May Pond Monitoring Report

May Pond, is an off-channel pond located in the lower half mile of Seiad Creek, approximately 1,700 feet upstream of its confluence with the Klamath River. The Mid Klamath Watershed Council (MKWC) began planning for the construction of May Pond in 2010 and completed construction in July 2013. Funding for this project was provided by US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Coho Enhancement Fund (PacifiCorp).
The landowner, Grider Creek Land Company, supports this project and signed a landowner agreement permitting pond construction and follow up monitoring and maintenance for 10 years, with the potential to renew the landowner agreement before it lapses.
Field reviews with the Karuk Tribal Fisheries Program, landowner, Rocco Fiori (Fiori GeoSciences, Inc.), USFWS, CDFW, USFS and others helped to inform data collection needs prior to construction. MKWC performed several topographic surveys by completing cross sectional and longitudinal surveys throughout the proposed outlet channel and the pond using a combination of a TRIMBLE RTK and a Spectra laser level. This site was a natural backwater alcove that the Karuk Tribal Fisheries Program had previously documented juvenile coho usage during high water events. A natural spring at the top of the site kept the area wetted throughout the year. Based on this evidence along with data from several groundwater wells throughout the project area, we found that the feature would likely have good dissolved oxygen levels, ideal water temperature for rearing coho salmon, and adequate volumes of water. Groundwater wells are typically placed along a longitudinal line through the middle of the pond and also one placed at or near the location of proposed outlet/inlet channel. By strategically placing the wells at various locations of the project area, a more complete “picture” of groundwater can established.