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MWMC FACILITIES PLAN <br /> <br />Wildlife habitat along or near the W~amette River and its tributaries includes riparian <br />habitat and wetland areas. <br /> <br />Riparian Habitat <br />Riparian areas are transitional between aquatic and upland habitat and, as such, support <br />elements of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems (Lev, 1990). A 198%1988 survey by Lev <br />(Lev, 1990) describes vegetation and wildlife species common in riparian habitat in the <br />Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area. Riparian vegetation within the metropolitan area is <br />characterized by herbaceous ground cover, understory shrubs, and deciduous (hardwood) <br />trees. Plant species common in riparian habitat in the Eugene-Springfield area include black <br />cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa), willow (SaIix spp.), Oregon white ash, creek dogwood <br />(Comus stolinifera), snowberry ( Symphoricarpos albus), Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor), <br />rush species (Juncus spp.), sedge species (Carex spp.), and reed canarygrass (Phalaris <br />arundinaceae). Other plant species found in area riparian habitat include English hawthorne <br />(Crataegus monogyna) and cattail (Typha latifoIia). <br /> <br />Riparian areas in the Eugene metropolitan area provide habitat for a variety of wildlife. <br />Mammals common in the these riparian areas include raccoon (Procyon lotor), beaver (Castor <br />canadensis), nutria (Myocastor coypus), and bats. W~amette Pdver habitat supports as marly <br />as 173 species of birds (Roesler, 2004), including wading birds (e.g., great blue heron [Ardea <br />herodias], waterfowl (e.g., mallard ducks [Arias platyrhynchos]), shorebirds, raptors (e.g., <br />osprey [Pandion haliaetus], red-tailed hawks [Buteo jamaicensis], a_nd bald eagles [Hatiaeetus <br />teucocephalus]), kingfishers (Ceryle alcyon), and a variety of passerine birds (e.g., warblers and <br />swallows) (Lev, 1990; CH2M HILL, 2001). In addition to birds and marranaL% as many as <br />14 species of amphibians and reptiles, such as the western pond turtle (CIemmys marmorata) <br />use Willamette I~Sver riparian habitat (Roesler, year). The riparian corridors serve as travel <br />routes for wildlife between wetland and upland areas and as stopover sites for migrating <br />birds (Lev, 1990). <br /> <br />The Willamette River and its tributaries are the primary riparian features in the vicinity of <br />the WPCF. Following primary treatment (scum and solid removal), secondary treatment <br />(bacterial digestion), and final processing (chlorination followed by addition of sulfur <br />dioxide to dechlorinate), effluent is discharged into the Willamette River (City of Eugene <br />Public Works Department, 2003). <br /> <br /> Wetland Habitat <br /> The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) defines wetlands as follows (USFWS, 2004): <br /> <br /> Lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is <br /> usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water. Additionally, <br /> wetlands have one or more of the following attributes: <br /> <br /> - At least periodically, the land supports predominantly hydrophytes <br /> - The substrate ~s predominantly undrained hydric soil <br /> - The substrate is nonsoil and is saturated with water or covered by shallow water at <br /> some time during the growfftg season of each year <br /> <br /> Wetlands in the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area are characterized by plant species <br /> such as willow, Douglas spirea (Spirea douglasiO, least spikerush (Eleocharis acicularis), reed <br /> <br /> 2-24 MWMC_ZO_REV23 DOC <br /> <br /> <br />