  |
|
|
In this example, the northern area of Quilcene Bay was classified as an estuary based on maps, aerial photographs and existing data. There are several rivers and streams contributing freshwater to the bay where it mixes with the salt water. In order to define the reach, we also mapped the sediment drift layer for the marine shorelines. The northern part of the bay is characterized as having no appreciable net shore drift (in red in the figures below). There are eroding bluffs in the divergence zones (green) at the entrance of the bay and two drift cells moving sediment north into the bay.
A preliminary marine reach is delineated based on Ecology's drift cell data as shown in the figure below. Upland processes, such as the prograding delta sediments of the Big and Little Quilcene Rivers and Donovan creek as identified when researching ecosystem-wide issues, were also considered when determining the reach breaks.
Return to step description > To next step
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
