Blackwood Creek - Sediment
H.U. 634.20

Blackwood Creek is a tributary of Lake Tahoe, located in the central portion of the North Tahoe Hydrologic Area (HA No. 634.20). The creek was first listed as an impaired water body on the 303(d) list in the “305(b) Water Quality Report for Water Years 1988 – 1989” (State Water Resources Control Board, 1990). The listing was based on known sedimentation problems associated with instream gravel mining in the 1960s and almost 100 years of grazing and logging.  Results from recent watershed assessment work (Swanson, 2003) indicate that Blackwood Creek's bedded (bedload) sediment load exceeds that expected for the watershed. Studies also indicate that additional instream restoration activities are needed to restore beneficial uses. Water quality standards include designated beneficial uses of water and narrative and numeric water quality objectives (WQOs) established to protect those uses. Chapter 2 of the Basin Plan contains definitions of the beneficial uses assigned to waters in the Lahontan Region. The designated beneficial uses of Blackwood Creek are:

• Cold Freshwater Habitat (COLD)
• Commercial and Sport fishing (COMM)
• Migration of Aquatic Organisms (MIGR)
• Municipal and Domestic Supply (MUN)
• Water Contact Recreation (REC-1)
• Non-Contact Water Recreation (REC-2)
• Spawning, Reproduction and Development (SPWN)
• Wildlife Habitat (WILD)

The beneficial uses of particular concern are those related to aquatic and riparian habitat (COLD, SPWN, WILD), because those appear to be most sensitive to excessive sedimentation.

 

Available Documents

• Blackwood USEPA Approval Letter
• Notice of Availability of Draft TMDL Staff Report and Notice of Public Hearing
• Final Blackwood Creek for Sediment
  • Figure 1 - Blackwood Creek Watershed Location Map
  • Figure 2 - Historic Land Use in Blackwood Creek Watershed
  • Figure 3 - Summary of Monthly Tahoe City Precipitation Values, 1850-2001
  • Figure 4 - Landslides and Faulting in Blackwood Watershed
  • Figure 5 - Profile of Blackwood Creek and Tributaries
  • Figure 6 - Mean Daily Flows in Blackwood Creek, Water Years 1961-2006
  • Figure 7 - Frequency of Suspended Sediment Analyses Versus Flow Quartile
  • Figure 8 - Frequency of Suspended Sediment Analyses Versus Month
  • Figure 9 - Former Gravel Pit, Former Fish Ladder, Former Low Water Crossing, & Designated Reach Breaks
  • Figure 10 - Historic and Current Channel Patterns of Blackwood Creek
  • Figure 11 - Gravel Pit Operations and Diversion Channel
  • Figure 12 - Locations and Estimates of Excess Bedded Sediment
• Report for Blackwood Creek TMDL Feasibility Project
• Implementation Status
  • Interim Monitoring Report for Blackwood Creek Phase 1 and II: Fish Ladder Removal and Barker Pass Road Crossing Replacement, Period of Record 2003-2008
  • LTBMU Environmental Assessment of Blackwood Creek Restoration Project, Phase 3