Forest Service Handbook

 

RUSSELLVILLE, AR

 

fsH 2509.16 – water resource inventory handbook

 

Chapter 1 – water resource inventory process

 

Supplement No.:  2509.16-2004-1

 

Effective Date:  November 9, 2004

 

Duration:  Effective until superseded or removed

 

Approved:  CHARLES S. RICHMOND

                      Forest Supervisor

Date Approved:  10/26/2004

 

Posting Instructions:  Supplements are numbered consecutively by Handbook number and calendar year.  Post by document; remove the entire document and replace it with this supplement.  Retain this transmittal as the first page(s) of this document.  The last supplement to this Handbook was 2509.16-2001-1 to Part 4.

 

New Document(s):

 

2509.16,1

5 Pages

Superseded Document(s):

(Last supplement was

2509.16-2001-1.)

2509.16,40

5 Pages

 

Digest:  Please read the new posting instructions (above) carefully. 

 

1.12

Update Watershed Identification, Coding and Shaping files.  Also moving data to the correct chapter.

 

1.1 – PLAN AND DESIGN PHASE

 

1.12 – Specific Questions to be Resolved

 

Watersheds and Hydrologic Unit Codes

 

Watershed - A watershed is defined as a unique region or area bounded peripherally by a divide that is ultimately drained by a specific stream network or water body. 

 

Hydrologic Units – A hydrologic unit is a drainage area delineated to nest in a multi-level, hierarchical drainage system. Its boundaries are defined by hydrographic and topographic criteria that delineate an area of land upstream from a specific point on a river, stream or similar surface waters. Each unit has a unique identifier, which describes the spatial location and hierarchical classification level.  The broadest watershed classifications are found in USGS Water Supply Paper 2294, which describes 4 levels of classification: regions, sub-regions, basin, and sub-basin.  The Ozark-St. Francis National Forest has adopted the use of watershed (5th) and sub-watershed (6th) scale classifications for use as determined by national mapping efforts.  Each level of classification is represented by a two digit code which, when assembled successively, identifies both the scale and location of the drainage basin of interest.  For example, a sub-basin or 4th level classification has a HUC, which consists of 8 digits; a watershed level or 5th level classification has a HUC, which consists of 10 digits.

 

Watershed Identification and Coding

 

Watersheds on the Ozark-St. Francis National Forests have been identified and coded according to national and state criteria and are listed herein for use as a planning tool.  Exhibit 1 is a list of these watersheds, showing the Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC), a descriptive name, approximate National Forest land area, Ranger district, and the State water resource ecoregion.  A map showing the location and boundaries of these watersheds has been prepared and copies are available at district offices.  Instruction for accessing this data in a digital format can be obtained by contacting the Forest Hydrologist.

 

Ranger District Code

  1. Sylamore
  2. Buffalo
  3. Bayou
  4. Pleasant Hill
  5. Boston Mountain
  6. Magazine
  7. St. Francis

 

 

 

Hydrologic Unit Code

Unit Name

FS administrative Subbasin/Watershed (approximate acres)

District

ADEQ Ecoregion

 

 

 

 

 

08

Lower Mississippi

 

 

 

0802

Lower Mississippi - St. Francis

 

 

 

080201

Lower Mississippi-Helena

 

 

 

08020100

Lower Mississippi-Helena

7870

 

 

0802010002

Mississippi River (1)

7870

7

DL

080202

St. Francis

 

 

 

08020203

Lower St. Francis

15940

 

 

0802020334

Phillips Bayou (2)

15940

7

DL

08020205

L'Anguille

286

 

 

0802020513

L'Anguille River (3)

286

7

DL

080203

Lower White

 

 

 

08020304

Big

5716

 

 

0802030404

Lick Creek (4)

5378

7

DL

0802030405

Beaver Bayou Ditch (5)

338

 

DL

11

Arkansas-White-Red

 

 

 

1101

Upper White

 

 

 

110100

Upper White

 

 

 

11010001

Beaver Reservoir

76915

 

 

1101000101

Up. White River (6)

36099

4,5

BM

1101000102

White River (7)

13412

5

BM

1101000103

Mid. Fork White River (8)

7098

5

BM

1101000104

W. Fork White River (9)

5150

5

BM

1101000106

War Eagle Creek (10)

1288

2,4

OH/BM

1101000109

Kings River (11)

13868

2

OH/BM

11010004

Middle White

143410

 

 

1101000401

Barren Creek (12)

52508

1

OH

1101000403

Rocky Bayou (13)

18581

1

OH

1101000404

N. Sylamore Creek (14)

72321

1

OH

11010005

Buffalo

235042

 

 

1101000501

Buffalo River (15)

38990

2

BM

1101000502

Little Buffalo River (16)

42865

2

BM

1101000503

Richland Creek (17)

120524

2,3

OH/BM

1101000505

Big Creek (18)

32663

1

OH

11010014

Little Red

14529

 

 

1101001403

S. Fork of Little Red River (19)

14103

3

BM

1101001404

Archey Creek (20)

426

3

BM

1111

Lower Arkansas

 

 

 

111101

Robert S. Kerr Reservoir

 

 

 

11110103

Illinois

28481

 

 

1111010301

Illinois River (21)

12741

5

OH/BM

1111010303

Osage Creek (22)

3059

5

OH

1111010304

Muddy Fork (23)

484

5

OH/BM

 

 

 

5

OH/BM

 

Hydrologic Unit Code

Unit Name

FS administrative Subbasin/Watershed (approximate acres)

District

ADEQ Ecoregion

1111010306

Weddington Creek (24)

11223

5

OH

1111010307

Baron Fork (25)

974

5

OH/BM

11110104

Robert S. Kerr Reservoir

83343

 

 

1111010404

Cove Creek (26)

74110

5

BM

1111010405

Webber Creek (27)

9233

5

BM

111102

Lower Arkansas-Fourche La Fave

 

 

 

11110201

Frog-Mulberry

315048

 

 

1111020104

Up. Frog Bayou (28)

56793

5

BM

1111020105

Frog Bayou (29)

12983

5

BM

1111020106

Up. Mulberry River (30)

103072

4

BM

1111020107

Mulberry River (31)

119958

4,5

BM

1111020108

Little Mulberry Creek (32)

19372

5

BM

1111020109

White Oak Creek (33)

2870

4

BM

11110202

Dardanelle Reservoir

490556

 

 

1111020203

Sixmile Creek (34)

202

6

AV

1111020204

Short Mountain Creek (35)

23246

6

AV

1111020205

Spadra Creek (36)

17247

4

BM/AV

1111020206

Horsehead Creek (37)

23721

4

BM/AV

1111020207

Cane Creek (38)

1952

6

AV

1111020208

Little Piney Creek (39)

60746

4,3

BM/AV

1111020209

Up. Big Piney Creek (40)

98704

2

BM

1111020210

Big Shoal Creek (41)

39320

6

AV

1111020211

Big Piney Creek (42)

88333

2,3

BM

1111020212

N. Fork Illinois Bayou (43)

71666

3

BM

1111020213

Mid. Fork Illinois Bayou (44)

61667

3

BM

1111020214

Illinois Bayou (45)

2851

3

AV

1111020215

Arkansas River (46)

901

6

AV

11110203

Lake Conway-Point Remove

48376

 

 

1111020305

Hackers Creek (47)

12943

3

BM

1111020306

Brock Creek (48)

35433

3

BM

11110204

Petit Jean

63523

 

 

1111020402

Revilee Creek (49)

15105

6

AV

1111020403

Cedar Creek (50)

20755

6

AV

1111020404

Chickalah Creek (51)

27663

6

AV

Districts: 1-Sylamore, 2-Buffalo, 3-Bayou, 4-Pleasant Hill, 5-Boston Mt., 6-Magazine, 7-St. Francis

ADEQ Ecoregion: AV-Arkansas Valley, BM-Boston Mountain, OH-Ozark Highlands, DL-Delta

 

Designated Uses

 

The waters of Arkansas have been designated for specific uses (found in APCEC-Regulation 2).  Waters classified for multiple uses receive the criteria specified for the most sensitive use.  Each designated use has specific water quality standards for different Arkansas ecoregions.  Regulation 2 should be referenced when determining water quality standards necessary for maintaining the beneficial uses within a watershed.  First, determine which state ecoregion the project area is planned.  Then, determine the beneficial use of the surface water using the maps in Regulation 2- Appendix A.  The following uses are most likely: Extraordinary Resource Waters (ERW), Natural and Scenic Waterways (NSW), Primary Contact Recreation (PCR) or Secondary Contact Recreation (SCR) and Stream Fisheries (SF).  To maintain these uses according to the antidegradation policy, existing instream water uses and the level of water quality necessary to protect the existing uses shall be maintained and protected.

 

 

Project planning and the Saint Francis district

 

The St. Francis district is in a unique hydrologic setting at the conjunction of four 4th level HUC’s representing a combined watershed area of 3.8 million acres.  The administration boundary encompasses approximately 23,000 acres, the majority of which falls within one 4th level HUC – 08020203.  However, portions of the administration area fall within three other 4th level HUC’s.  In order to complete Forest level planning, five 5th level HUC’s were defined for use in plan analysis.  In order to complete project level planning a representative area of hydrologic influence (AHI) has been defined which identifies the area under influence by the surface water present within the St. Francis administrative boundary.  This AHI crosses many of these 4th and 5th level boundaries to include with confidence all the area, which may be hydrologically affected by forest management activities.  This allows for a single more representative analysis than analysis of 5th level watersheds, which would otherwise include may land areas and acres outside the scope of any land management activities.  The district is provided a map and copy of the AHI shape file.     

 

References