Submitted by: Mark Nelson, Technical Service Center, 86-68220, 303-445-2225, msnelson@do.usbr.gov
Proposal ID: 1196
| Title |
| Invertebrate communities used as indicators of river restoration |
| State the Problem. How Do Your Research Outputs Contribute to Achieving Reclamation's Mission, and The S&T Program Mission and Performance Measures? | Reclamation is involved in a large number of river restoration projects over a wide geographic range. Restoration projects are typically related to water delivery, water salvage, or avoiding impacts to endangered species. Reclamation is supporting restoration projects on the Elwha River, Rio Blanco, Trinity River, Umatilla River, and Yakima River to name but a few. A large amount of money has been directed towards these restorations and it is estimated that $1 billion dollars has been spent just in the Southwest since the 1980's. Although it is recognized that successful restoration requires assessment, Bernhardt et al. (2005) found that only 10% of project records indicated that any form of characterization occurred. They also suggest that steps towards standardizing assessment methods would allow managers to understand whether goals are being accomplished. The present research would aid in standardizing these sorts of assessments and help Reclamation determine the success of projects. It is suggested that initial studies would take place on rivers that Reclamation has a direct interest in, and with a variety of perceived problems. These include the San Diego River (water salvage), Las Vegas Wash (water suitability), and Yakima (endangered species). The use in these studies of both aquatic and terrestrial components will integrate assessment of the riverine ecosystem. One of the advantages using invertebrates is that there is typically a quick response time to changing conditions and a gradient of responses within the communities. Information gained should be generalizable to other Reclamation projects with similar problems. Project objectives for the San Diego River include increased water suitability and groundwater recharge. Reclamation is helping construct flood control structures in Las Vegas Wash that are designed to decrease water suitability problems associated with nutrients, salinity, and sediment. Reclamation, as water master for Lake Mead and the Colorado River, is concerned with these constituents. In the Yakima, water reliability is a concern and methods are being developed to increase water reliability in conjunction with ecological concerns. Studying biotic responses to flow changes will aid in protection of the $500 million annual crop value in the Yakima area. |