PFC Standard Checklist

Location

Location Description:                   Reach
Downstream End Point
Township Range Section:  Meridian: Gila & Salt River Base Line
Township: 7N, Range: 30E, Section: 29, 1/4: NW, 1/4 1/4: SE 

UTM:  Zone:12S
Northing:  meters, Easting:   meters 

Lat / Long:
North Latitude: Degrees: , Decimal Minutes:
West Longitude: Degrees: , Decimal Minutes:

 Upstream End Point
Township Range Section:  Meridian: Gila & Salt River Base Line
Township:7N,  Range:30E, Section: 29, 1/4: NW, 1/4 1/4: SE

UTM: Zone:12S
Northing:  meters, Easting:   meters

Lat / Long:
North Latitude: Degrees: , Decimal Minutes:
West Longitude: Degrees: , Decimal Minutes:

HYDROLOGIC

1) Floodplain inundated in "relatively frequent" events (1-3 years) YES
Remarks: Floodplain adequate for 1-3 yr events, but too narrow for higher stream flow events, G Channel has narrow Flood Plain, Flood Plain is building up, sediments are being stabilized by vegetation.
2) Active/stable beaver dams YES
Remarks: Beaver dam present and signs of freshly cut branches.
3) Sinuosity, width/depth ration, and gradient are in balance with the landscape setting (i.e., landform, geology, and bioclimatic region) NO
Remarks: G Channel (gully); not sinuous enough, too straight, width/depth of channel is good, start of Flood Plain formation.  Gradient could be lower with more sinuosity.
4) Riparian zone is widening or has achieved potiential extent YES
Remarks: Reached potential under current conditions, Flood Plain vegetated, narrow channel in most places with vegetation crowding both sides of channel. Widening still occurring as high terraces erode and provide wider Flood Plain. Flood plain may have been several hundred feet in width before system incised.
5) Upland watershed not contributin to riparian degradation YES
Remarks: Upland watershed fairly stable but Datil formation is highly erosive - is cause of high sediment load.  Datil is volcanic ash, comprises valley-fill alluvium.  Common old logging roads in upper watershed, grown over, increasing subdivisions and roads threaten stability, year-round grazing upstream (Macky Tricky) on adjacent private land. Current conditions may not be at or above threshold conditions that trigger unraveling of riparian area, but it might be getting close.

VEGETATIVE

6) Diverse age-class distribution (recruitment for maintenance/recovery YES
Remarks: Mostly herbaceous species, seem to be spreading onto new deposits, considered "diverse age class." .  Alder etc. woody species mostly in younger age class, although some plants have dead tops. This species of alder doesn't get very old. Most willows of young age class, few old.
7) Diverse composition of vegetation (for maintenance/recovery YES
Remarks: Good diversity of right kind. At least a dozen species comprise herbaceous community type. Diverse woody species, but not extremely abundant. System is trending toward wet meadow type.
8) Species present indicate maintenance of riparian soil moisture characteristics YES
Remarks: Herbaceous community made up of facultative wetland and obligate wetland species.
9) Streambank vegetation is comprised of those plants or plant communities that have root masses capable of withstanding high streamflow events YES
Remarks: Abundant sedges, rushes, facultative wetland grasses.
10) Riparian plants exhibit high vigor YES
Remarks: Extremely good growth.
11) Adequate vegetative cover present to protect banks and dissipate energy during high flows YES
Remarks: Good woody component adequate for a 10-15 yr event, however higher flows (i.e. 25+cfs) may result in damage.
12) Plant communities in the riparian area are an adequate source of coarse and/or large woody debris YES
Remarks: Fine-grained system depends on floodplain width more than woody vegetation.  Good herbaceous ground cover 100%.

SOILS

13) Floodplain and channel characteristics (i.e., rocks, overflow channels, coarse and/or large woody debris) adequate to dissipate energy YES
Remarks: Adequate for normal flows, signs of deposition indicate adequate energy dissipation under current flow events.
14) Point bars are revegetating NOT APPLICABLE
Remarks: G Channel, no point bars but deposition is occurring in places, some mid-channel bars, some deposition on adjacent flood plain area.
15) Lateral stream movement is associated with natural sinuosity YES
Remarks: Rosgen G Channel, indicates "gully" configuration which is very straight, but system trying to meander with deposition and additional cutting of vertical banks. Alder may die with deposition on floodplain.
16) System is vertically stable YES
Remarks: No head cuts, system is slowly aggrading and widening.
17) Stream is in balance with the water and sediment being supplied by the watershed (i.e., no excessive erosion or deposition) YES
Remarks: Signs of deposition evident, but stream handles sediment load with adequate vegetation growth and establishment, channel is slightly meandering. It appears the protected stream reaches are depositing and holding nearly all of the available bed load. Good trend!

Vegetation Community Types:

Upland: Pied/Jude2/Jumo
Wetland:

Summary Determination

Functional Rating:  FAR
Trend for Functional -- At Risk: Upward

Are factors contributing to unacceptable conditions outside agency's control or management?  Y
If yes, what are those factors? Flow Regulations, Other,

Problem(s):  Nutrioso Creek is regulated for irrigation purposes.  Floodplain width inadequate for higher flow events, G Channel, sinuosity inadequate, it is trying to become wet meadow rather than lotic woody species dominated system. The Nutrioso area has low gradient across historic flood plain, and fluvial deposits are very fine, both indicating more lentic than lotic habitat.

Recommendations:  None - good recovery rate; appears to be as fast as possible.
NOTES: Gravel in stream bank evidence of historic higher velocity/gradient in limited stream segments. Sedge/rush community on floodplain lays down after flooding.
Photos: TS: 16,17,18,19,20      JC: 21.    Total riparian acres in Reach approximately 13.
NOTES: re: creek water surface elevation measured from top of well casing. 18.33 ft top of well casing to top of steel t-post in creek. This was surveyed by lazar level for purposes of correlating creek water elevations with static water table elevations in well.

Time to fix:  30+

Desired Functional Condition:  50 ft floodplain width minimum for relatively frequent events, perhaps as wide as 100 ft would be desirable. This is currently a Rosgen G channel (gully) which characteristically has no or insufficient flood plain width.
Photographs:             5

Nutrioso Creek photos taken during PFC assessments completed 10/5/2005
EC Bar Ranch area of Nutrioso Creek, Apache County, Arizona

Reach 1: #16-20
#16 - Upstream view of alders along creek-side. This may indicate higher gradient, as alders typically grow in faster waters providing greater oxygenation to its roots. Cobbly soil in banks also indicates this. Creeks width/depth ratio is a bit too wide and shallow, and floodplain width is insufficient, in spite of no evidence of peak flow damage. Narrower floodplain may also indicate faster flows in steeper gradient reach. Good streamside vegetation cover. Banks leading up to terrace are starting to revegetate, reducing sediment influx to creek.

#17 - Upstream view of creek showing a fully vegetated mid-channel bar which indicates an abundance of sediment in bedload. In this case, mid-channel bars that are stabilized with vegetation help build floodplain width and encourage meander formation. Sediment stems from upstream sources, as well as vertical incised streambanks, that are in process of stabilizing. Note start of a floodplain being formed at creek side.

#18 - Downstream view of creek. Note ample and vigorous vegetation, however floodplain width is inadequate. Two terraces are visible. Creek is narrow during current flow stage, and showing subtle signs of meander formation.

#19 - Detail of channel with rushes growing in channel, and very fine organic sediment, which is settled out at bottom. As organic sediment is extremely light in weight, this indicates that nearly all sediment and bedload coming down the creek is being captured and built into a new floodplain.

#20 - Upstream view of a portion of this stream reach that has sufficient floodplain width. Note the dense sedge cover that lies down during flood flows to effectively protect floodplain sediments from mobilization and erosion. This dense mat of vegetation also helps conserve moisture during low flow periods.