FACTORS

INDICATORS 

PROPERLY FUNCTIONING

AT RISK

NOT PROPERLY FUNCTIONING

Water Quality

Temperature

2nd-3rd order basins: <52 degrees F

4th and larger basins: <55 "    "  

2nd-3rd order: 52-55 degrees F

4th+ order:  55-58 degrees F

2nd-3rd order basins: >55 degrees F

4th order and larger: > 58 degrees F

Sediment/ Turbidity *

<12% fines (<0.85 mm) in gravel, turbidity low, or cobble embeddedness <35%          

12-17% fines (<0.85mm) in gravel

> 17% fines (<0.85mm) in gravels, turbidity high, or cobble embeddedness >35%

Chemical  Contamination/ Nutrients

Low levels of chemical contaminants from agricultural, industrial and other sources, no excess nutrients, no CWA 303d | designated reaches   (5)

Mod+ levels of chemical contamination from agricultural, industrial and other sources, any level of excess nutrients, one or more CWA 303d designated reaches   (5)

Habitat Access

Physical Barriers

Any man-made barriers present in watershed allow upstream and downstream fish passage at all flows of age 1+ salmonids

Any man-made barriers present in watershed do not allow upstream and/or downstream fish passage at a range of flows of age 1+ salmonids

Habitat Elements

Substrate *

Dominant substrate is gravel or cobble (interstitial spaces clear), embeddedness <20%

Gravel and/or cobble is sub-dominant, or if dominant, embeddedness 20-35%  (3)

Bedrock, sand, silt, or small gravel dominant, or if gravel and cobble dominant, embeddedness >35%   (2)

Large Woody Debris¹⁾

>30 pieces/mile, >12" diameter and >35 feet in length.  Adequate sources of future LWD to maintain the above standard.  Little evidence of stream clean-out or management related debris flows. 

20-30 pieces/mile, >12" and >35 ft. in length or lacks potential sources of LWD sufficient to maintain or achieve the fully fuctioning standard. 

Does not meet standards for properly functioning and lacks potential sources of LWD.  Evidence of stream clean-out and/or management related debris flows.

Pool Characteristics²⁾ *

>30% pool habitat by area.  Little reduction in pool volume due to filling by fine sediment or unsorted substrates.

>30% pool habitat by area but with obvious filling by fines or unsorted substrates          or

<30% pool habitat by area and little reduction in pool volume due to filling.

<30% pool habitat by area and obvious reduction in pool volume due to filling with fines and/or unsorted substrates. 

Off-channel Habitat *

Water velocity refugia present.  Backwaters frequent and the result of structural influence (LWD).  Side channel connectivity maintained. 

Little or no velocity refugia.  Few or no backwaters, no off-channel ponds.  Evidence of abandoned side channels due to past management activities. 

Habitat Elements (Con't)

Refugia

(important remnant habitat for sensitive aquatic species)

Habitat refugia exist and are adequately buffered (e.g. by intact riparian reserves); existing refugia are sufficient in size, number and connectivity to maintain viable populations or sub-populations. 

Habitat refugia exist but are not adequately buffered (e.g.by intact riparian reserves); existing refugia are insufficient in size, number and connectivity to maintain viable populations or sub-populations. 

Adequate habitat refugia do not exist. 

Channel Condition and Dynamics

Width/Depth Ratio

W/D ratio and channel types are within historic ranges and site potential as per Rosgen typing.

W/D ratios and channel types are outside of historic ranges and site potentials. 

Streambank Condition *

Basinwide, in low gradient reaches, > 90% stable; i.e., on average, less than 10% of banks are actively eroding. 

Basinwide, in low gradient reaches, stream banks 80-90% stable.  Active erosion limited to outcurves. 

<80% of streambanks are stable.  Active erosion widespread throughout basin in low gradient reaches. 

Floodplain Connectivity *

Off-channel areas are frequently hydrologically linked to main channel; overbank flows occur and maintain wetland functions, riparian vegetation and succession. 

Obvious reduction in hydrologic connectivity between off-channel, wetland, floodplain and riparian areas; wetland extent noticably reduced and riparian vegetation/ succession altered significantly.

Flow/Hydrology

Drainage Network

Little increase in drainage network due to roads. 

Substantial increases in drainage network density due to roads (e.g. ~20-25%)

Watershed Conditions

Road Density & Location  

<2 mi/mi², with no valley bottom roads. 

2-3 mi/mi², with some valley bottom roads. 

>3 mi/mi square and/or substantial amount of valley bottom roads. 

Disturbance History

<5% ECA/decade (entire watershed) with no concentration of disturbance in unstable or potentially unstable areas, and/or refugia, and/or riparian reserves.  

>5% ECA/decade (entire watershed) and disturbance concentrated in unstable or potentially unstable areas, and/or refugia, and/or riparian reserves.

Riparian Reserves

Riparian Reserves are intact, with >80% in late seral condition. 

Riparian Reserves are fragmented, poorly connected or provide inadequate protection of habitats and refugia for sensitive aquatic species. <80% are in late seral condition. 

Landslide Rates

Within 20% of historic natural rates.  Stream conditions not evidently altered due to management | related landslides.

Not within 20% of historic natural rates.  Stream conditions obviously altered by management related landslides.