Editor Stacey H. Stovall, Conservation Innovations, Inc. Subbasin Team Leader

Watershed Assessment

Regional-scale Assessments

The ICBEMP assessment concluded that historic development of the ICRB over the last 150 years has greatly altered ecological processes to the detriment of many native species of fish and wildlife (ICBEMP 2000). Land and water use practices contributing to these changes included unrestricted or little-restricted livestock grazing, road construction, timber harvest and fire management, certain intensive agricultural practices, placer and dredge mining, dam construction, and stream channelization. These watershed disturbances have caused risks to ecological integrity by reducing biodiversity and threatening riparian-associated species across broad geographic areas (ICBEMP 2000). Among many findings of relevance to the Boise-Payette-Weiser subbasins, the assessment concluded that:

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  aquatic diversity and resilience are dependent on the maintenance of complex habitats and networks of those habitats at multiple spatial scales;
  
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  conserving the remaining watersheds and habitats that have a high value for aquatic species is key to maintaining system integrity;
  
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  designated wilderness and roadless areas are important building blocks for aquatic restoration throughout the ICRB;
  
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  restoring or maintaining the integrity of river corridors bordered by private lands will be particularly important to conserving migratory salmonids because these corridors are essential to assuring habitat and population connectivity between areas of high integrity on federal lands.
  

Assessments within the Subbasins

Because of the high proportion of federal land within the Boise-Payette-Weiser subbasins, there have been a good number of large watershed, small watershed, subwatershed, and species-specific assessments conducted and written on conditions in the area.

Federal Agencies

U.S. Forest Service

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  Biological Assessment of Ongoing Actions, South Fork Payette River Bull Trout Subpopulation Watershed, Boise National Forest (1998).
  
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  Upper South Fork Boise River Key Watershed Assessment for Bull Trout, Boise National Forest (1997)
  
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  Biological Assessment of Ongoing Actions, Middle Fork Payette River Bull Trout Subpopulation Watershed, Boise National Forest (1998).
  
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  Biological Assessment of Ongoing Actions, Gold Fork Payette River Bull Trout Subpopulation Watershed, Boise National Forest (1998).
  
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  Biological Assessment of Ongoing Actions, Squaw Creek Bull Trout Subpopulation Watershed, Boise National Forest (1998).
  
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  Biological Evaluation of the Effects of the Boise River Wildfire Recovery Project on Bull Trout, Boise National Forest (1994).
  
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  Cascade Reservoir Watershed Analysis Report, Boise National Forest (1998)
  
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  Biological Assessment for the Potential Effects of Managing the Payette National Forest in the Weiser River Section 7 Consultation Watershed on Columbia River Bull Trout and Biological Evaluation for Westslope Cutthroat Trout Volume 3: Ongoing Actions. Payette National Forest (2001).
  
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  Biological Assessment for the Potential Effects of Managing the Payette National Forest in the North Fork Payette River Section 7 Watershed on the Columbia River Bull Trout and Biological Evaluation for Westslope Cutthroat Trout. Volume 2: Ongoing Actions, Payette National Forest (2001).
  

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

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  Cascade Reservoir Resource Management Plan (1991)
  
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  A Description of BOR System Operation of the Boise and Payette River (1997).
  

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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  The Weiser River Basin Study (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1995), part of the Upper Snake River Basin Study, was a cooperative effort between the USACE and the Idaho Department of Water Resources. As part of the study, 49 reservoir storage sites in the basin were identified and reviewed. Five sites were selected for reconnaissance-level studies, including the Galloway, Goodrich, Vista, and Tamarack sites and enlargement of the existing Lost Valley project. Further study of all sites, except Galloway, was eventually discontinued due to lack of economic feasibility or federal interest.
  

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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  Biological Opinion on the Bureau of Reclamation Operations and Maintenance Activities in the Snake River Basin Upstream of Lower Granite Dam Reservoir (1999).
  

State Agencies

Idaho Department of Environmental Quality

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  Idaho Agricultural Pollution Abatement Plan, Ag Plan (1993)
  
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  Subbasin Assessment and TMDL for the Middle Fork Payette River (1998)
  
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  Lower Boise River TMDL: Subbasin Assessment, Total Maximum Daily Loads (1998)
  
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  Lower Payette River Subbasin Assessment and Total Maximum Daily Load (1999)
  
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  Cascade Reservoir Phase I Watershed Management Plan (1996)
  
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  Cascade Reservoir Phase II Watershed Management Plan (1998)
  

Idaho Department of Water Resources/Idaho Water Resource Board

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  Idaho Comprehensive State Water Plan, Payette River Basin
  
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  Idaho Comprehensive State Water Plan, South Fork Boise River Basin
  
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  Idaho Comprehensive State Water Plan, Upper Boise River Basin
  
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  Idaho Comprehensive State Water Plan, Lower Boise River Basin-in preparation
  

Watershed Groups

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  Big Payette Lake Management Plan and Implementation Plan, Big Payette Lake Water Quality Council (1998)
  
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  Boise River Bull Trout Key Watershed Problem Assessment, Native Fish WAG (1998)
  
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  Gold Fork and Squaw Creek Key Watersheds Bull Trout Problem Assessment, Native Fish WAG (1999)
  
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  Deadwood, Middle Fork and South Fork Payette Rivers Key Watersheds Bull Trout Problem Assessment, Native Fish WAG (1998)
  
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  Weiser River Key Watershed Bull Trout Problem Assessment, Native Fish WAG (2000)
  

Private Entities

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  Gold Fork River Watershed Analysis, Boise Cascade Corporation (1996)
  

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