Size (acres) | 110,419 |
Percent Public Ownership | 2 |
Miles of anadromous salmonid streams | 68 |
Highest elevation (feet) | 3,458 |
Lowest elevation (feet) | 358 |
Located in the west-central portion of the Umpqua Basin, the Lower South Umpqua fifth-field watershed is 110,419 acres. The watershed includes the final 25 miles of the South Umpqua River and its tributaries. The Lower South Umpqua Watershed is a maximum of 12 miles north to south and 24 miles east to west.
Most of the Lower South Umpqua Watershed is characterized by broad valleys and gently sloping hills, with elevations ranging from 500 to 1,000 feet. The lowest point in the watershed is 358 feet at the mouth of the South Umpqua River. As the watershed approaches the Cascades in the east, the landscape becomes more mountainous, reaching a maximum elevation of 3,458 feet at Lane Mountain. The Lower South Umpqua Watershed's largest tributary is Deer Creek. The Deer Creek stream system drains approximately 43,090 acres of land, or 39% of the Lower South Umpqua Watershed.
The Lower South Umpqua Watershed is the most heavily populated watershed in Umpqua Basin. The incorporated cities of Winston and Roseburg, and the population centers of Green, Shady, Melrose, and Dixonville, are all found within the watershed. Four major throughways transect the watershed: Interstate 5, Highway 99, Highway 42, and Highway 138.
In the Lower South Umpqua Watershed, 58% of the land base is used for agriculture. Lands used for forestry account for 19% of the watershed, and are mostly located in the northwest. Residential and commercial/industrial lands constitute 23% of the land use and are found in and around the cities of Roseburg and Winston, and in Melrose, Green, and Shady. Land ownership is primarily private (94%), with public ownership evenly divided among the Bureau of Land Management, the City of Roseburg, and county and state lands.
Coho, winter steelhead, spring chinook, fall chinook, and cutthroat trout can all be found in the Lower South Umpqua Watershed. According to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) aerial counts of fall chinook, each year around one-forth of the fall chinook counted in the South Umpqua River are in the Lower South Umpqua Watershed. Fall chinook have also been documented in Deer Creek.
Two non-native fish, smallmouth bass and brown bullhead, have resident populations in the South Umpqua River and possibly in the lower reaches of Deer Creek. Other introduced fish, including largemouth bass, yellow perch, and bluegill, may also have intermittent populations in the watershed.
Riparian areas in the Lower South Umpqua Watershed are predominantly thin strips of hardwoods mixed with shrubs, grass, rangeland, and blackberries. Along the South Umpqua River, many areas have no vegetation.
ODFW conducted stream habitat surveys in Newton Creek and in the Deer Creek stream system. Data from these surveys suggest poor levels of large woody debris limit fish habitat in these streams. However, not enough surveys have been conducted in the Lower South Umpqua Watershed to draw any conclusions about watershed-wide conditions.
In the Lower South Umpqua Watershed, three streams are included on the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) 303(d) list for water quality impairment: Deer Creek, North Fork Deer Creek, and the South Umpqua River. Deer Creek is listed for temperature, fecal coliform, and dissolved oxygen. North Fork Deer Creek is listed for E. coli. The South Umpqua River is listed for the following 10 parameters: Temperature, fecal coliform, biological criteria, phosphorus, pH, aquatic weeds/algae, chlorine, arsenic, cadmium, and dissolved oxygen. The following streams are considered water quality limited for habitat or flow modification: Champagne Creek (flow), Roberts Creek (flow), Deer Creek (habitat and flow), North Fork Deer Creek (flow), South Fork Deer Creek (flow), and the South Umpqua River (habitat and flow).
1. Actively seek out opportunities with landowners, businesses, and resident groups in key areas to enlist participation in the following restoration projects and activities: · Future stream habitat surveys (all but Newton Creek).
2. Work with interested landowners on a case-by-case basis on the following project types:
3. Develop educational materials and/or outreach programs to educate target audiences about fish habitat and water quality-related issues:
4. Support local fish habitat and water quality research:
5. Enlist landowner participation to remove fish passage barriers as identified.
6. Educate policy makers about the obstacles preventing greater landowner participation in voluntary fish habitat and water quality improvement methods.
In this section, specific potential enhancement activities are listed by different sections of the Deer Creek Watershed, which can be located on the map below.
Deer Creek, Roseburg (12 miles of riparian area)
Canopy Cover over Deer Creek and its Tributaries. South Side of Deer Creek, from the Urban Growth Boundary to the forks (14.5 miles of riparian area)
North Side of Deer Creek, from the Urban Growth Boundary to Buckhorn Road (11 miles of riparian area) Sample for toxics.
North Side of Deer Creek, Buckhorn Road to the forks (11.5 miles of riparian area)
North Fork Deer Creek, mouth to Strader Road (17 miles of riparian area)
South Fork Deer Creek (68.5 miles of riparian area)
Deer Creek Outreach Programs
Riparian Plants
Generally suggested plant species for riparian areas in the Deer Creek Watershed:
Smolt Trap
Geyer, Nancy A. Lower South Umpqua Watershed Assessment and Action Plan. Roseburg, Oregon: Prepared for the Umpqua Basin Watershed Council; 2003 July.
Kincaid, Heidi. Deer Creek Watershed Assessment and Action Plan. Roseburg, Oregon: Prepared for the Umpqua Basin Watershed Council; 2002 April.