FEDERATION OF WESTERN OUTDOOR CLUBS

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REMOVAL OF LOGGING ROADS IN THE BULL RUN WATERSHED

The City of Portland gets its water mainly from the 76,000 acre Bull Run watershed, which is in the Mt. Hood National Forest east of the city.  The basin receives between 80-180 inches of precipitation each year, mainly in the form of rain.

About three-quarters of this watershed supports old growth habitat, which has never been logged.  Some of this habitat is exceptional and represents a kind of lower elevation, wet habitat no longer found elsewhere.  Three animal and four fish species occurring here are federally listed as endangered, and 26 resident species are considered sensitive.

Wildfires seldom occur in the watershed because it is moist year round. It has a low frequency of burns.  Lightning strikes usually burn only small patches of forest. However, there have been several past instances of floods, landslides and blow down in the basin.  Some of the soil types in the basin are erosion-prone.

Between 1958 and 1993, an extensive system of logging roads was installed for commercial logging.  In 1996 Congress banned commercial logging in the basin, and Portland's Water Bureau has asked the Forest Service to decommission much of the extensive logging road system.

But the Forest Service wants to keep most of this system.  Some federal funds have been appropriated to decommission a small number of roads, but not enough for most of them, and almost no money has been appropriated to maintain these roads.

Several thousand culverts now exist there, and they must be cleaned of debris periodically to prevent flood-stage streams from crossing roads, overflowing, and causing large washouts which add turbidity to Portland's municipal water supply.  The unusual quality of Bull Run's unfiltered water supply may, thus, be compromised. If these roads are allowed to remain, then many of these culverts will soon need to be replaced, with a cost nearing $7 million.

The Water Bureau is also considering construction of a third dam in the watershed. A decision of this sort must move through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process and receive public review.  It would be built on federal land.  The proposed dam site is known to harbor very valuable habitat.

Now no one acts as if they are responsible for looking after the roads, although the Forest Service is now considering turning over most of its management responsibility for this watershed to Portland's Water Bureau.

The Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs supports the city of Portland's request that most of the roads in the Bull Run watershed be taken out.  There is little risk that they will be needed to fight forest fires in this very moist environment, but great risk that they will be neglected, causing washouts and worsened water quality.

Congress should appropriate the funds needed to remove the surplus roads.  If there are further forest blow downs in this watershed, the downed trees should not be salvaged.  The more flammable woody material of small diameter will quickly rot, further obviating the justification for the roads.

Portland's Water Bureau should also proceed slowly with planning for a third dam there. Planning studies should clearly evaluate the additional damage that would be done to the habitat.  None of the threatened or endangered species, or endemic ones there, should be further endangered.  However, the Forest Service should not surrender its responsibility for the habitat in the basin.  It should assure full compliance with the Endangered Species Act.


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