River Restoration From Boundary Layer to Watershed: Integrating Physical and Biological Science Over Space and Time V
Presiding: J Jack, University of Louisville; A C Parola, Stream Restoration Institute, University of Louisville
NB24E-01 INVITED 15:30h
River Restoration in the United States: a Synthesis of Restoration Activities
The first comprehensive database on river restoration across the United States provides a new context for evaluating restoration status and trends nationally. Our synthesis of >38,000 project records indicates that river restoration projects and expenditures have increased exponentially over the past decade with more than a billion dollars spent annually since 1990. Most projects are intended to enhance water quality, manage riparian zones, and improve instream habitat. The extent of restoration activity varies by region, with the greatest number of projects occurring in the Pacific Northwest. Only 14% of project records document any form of project monitoring, and little if any of this information is either appropriate or available for assessing the ecological effectiveness of restoration activities.
http://www.nrrss.umd.edu/
NB24E-02 INVITED 15:45h
River restoration in the United States: Evaluating the effectiveness of stream restoration projects
The National River Restoration Science Synthesis working group (www.nrrss.umd.edu) has developed two databases. The Summary Database is a compilation of basic information on >38,000 stream and river restoration projects from across the U.S. The Survey Database is a compilation of information from > 350 interviews with restoration project managers. For the latter, we developed and calibrated an interview protocol with a series of questions related to individual projects that largely targeted what factors contribute to ecologically effective stream and river restoration. The projects selected for interviews are representative of projects across the U.S. and were selected in a stratified, random fashion from the Survey Database. The interviews specifically focused on: how each project was designed, implemented and coordinated; what form of monitoring (if any) was completed; how the project outcome was evaluated and if it generated knowledge to improve future efforts; and, views on what science is needed to improve the effectiveness of restoration. We will provide a national level summary of the information we obtained from each of these four interview categories. It is our hope that databases such as NRRSS provide information helpful in prioritizing restoration efforts and prioritizing research that can enhance the effectiveness of restoration.
http://www.nrrss.umd.edu
NB24E-03 INVITED 16:00h
River Restoration in the United States: a Perspective from the Upper Midwest
Ecological restoration of streams and rivers is a common management practice in the Upper Midwest, USA. As with other regions, little information exists regarding types of activities and their effectiveness. We developed a database of 1,345 stream restoration projects for the states of Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin in order to analyze regional trends in river restoration. Information was collected from federal, state, and county agencies, as well as non-profit and consulting groups. In addition, 39 phone interviews were conducted on a stratified random sample from this database to determine whether projects were ecologically successful. The most common restoration goals reported for this region were in-stream habitat improvement, bank stabilization, water quality management and dam removal. The median project cost was $6,000, and estimated expenditures for stream restoration in this region during 2002 was $21.4 million. Only 11% of data records indicated that some sort of monitoring was performed, whereas interviews revealed some type of project monitoring occurred 80% of the time. Although project managers reported success in all but one case (97% of the 39 interviews), the reasons given seldom were based on ecological criteria. These results highlight the need for more detailed and standardized reporting of restoration project outcomes.
http://www.nrrss.umd.edu/NRRSS_Proj_Descr.htm
NB24E-04 16:15h
Stream Community Structure: An Analysis of Riparian Forest Buffer Restoration in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Forested riparian buffer zones have been proposed as an important aid in curtailing upland sources of pollution before they reach stream surface waters, and enhancing habitat for stream organisms. Our objective was to test the efficacy of restored forest riparian buffers along streams in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by examining the stream macrobenthic community structure. To test our hypothesis, we collected riffle benthic and water samples, and performed habitat evaluations at 30 stream sites in the mid-Atlantic Piedmont, ranging in buffer age from 0 to greater than 50 years of age. Results showed that habitat, water quality, and benthic macroinvertebrate metrics improved with age of restored buffer. Habitat scores were driven mostly by instream substrate availability and width and age of riparian buffer zones. Water quality parameters varied within buffer age groups depending age of surrounding forest vegetation. Benthic invertebrate taxa richness, % EPT, % Plecoptera, % Ephemeroptera, and the FBI all improved with age of buffer zone. Instream habitat quality was the greatest driver of benthic macroinvertebrate community diversity and health, and appeared to plateau within 10-15 years of restoration with noticeable improvements occurring within 5-10 years post restoration.
NB24E-05 16:30h
Stream Restoration in the Southeast: Monitoring for Ecological Success
The National Riverine Science Synthesis (NRRSS) is a multi-year, interdisciplinary working group studying stream restoration throughout the United States, with concentrations in seven geographic nodes, including the Southeast (Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, and South Carolina). We have collected information about stream restoration projects in the US from diverse governmental and nongovernmental sources, building a database of 38,500 projects. The NRRSS database includes 852 projects from the Southeast, of which 27% indicate that they were monitored. South Carolina (47%) and North Carolina (36%) reported the highest percent of projects being monitored among the 50 states. In the second phase of NRRSS, we surveyed project managers for a subset of projects, to gather further information, including more in depth information about monitoring. Preliminary results suggest that the NRRSS summary database underestimated the amount of monitoring actually occurring in the Southeast. Much of this monitoring is being done to meet requirements for mitigation credit; thus the most commonly collected data are the mandated physical data, rather than data more useful in judging ecological success. While some monitoring done as research by academics has been published, monitoring data collected to obtain mitigation credit frequently has not. One of the goals of NRRSS is to encourage both collection of data necessary to evaluate ecological conditions and more extensive sharing of monitoring results to further the science of restoration ecology.
http://www.nrrss.umd.edu
NB24E-06 16:45h
The Role of Total Daily Maximum Loads (TMDLs) in Planning and Managing Stream Restoration Projects in Urbanizing Watersheds: New Jersey Case Study, Phase I
Walnut Brook watershed in western New Jersey exhibits many of the problems typical in urbanizing watersheds throughout New Jersey and other parts of the United States. Rapid development and corresponding changes in land use beginning in the 1950's has led to increases in impervious cover and removal of natural peak-flow attenuating characteristics in many urbanizing watersheds. Streams become flashy, incised and disconnected with their floodplains and contaminant loadings increase throughout the watershed. Walnut Brook represents headwaters for the Neshanic River which is on the Clean Water Act Section 303(d) list for several impairments including: benthic macroinvertebrates, fecal coliform, phosphorous, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and metals. Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) have been or will soon be determined for the Neshanic River and its headwaters including Walnut Brook. In conjunction with the TMDL approach for improving water quality, a stream restoration (approved) and wetland restoration (pending) are planned at the downgradient end of the watershed. The concept includes reconnecting the stream channel to its floodplain, and creating and restoring a total of 13 acres of wetland and riparian habitat. The need for the conceptual plan was based on USGS stream flow data from the 1930's to the present; and an analysis of changes in land use and impervious cover in the Walnut Brook watershed. More data, including water chemistry, hydrologic modeling and biological sampling will be needed. Much of this additional data collection is expected to occur in spring 2005. The need to determine and implement TMDLs in the receiving water body also plays a key role in the design and implementation of a successful stream restoration in Walnut Brook.
http://www.northjerseyrcd.org