South Fork Trinity River
South Fork Trinity River | |
---|---|
North Yolla Bolly Mountains, Trinity County | |
• coordinates | 40°09′24″N 122°59′18″W / 40.15667°N 122.98833°W |
• elevation | 5,921 ft (1,805 m) |
Mouth | Trinity River |
• location | Salyer, Trinity County |
• coordinates | 40°53′23″N 122°36′08″W / 40.88972°N 122.60222°W |
• elevation | 446 ft (136 m) |
Length | 92 mi (148 km) |
Basin size | 980 sq mi (2,500 km2) |
Discharge | |
• location | Salyer |
• average | 1,807 cu ft/s (51.2 m3/s) |
• minimum | 35 cu ft/s (0.99 m3/s) |
• maximum | 95,400 cu ft/s (2,700 m3/s) |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• right | East Fork South Fork Trinity River, Hayfork Creek |
Designated | January 19, 1981 |
The South Fork Trinity River is the main tributary of the Trinity River, in the northern part of the U.S. state of California.[1] It is part of the
One of the largest undammed river systems in California, the South Fork drains a rugged, remote watershed of 980 square miles (2,500 km2). The large areas of intact habitat are important for several endangered species and rare plants. Historically, the South Fork watershed was known for its prodigious
Course
The South Fork Trinity River begins as a small spring on the west slope of Chicago Rock near
Below here the river passes Forest Glen, receives Rattlesnake Creek from the east, and crosses underneath California State Route 36. Here the river runs roughly parallel to the Mad River, separated by a 2,000-foot (610 m) divide to the west. Below State Route 36, it receives Butter Creek and Deep Gulch, both from the east.[1][4][5]
The river then enters the wide Hyampom Valley, where it passes the town of Hyampom and receives its biggest tributary, Hayfork Creek, from the east. It then passes the Hyampom Airport and receives Pelletreau Creek from the west. Within the valley the river briefly exhibits braided characteristics, with a wide floodplain. At the north end of the valley the river enters another canyon, receiving Mingo Creek from the west, then veers sharply eastward and then turns sharply north again. The river receives Madden Creek from the west and crosses underneath California State Route 299. Directly below the bridge, the South Fork flows north into the Trinity River.[1][4][5]
Geology
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Over hundreds of millions of years, the westward movement of North America caused it to accrete many terranes from the Pacific Ocean region along its west coast. Four major terranes have so far collided with the northwest coast of California—the oldest dating to pre-Jurassic times—crumpling the crust upwards into the 10,000-foot (3,000 m)-high massif of the Klamath Mountains. Most of the Klamath Mountains consist of granite and batholiths underlie most of the major peaks. The second most recent of the terranes—dating to the Cretaceous—which is composed almost entirely of granite, brought with it a strip of mica that roughly aligns with the present course of the South Fork Trinity River. The mica caused the granite to become weaker than the surrounding rock, so this area was subjected to greater erosion that created the valley of the South Fork, the lower Trinity River, and the lower Klamath River. This is also why the Klamath and Trinity rivers have this sharp northwest bend on their generally southwest courses, and the South Fork Trinity River valley is the southernmost extension of the roughly 200-mile (320 km)-long gorge formed by this abundance of mica.
The vast majority of the South Fork watershed is mountains, with the only level land found in the Hyampom Valley at the confluence of the river and Hayfork Creek, along the Hayfork valley, and along narrow
Watershed
The river and its tributaries drain 980 square miles (2,500 km2) in
While along the length of the South Fork itself there is little human development, it receives agricultural pollutants from Hayfork Creek, whose valley contains over 52,000 acres (210 km2) of ranchlands and farmlands. In fact, there have been sightings of frequent fish kills in Hayfork Creek and it is said to have "severe water quality problems in the summer".[6] Diversions off Hayfork Creek have only furthered the pollution problem by concentrating it. pollutants from marijuana farms and diversions are the two primary negative factors affecting the South Fork mainstem. Clearing hillsides has accelerated erosion, clouding the water and causing difficulties for
Much of the South Fork Trinity River's watershed is the
Streamflow
The river flows into the Trinity River northwest of Salyer. The United States Geological Survey monitors the South Fork Trinity River's flow at four gauges; these are at Salyer, downstream of Hyampom, at Hyampom upstream of the Hayfork Creek confluence, and Forest Glen (from mouth to source).[8] The average flow of the river at its mouth is 1,807 cubic feet per second (51.2 m3/s).[9] For Salyer, closest to the mouth, the highest peak flow was 95,400 cubic feet per second (2,700 m3/s) on December 22 in the 1964 flood, while the lowest was 8,480 cubic feet per second (240 m3/s) on 31 December 1954.[10] For the location downstream of Hyampom, the highest recorded peak flow was 88,000 cubic feet per second (2,500 m3/s) on 22 December 1964, while the lowest was 620 cubic feet per second (18 m3/s).[11] For the location at Hyampom, the highest peak was 57,000 cubic feet per second (1,600 m3/s) on 22 December 1964, while the lowest was 5,020 cubic feet per second (142 m3/s) on 13 February 1962.[12] For Forest Glen, the largest peak was 41,200 cubic feet per second (1,170 m3/s) on 22 December 1964, and the lowest was 3,530 cubic feet per second (100 m3/s) on 13 February 1962.[13]
History
For thousands of years, the South Fork Trinity River had a rich history of Native Americans:
In the Christmas flood of 1964, heavy rains washed enormous amounts of silt and debris from clear-cut lands into the river, and killing entire fish and amphibian populations. The flood peaked on 22 December at 95,400 cubic feet per second (2,700 m3/s).[17] It was said that the "South Fork is a lost cause, a 'dead river' which will never recover from the devastation of the 1964 storms."[16] Even decades after the flooding, erosion rates in the watershed remain much higher than the pre-1964 average. By the 1970s, anadromous fish populations saw a significant decline as a direct result of siltation.
In 1947, Six Rivers National Forest, which encompasses most of the northernmost quarter of the South Fork Trinity's watershed, was established.[18] By 1954, the Shasta–Trinity National Forest, which covers the vast majority of the South Fork Trinity River's watershed, was established, bringing nearly 70 percent[5] of the South Fork watershed under federal protection.[19][20] In 1980, the United States Forest Service designated the South Fork National Recreation Trail, which runs from Forest Glen to near its headwaters.[15]
Fish and wildlife
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In 1964 before the floods, the spring chinook salmon run was estimated to be as large as 10,000 and with a minimum of 3,400, which declined to an annual run of between 345 and 2,460 prior to 1990. Due to the gradual recovery of the mountainsides after logging, salmon runs have once again begun to return, averaging 2,000 to 4,000. Another major issue for the salmon is the large number being illegally netted by the Hoopa Tribe, large numbers are being killed every year in the lower Trinity before they even have a chance to make it up the South Fork. [21] Although the water from the South Fork continues down the Trinity to the Klamath and eventually, the Pacific Ocean, undammed, the diversion of most of the Trinity main stem's water and pollution in the Klamath have made access to the river difficult for migrating fish. It is of note that part of the reason of the declined population is a high mortality rate of female salmon, resulting in less offspring. Generally in summer, temperatures in the river can rise causing salmon and steelhead smolts to die as well.[6]
Remaining old-growth forests in the South Fork watershed provide vital habitat for several threatened and near-threatened species, including the
See also
- Trinity River topics
- South Fork Eel River, which has ecology, geography, and a history of logging very similar to that of the South Fork Trinity.
- List of rivers of California
References
- ^ a b c d e "South Fork Trinity River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. 19 January 1981. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- ^ a b "Where and What is the South Fork Trinity River Watershed?" (PDF). South Fork Trinity River Coordinated Resources Management Planning Group. Trinity County Resource Conservation District. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- ^ a b "California Rivers: South Fork Trinity River". Friends of the River. www.friendsoftheriver.org. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- ^ a b c Map of the South Fork Trinity River (Map). Cartography by NAVTEQ. Google Maps. 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- ^ Environmental Protection Agency. 22 September 1998. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- ^ U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Trinity River Task Force. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- ^ "Trinity River (California)". National Wild and Scenic Rivers Program. www.rivers.gov. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- ^ "NWIS search results for "Trinity R"". United States Geological Survey.
- ^ "USGS Gage #11519000 on the South Fork Trinity River at Salyer". National Water Information System. 5 February 1951 to 19 December 1982. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "USGS Gage #11529000 on the South Fork Trinity River at Salyer". National Water Information System. 5 February 1951 to 19 December 1982. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "USGS Gauge #11528700 on the South Fork Trinity River below Hyampom". National Water Information System. 22 December 1964 to present day. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "USGS Gage #11528200 on the South Fork Trinity River near Hyampom". National Water Information System. 22 December 1955 to 22 December 1964. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "USGS Gage #11528200 on the South Fork Trinity River at Forest Glen". National Water Information System. 23 November 1955 to 22 December 1964. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ California Athabascan Groups by Martin Baumhoff, Anthropological Records 16:5, University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1958
- ^ a b "South Fork National Recreation Trail" (PDF). United States Forest Service. www.fs.fed.us. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
- ^ a b Berol, Emelia (Summer 1995). "A River History: Conversations with Long-term Residents of the Lower South Fork Trinity River" (PDF). South Fork Trinity River Coordinated Resources Management Planning Group. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- USGSstreamflow data for four stream gauges along the South Fork
- ^ "Six Rivers National Forest". United States Forest Service. www.fs.fed.us. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
- ^ "Shasta-Trinity National Forest: General Forest History". United States Forest Service. www.fs.fed.us. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
- ^ Harmon, Donna. "Shasta-Trinity National Forest: South Fork Management Unit". United States Forest Service. www.fs.fed.us. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
- U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Trinity River Task Force. Retrieved 2009-07-29.