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WINSTON GREEN WATER REUSE PLAN AND WETLANDS CREATION PROJECT
Consistent with the goals of the Department of Environmental Quality Total Maximum
Daily Loads (TMDLs), the Winston-Green Regional Treatment Facility (WGRTF) has formed a
partnership with Wildlife Safari, the City of Winston and Douglas High School for the purpose of
developing a program to improve the quality and supply of water in the Umpqua River System in
the Winston-Green area.
The Water Reuse Plan will provide solutions to several community needs:
"It is the policy of the Environmental Quality Commission to encourage the use of reclaimed
waters for beneficial purposes using methods that assure that the health of Oregonians and the
environment of the state are protected. Proper use of reclaimed waters for beneficial purposes
enhances water quality by reducing discharges of treated effluents to surface waters and by
conserving flows through reduced demand for withdrawals for out-of-stream use." This quote
from the Oregon Administrative Rules Chapter 340 (see appendix A) is the basis for the water
reuse program at Wildlife Safari. The Water Reuse Plan meets the criteria set forth by Chapter
340 by:
In January of 1994, the community coalition undertook an ambitious task to gather and
assemble data to formulate a waste water reuse project using the final effluent from the WGRTF
for several purposes at the Wildlife Safari:
The introduction of 1,000,000 gallons of water each day into the Safari Watershed offers
opportunities to improve the stream ways and ponds that are important in the management of the
animals and their habitat. During the summer, ponds dry up and streams stop flowing, making
conditions right for the spread of diseases through poor water quality. Currently, the Wildlife
Safari pumps 300,000 gallons per day from the South Umpqua to maintain the ponds for animal
use. During dry months, no overflow leaves the Safari. All water pumped into the park is either
lost through evaporation, absorption, and consumption. At night, small amounts of water
overflow into Applegate Creek. The Water Reuse Plan will enable over 500,000 gallons per day
to enter Applegate Creek during the dry days. Irrigation of grasslands and timberlands will
increase the amount of natural grazing and browsing opportunities for the animals. This irrigation
must be limited to ensure that the parasite loads on wet ground does not adversely affect animal
health.
The use of recycled waste water at the Wildlife Safari is not specifically mentioned in the
DEQ regulations as previously discussed. The use of recycled water at the Wildlife Safari for the
irrigation of grasses for animal forage, landscapes, creek corridors, ponds, wetlands, and animal
pen wash down would likely require water quality Level II based on interpretation of Table 1 of
OAR chapter 340. This quality of water is appropriate for the irrigation of plants not intended for
human consumption and where the general public essentially has no access to the irrigated areas.
Level IV recycled water, South Umpqua River water, or potable water should be used for the
irrigation of landscapes in the village area.
The DEQ regulations are predominately based on the protection of human health.
Additional research regarding water quality for common livestock has been conducted by the
United Nations and others. An excerpt from a United Nations Food and Agricultural
Organization Irrigation and Drainage Paper, Water Quality for Agriculture (FAO 29), is included
in appendix C of book two. FAO 29 contains general guidelines for waster quality for watering
livestock. There may be additional considerations for the use of recycled water in areas
containing exotic animals, however little work has been done in this area.
Breeding success in endangered and threatened animals is directly related to the quality of
habitat for food supply and plant/animal interaction. A great deal of work is being done in the
zoo community to develop behavioral enrichment elements in animal enclosures. At the Wildlife
Safari, open paddock design for displaying the animals offers a great opportunity to provide
behavioral enrichment through a total ecosystem approach that addresses the multiple use concept
of Soil, Water, Air, Plants, and Animals (SWAPA). Managing the water shed "SWAPA"
throughout the Wildlife Safari has a direct benefit to the animal collection by providing
enrichment activities that can not be duplicated by artificial means.
The increased availability of water will enable the Safari to develop waterfalls, wetlands
and ponds that can be designed specifically to improve the water quality and quantity of water
available to the animals and for the pleasure of the visitors. The addition of large amounts of
water into the water shed will greatly improve the visual impact on visitors, which will result in
greater attendance in the future. Wetlands developed with this water will become important
habitat for many native species birds and mammals, both resident and migratory, in the North
American section. Through an Aquaculture project, fish and aquatic plants can be produced to
supplement the dietary needs of many of the animals.
Along side of water resource management is solid waste management. At the Wildlife
Safari, many efforts have gone into proper handling of solid wastes from the animal care areas of
the park. A chart showing solid waste volumes and disposal identification is included in appendix
E of book two. Most solid waste is composted on a concrete surface with block walls. Solid
waste is collected daily both in the small animal exhibits in the village area and from the main
concentrations of deposit in the drive thru. Residual solid waste is distributed somewhat
uniformly over the grasslands. Hippos deposit waste material almost entirely in the water of the
ponds. The compost facility has prevented contaminated water from the composting process to
enter the surface waters of the park. Currently, the waste water effluent from the composting
process enters the closed sewer system and treated at the WGRTF. Waste water from the Hippo
ponds currently enters a bioswale for settling solids before entering the water ways. The
implementation of the Water Reuse Plan will enable the increased flows and wetland volumes to
adequately handle the volume of effluent from the compost facility, the Elephant/Giraffe complex,
and the Hippo Pond areas.
Many references have been made to Wetlands in this study. At the Wildlife Safari, in
addition to strict water quality applications, the wetlands will provide for important habitat
features; features important both in education and in animal health and well being. The Water
Reuse Plan by design will function without visible manifestations that can be clearly identified by
the visitor. The installation of wetland elements into the Safari habitat will provide the visitor
with the opportunity to identify, and learn about, natural systems that benefit humans in terms of
quality of life and the economy. Wetlands are a symbol for water quality, and will provide the
Safari the opportunity to educate the visitor about natural resource systems.
Land for animal use is of premium value at the Wildlife Safari. This fact limits the size and
number of wetlands that can be allowed in the park. Wetlands that are constructed will need to
provide optimum value to the animal collection and to the water shed system as a whole. The
Water Reuse Plan can best be served by the construction of small wetland systems that tie
together small ponds. On the map in the appendix showing the ponds and streams in the Safari
water shed, you will notice that the ponds appear in pairs generally. Animal access to these areas
could be denied periodically as wetland areas economically because these sensitive riparian areas
need to be protected under current conditions anyway. Limited access and established recovery
intervals will enable the wetlands to provide for animal needs over the long term. In addition to
small strip wetlands between ponds, a 1 to 2 acre wetland near the end of the water shed will best
serve migratory birds and final cleansing of the water leaving the park. As shown in the appendix
articles on wetlands, insect pests such as mosquitoes, can be controlled by the design matching the
anticipated volume of water flowing through the wetlands and the vitality of the wetland system.
The implementation and management of the Water Reuse Plan is a field laboratory
opportunity in natural resources management for students from schools and colleges around the
state. Students from throughout Oregon will participate in on site activities where they learn the
basics of water quality and watershed management. Through these activities, youth become
aware of how solutions to water related problems can be found. The Oregon Educational Act for
the 21st Century has set the stage for partnerships between the schools and Wildlife Safari to
improve the quality of Science education in Oregon. Students will work with a diverse group of
people as they become literate in the new technologies that will be used in the workplace.
The collection of data for this study was conducted by students attending Douglas High School in Winston. These students collected samples and tested for various water quality parameters at 8 stations throughout the park. Tests that could not be done in the field, or at the school were done by students at the WGRTF lab, while some tests were done at Umpqua Testing in Myrtle Creek. Students from the Chemistry classes worked with their teacher and instructional assistants to collect and tabulate the data. The activity was valuable to students and teachers, and will continue throughout the summer and upcoming school years. In addition to water quality testing, stream weirs have been constructed and are being installed at several points in the Safari stream ways to measure stream flows throughout the year.
Currently, work is being done to initiate natural resources research at the Wildlife Safari through programs at Oregon State University. The first step is to determine what study needs to be done that will have significant value to industry and the public. The Water Reuse Plan offers a unique opportunity to observe hydrologic changes in the Wildlife Safari Water Shed brought on by the increased stream flows. In addition to studies involving the abiotic changes in the ecosystem, we will be able to observe the changes in the biotic elements, such as reintroduction of fish and other aquatic vertebrates into the Applegate Creek ecosystem after year around flow is re-established. |