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SUSITNA HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT
POSITION PAPER
FISHERIES ISSUE F-2.2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Statement of Issue:
Significance of potential changes in pH on salmon and resident fish habitats
and populations downstream of the dams.
Position
It is the position of the Alaska Power Authority that potential changes in
pH due to inundation of acid bogs and tundra soils by the project reservoirs
will not significantly affect the pH of the reservoir or t he river
downstream of the iams.Therefore,no mitigation measures are needed.
Present Knowledge
The Susitna River watershed above Devil Canyon presently drains large areas
of acidic tundra soils and bog or wetland habitats.The mainstem rl.ver
water,however,contains sufficient alkalinity-producing ions to buffer
against biologically harmful pH changes which otherwise might occur due to
acidi c tributary influents.The wet land ma pping recent l y completed by the
USFWS indicates that approximately 2.7 percent of the combined i mp ou ndme nt;
areas is "bog-like"wetland.The alkalinity buf f er i ng system wh i ch e x ists
now will continue to minimize pH changes during project construct ion and
operation.
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SUSITNA HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT
POSITION PAPER
FISHERIES ISSUE F-2.2
INTRODUCTION
Statement of Issue:
Significance of potential changes in pH on salmon and resident fish habitats
and populations downstream of the dams.
Position
It is the position of the Alaska Power Authority that potential changes in
pH due to inundation of acidic bogs and tundra soils by the project
reservoirs will not significantly affect the pH of the reservoir or the
river downstream of the dams.The amount of such acidic habitat is so
small,about three percent of the
ca paci ty of the river so large,
neutralized by the natural system.
area to be inundated,and the buffer ing
that potential changes in pH will be
DISCUSSION
The physical,chemical and biological characteristics of a water body
(including its pH and alkalinity)will reflect the basic climat ic and
hy~rologic regimes and biogeochemistry of its entire drainage basin,and not
merely the small portion of the drainage which is under water (Hutchinson
1967,1973, 1975,Wetze~1975,Vollenweider and Kerekes 1980).The pH of
upstream and downstream mainstem Sus i tna riverine habi tats is present ly
regulated by the carbon dioxide-bicarbonate-carbonate and aluminum silicate
dissolution buffering systems (Wetzel 1975,Stumm and Morgan 1970).These
two buffering systems maintain pH values between 6.0 and 8.3 in most f r esh
water ecosystems of North America.
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The drainage bas in of the Sus i t na River upstream df ·..·E li·~1 ·trr b'p o ·s e d -~e v i 1
Canyon dam site encompasses approx imately 5,810 square miles of unvegetated
mountains and highland tundra.The watershed's bedrock,glacial till and
glacial outwash materials contain alkalinity-producing carbonace and
silicate minerals (APA 1983,R&M Consultants Inc.1982).Overl ying the
watershed's lithic material is a substantial area of tundra consisting of
saturated,peaty soils,which may be acidic in nature.Sphagnum bogs are
frequent on the tundra and they commonly have a pH less than 4.5.Despice
substantial inflow from tributary drainages with acidic soils and acidic
bogs,the ionic composition of the mainstem river is presently sufficient to
buffer tributary acidity and maintain low to moderate alkalinity values ••
Changes in mainstem pH values are seasonally variable but range between 6.0
and 8.1.The mean annual pH is greater than 7.0 in the mainstem water of
the upper river watershed.
A wetlands mapping project has been completed by the USFWS in order to
quantify the amount of different wetland types in both Watana and Devil
Canyon impoundment zones.The estimated total of vegetated areas which are
classifiable as wetlands equals 8,316 acres or 18.8 percent of the combined
impoundment areas.The estimated total of all "bog-like"wetlands equals
1,182 acres or approximately 2.7 percent of the combined impoundment zone
areas.The pH of the proposed reservoirs and downstream riverine habitats
under with-project conditions will be regulated by the same chemical
buffering system existing at present.Flooding of the small area of bog
habitats is not anticipated to cause a biologically significant change of pH
in riverine habitats downstream of the proposed project or in the
reservoirs.
A number of references,including review arcicles,research reports and
texts have been reviewed for any discussion of pH changes in reservoirs or
t hei r downstream habitats due to bog inundation (Supplementary References).
No documentation of such a problem has been located in the open literacure
dealing with lake or larger reservoir limnology .
420016
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REFERENCES
Literature Cited
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-,-
Supplemental Referencesl/
Al lan,R.J.1978.Natural controls of dissolved solids i n Boundary
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Pata lis.1983.Ecological effects of hydroelectric development in
northern Manitoba,Canada:The Churchhill-Nelson River Diversion.in,
"Effects of Pollutants at the Ecosystem Leve 1,"SCOPE,22,John Wi ley
and Sons,Toronto.pp.273-310.
Campbell,P.G.,B. Bobee ,A.Caille,M.J.Demalsy,J.L.Sasseville and S.A.
Visser.1975.Pre-impoundment site preparation:a study of the effects
of topsoil stripping on reservoir water quality.Verh.Internat.
Verein.Limnol.,19,pp.768-1777.
Denisova,A.I.1977.Factors governing the biological productivity,regime,
and content of biogenic and organic substances in the sequence of
Dniepr reservoirs.Water Resources 4(6):885-895.
Duffer,W.R.,and C.C Harlin.1971.Changes in water quality resulting from
impoundment.Nationa l Water Quality Control Research Program,R.S.
Kerr Wa ter Research Center USEPA,Ada ,Oklahoma,110 pp.
Duthie,H.C.1979.Limnology of subarctic Canadian lakes and some effects of
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1/Reviewed but not cited in text.
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ro r.~~·:-:: ~:";·:7 ::;·;en :':~¥'R 7 :'::1
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Efford,I.E.1975.Assessment of the impact of hydro-dams.J.Fish.Res.
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Gill,D.1971.Damming the Mackenzie:A theoretical assessment of the long-
term influence of river i mpoundm ent on the ecology of the Mackenzie
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••I "I --,,:,:,,::,-....-- ~;.....-'':''.-.~;~-'l '::''\I ".":~'::~'r:
•.oJ ......-~'.'....'_1\"Il ll.::)
"RA ::E ~,:~i TT?L .'.:..:::;J~.:::J -'
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