, Baker J (eds) Willamette river basin: trajectories of environmental and ecological change, a planning atlas. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, OR, pp 32–33

    Google Scholar 

  • Gregory S, Ashkenas L, Nygaard C (2007) Summary report to assist development of ecosystem flow recommendations for the coast fork and middle fork of the Willamette river, Oregon. Institute for Water and Watersheds, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR

    Google Scholar 

  • Grimmond CSB, Oke TR (1986) Urban water balance 2. Results from a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia. Water Resour Res 22(10):1404–1412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Groffman PM, Bain DJ, Band LE, Belt KT, Brush GS, Grove JM, Pouyat RV, Yesilonis IC, Zipperer WC (2003) Down by the riverside: urban riparian ecology. Front Ecol Environ 1:315–321

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hatt BE, Fletcher TD, Walsh CJ, Taylor SL (2004) The influence of urban density and drainage infrastructure on the concentrations and loads of pollutants from streams. Environ Manag 34(1):112–124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helvey JD, Patric JH (1965) Canopy and litter interception by hardwoods of eastern United States. Water Resour Res 1:193–206

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hillel D (1980) Fundamentals of soil physics. Academic, San Diego, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Holland CC, Honea J, Gwin SE, Kentula ME (1995) Wetland degradation and loss in the rapidly urbanizing area of Portland, Oregon. Wetlands 15(4):336–345

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hollis GE (1975) The effect of urbanization on floods of different recurrence interval. Water Resour Res 11(3):431–435

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hornberger GM, Raffensperger JP, Wiberg PL, Eshleman KN (1998) Elements of physical hydrology. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD

    Google Scholar 

  • Houston LL, Watanabe M, Kline JD, Alig RJ (2003) Past and future water use in Pacific Coast states. General technical report PNW-GTR-588. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, OR

    Google Scholar 

  • Independent Multidisciplinary Science Team (IMST) (2010) Urban and rural-residential land uses: their roles in watershed health and the recovery of Oregon’s wild salmonids. Technical report 2010-1. Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Salem, OR

    Google Scholar 

  • Independent Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB) (2007) Climate change impacts on Columbia River basin fish and wildlife. ISAB 2007-2. Northwest Power and Conservation Council, Portland, OR

    Google Scholar 

  • Jay DA, Simenstad CA (1996) Downstream effects of water withdrawal in a small, high-gradient basin: erosion and deposition on the Skokomish river delta. Estuaries 19(3):501–517

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson Creek Watershed Council (2003) Johnson creek watershed action plan. An adaptive approach. Johnson Creek Watershed Council, Portland, OR

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaushal SS, Belt KT (2012) The urban watershed continuum: evolving spatial and temporal dimensions. Urban Ecosyst 15:409–435

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kentula ME, Gwin SE, Pierson SM (2004) Tracking changes in wetlands with urbanization: sixteen years of experience in Portland, Oregon, USA. Wetlands 24(4):734–743

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Konrad CP (2003) Effects of urban development on floods. Fact sheet FS-076-03. US Geological Survey, Tacoma, WA

    Google Scholar 

  • Konrad CP, Booth DB (2002) Hydrologic trends associated with urban development in western Washington streams. Water-resources investigations report 02-4040. US Geological Survey, Tacoma, WA

    Google Scholar 

  • Konrad CP, Booth DB (2005) Hydrologic changes in urban streams and their ecological significance. In: Brown LR, Gray RH, Hughes RM, Meador MR (eds) Effects of urbanization on stream ecosystems. Symposium 47. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD, pp 157–177

    Google Scholar 

  • Konrad CP, Booth DB, Burges J (2005) Effects of urban development in the Puget lowland, Washington, on interannual streamflow patterns: consequences for channel form and streambed disturbance. Water Resour Res 41:WO7009. doi:10.1029/2005WR004097

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ku HFH, Hagelin NW, Buxton HT (1992) Effects of urban storm-runoff control on ground-water recharge in Nassau county, New York. Ground Water 30(4):507–514

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee JG, Heaney JP (2003) Estimation of urban imperviousness and its impacts on storm water systems. J Water Resour Plann Manag 129(5):419–426

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leopold LB (1968) Hydrology for urban planning—a guidebook on the hydrologic effects of urban land use. Circular 554. US Geological Survey, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Lerner DN (2002) Identifying and quantifying urban recharge: a review. Hydrol J 10(1):143–152

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis DB, Grimm NB (2007) Hierarchical regulation of nitrogen export from urban catchments: interactions of storms and landscapes. Ecol Appl 17:2347–2364

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Markoff MS, Cullen AC (2008) Impact of climate change on Pacific Northwest hydropower. Clim Change 87(3–4):451–469

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore RD, Wondzell SM (2005) Physical hydrology and the effects of forest harvesting in the Pacific Northwest: a review. J Am Water Resour Assoc 41:763–784

    Google Scholar 

  • Morlan JC, Blok EF, Miner J, Kirchner WN (2010) Wetland and land use change in the Willamette valley, Oregon: 1994 to 2005. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Portland, OR

    Google Scholar 

  • Mote PW, Parson EA, Hamlet AF, Keeton WS, Lettenmaier D, Mantua N, Miles EL, Peterson DW, Peterson DL, Slaughter R, Snover AK (2003) Preparing for climatic change: the water, salmon, and forests of the Pacific Northwest. Clim Change 61(1–2):45–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (2006) Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed issuance of an incidental take permit. March 27, 2006. Fed Reg 71(58):15168–15171

    Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council (NRC) (2002) Riparian areas: functions and strategies for management. National Academy Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Ogden FL, Pradhan NR, Downer CW, Zahner JA (2011) Relative importance of impervious area, drainage density, width function, and subsurface storm drainage on flood runoff from an urbanized catchment. Water Resour Res 47:W12503

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ozawa CP, Yeakley JA (2007) Performance of management strategies in the protection of riparian vegetation in three Oregon cities. J Environ Plan Manag 50(6):803–822

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poff NL, Bledsoe BP, Cuhaciyan CO (2006) Hydrologic variation with land use across the contiguous United States: geomorphic and ecological consequences for stream ecosystems. Geomorphology 79(3–4):264–285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poff NL, Richter BD, Arthington AH, Bunn SE, Naiman RJ, Kendy E, Acreman M, Apse C, Bledsoe BP, Freeman MC, Henriksen J, Jacobson RB, Kennen JG, Merritt DM, O’Keeffe JH, Olden JD, Rogers K, Tharme RE, Warner A (2010) The ecological limits of hydrologic alteration (ELOHA): a new framework for developing regional environmental flow standards. Freshw Biol 55(1):147–170

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramankutty N, Foley JA, Olejniczak NJ (2002) People on the land: changes in global population and croplands during the 20th century. Ambio 31(3):251–257

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reinelt L, Horner R, Azous A (1998) Impacts of urbanization on palustrine (depressional freshwater) wetlands—research and management in the Puget Sound region. Urban Ecosyst 2(4):219–236

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riley AL (1998) Restoring streams in cities. A guide for planners, policymakers, and citizens. Island Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Rose S, Peters NE (2001) Effects of urbanization on streamflow in the Atlanta area (Georgia, USA): a comparative hydrological approach. Hydrol Process 15(8):1441–1457

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roy AH, Shuster WD (2009) Assessing impervious surface connectivity and applications for watershed management. J Am Water Resour Assoc 45(1):198–209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanborn SC, Bledsoe BP (2006) Predicting streamflow regime metrics for ungauged streams in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon. J Hydrol 325(1–4):241–261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shuster WD, Bonta J, Thurston H, Warnemuende E, Smith DR (2005) Impacts of impervious surface on watershed hydrology: a review. Urban Water J 2(4):263–275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith JA, Baeck ML, Meierdiercks KL, Nelson PA, Miller AJ, Holland EJ (2005) Field studies of the storm event hydrologic response in an urbanizing watershed. Water Resour Res 41(10):W10413

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stein SM, McRoberts RE, Alig RJ, Nelson MD, Theobald DM, Eley M, Dechter M, Carr M (2005) Forests on the edge: housing development on America’s private forests. General technical report PNW-GTR-636. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, OR

    Google Scholar 

  • Stone B (2004) Paving over paradise: how land use regulations promote residential imperviousness. Landsc Urban Plan 69(1):101–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stone B, Bullen JL (2006) Urban form and watershed management: how zoning influences residential stormwater volumes. Environ Plann B 33(1):21–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swank WT, Crossley DA (1988) Forest hydrology and ecology at Coweeta. Springer, New York, NY

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Tague C, Grant GE (2004) A geological framework for interpreting the low-flow regimes of cascade streams, Willamette river basin, Oregon. Water Resour Res 40:W04303. doi:10.1029/2003WR002629

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thom RM, Borde AB, Richter KO, Hibler LF (2001) Influence of urbanization on ecological processes in wetlands. In: Wigmosta MS, Lewis J, Dunne T, Montgomery DR, Sidle RC (eds) Land use and watersheds: human influence on hydrology and geomorphology in urban and forest areas. Water Science and Application 2, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, pp 5–16

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Walsh CJ, Fletcher TD, Ladson AR (2005a) Stream restoration in urban catchments through redesigning stormwater systems: looking to the catchment to save the stream. J North Am Benthol Soc 24(3):690–705

    Google Scholar 

  • Walsh CJ, Roy AH, Feminella JW, Cottingham PD, Groffman PM, Morgan RP (2005b) The urban stream syndrome: current knowledge and the search for a cure. J North Am Benthol Soc 24(3):706–723

    Google Scholar 

  • Waring RH, Schlesinger WH (1985) Forest ecosystems: concepts and management. Academic, San Diego, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Woltemade CT (1994) Form and process: fluvial geomorphology and flood-flow interaction, Grant River, Wisconsin. Ann Assoc Am Geogr 84(3):462–479

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao Q, McPherson EG (2002) Rainfall interception by Santa Monica’s municipal urban forest. Urban Ecosyst 6(4):291–302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yeakley JA, Swank WT, Swift LW, Hornberger GM, Shugart HH (1998) Soil moisture gradients and controls on a southern Appalachian hillslope from drought through recharge. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 2:41–49

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. Alan Yeakley .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Yeakley, J.A. (2014). Urban Hydrology in the Pacific Northwest. In: Yeakley, J., Maas-Hebner, K., Hughes, R. (eds) Wild Salmonids in the Urbanizing Pacific Northwest. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8818-7_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics