• Water diversions have the potential to significantly reduce surface water flows of Big River and its tributaries. The potential for land development and increase in demand for water from the basin remains an issue of concern;
• Water temperatures are thought to be unsuitable for salmonids in the mainstem Big River and larger tributaries;
• There is concern that chemical and diesel spills in the basin are impairing stream conditions;
• There is concern that large amounts of sediments generated from road related failures have been and may be delivered to stream channels during major storms;
• Fine sediment levels in many tributaries and the mainstem Big River are thought to be high;
• Estuary conditions are thought to be impaired by sediment;
• Fish habitat, including pool frequency, pool depth, shelter, large woody debris presence, cobble embeddedness, and fish passage are though to be unsuitable for salmonids throughout the basin;
• Timber harvest has been and continues to be the dominant land use in the Big River Basin;
• Landsliding related roads, timber harvesting, and grassland is a concern;
• Long term effects to stream channels from splash dam logging throughout the basin are of concern;
• It is believed that there have been reductions in salmonid populations from historic levels;
• Sport and commercial fish harvests may have played a role in the reduction of numbers of Big River’s salmonid populations;
• There is concern that the decline in the abundance of spawning salmon has likely caused a corresponding decrease in nutrients and organic matter available to streams;
• GMA (2001) may have over-estimated the bankfull width used in the Sediment Source Analysis (CGS 2004).