Newaukum Creek Watershed

Lowland Watershed

Lowland watersheds occur in the glacial plateau, draining to floodplains or Puget Sound

Salish Sea References

• Watershed Characterization Mapper
• The Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
• PRISM Project Search
• Washington Coastal Atlas
• WDFW's Salmonscape Map

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Newaukum Creek drains the Newaukum Plateau near the City of Enumclaw. It flows for 14 miles from private forest foothills at 3,000 feet above sealevel, through a gravelly plateau, and then through a canyon to Join the Green River near river mile 40.7 at 180 feet above sea level. The sub-basin is one of two in the Green River system that is a target for its own TMDL for temperature and dissolved oxygen violations under the Clean Water Act.

• Newaukum Creek in Habitat Work Schedule
• Newaukum Creek in Coastal Atlas] showing 303(d) listed streams.

Notes

• 2006 WDOE initiated a TMDL focussed on temperature and dissolved oxygen. This involves development of a Water Quality Improvement Plan (WQIP).
  • Green River TMDL overview
  • Newaukum Creek Temperature TMDL WQIP and Implementation Plan
  • Proposes to increase shading, protect cool groundwater, and enhance summer base flow. This includes replanting, modification of local regulatory programs and policies, limit livestock impacts, implement LID, rigorous SEPA review, stormwater infiltration, wetland creation, use efficiency, enforce water rights, and monitor (specific suggestions start on p.71).
• Newaukum Creek channel and wetland restoration is currently a "tier two" project under the Green/Duwamish habitat restoration plan.
• Newaukum Creek Characterization for Habitat Restoration
  • Executive Summary
  • Low flow is declining 0.12 cfs per year, the system is flashier with a historical 10 year 800 cfs flow happening every three years.
  • agricultural development has created 77 miles of artificial channel and destroyed 80% of historical wetlands.
  • Both loss of shade and modification of groundwater patterns affect temperature.
  • The whole watershed habitat structure has been altered.
  • Despite impervious surface and drainage, peak flow is also declining (mechanisms are not understood).
  • We are lacking information of livestock access, fish passage barriers, patterns of heat loading, and fish distribution and spawning.
  • City of Enumclaw is planning to grow, and climate change will excacerbate low flow and temperature issues.
• Newaukum Chinook are extinct, chum at high risk of extinction, and coho depressed. (this doesn't match claim in recovery plan)
• Soils in the Newaukum plateau are ideal for development of spawning gravels.
• Plans, Studies and Maps for salmon recovery in the Green.
• King County website
  • Newaukum contains 16% of the naturally spawning Chinook in the Green
• USGS Gauge at Black Diamond
• PRISM has three records related to Newaukum Creek
  • 14-2188 Sackwar - North Fork Newaukum R13 (King Conservation District)
  • 04-1338 Lower Newaukum Restoration (King County DNR & Parks)
  • 99-1467 North Fork Newaukum Creek Habitat (King County DNR & Parks)
• WDFW is completing culvert inventory as part of a NRCS agreement.
• wetlands on Coastal Atlas

the level of oxygen gas present in water, indicating its ability to support aquatic life.