The ability of streams to withstand the - UMaine
Transcript of The ability of streams to withstand the - UMaine
MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep
The ability of streams to withstand the
effects of urbanization Tom Danielson, PhD
Leon Tsomides Doug Suitor
MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Protecting Maine’s Air, Land and Water
MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep
Overview
• Lessons learned from Impervious Cover study
• Factors that make streams more resilient or vulnerable to urbanization
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Impervious Surfaces
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Stream Watersheds
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Spatial Resolution Matters
• We computed % IC with 3 spatial layers. – 30m resolution
• 2001 National Land Cover Data (NLCD) – 5m resolution
• 2004 Maine Land Cover Data (MELCD) – 1m resolution
• 2004 MELCD and MEIFW
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Advancements in IC Estimates
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Advancements in IC Estimates
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2001 NLCD – 30m resolution
30m
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2004 MELCD – 5m resolution
5m
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2004 MELCD – 1m resolution
1m
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Spatial Resolution Matters
• 5 m spatial compared to 1 m spatial data – overestimates % IC in urban and suburban
areas – underestimates % IC in rural areas
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Impervious Cover Thresholds
Previous studies have found threshold effects on stream biota ranging from 1-15% IC.
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Stream Classes
% OF LINEAR MILES OF STATUTORY CLASSIFICATIONS
Class AA = 6%
Class A = 45%
Class B = 47%
Class C = 2%
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Biomonitoring Results %
Impe
rvio
us C
over
0
10
20
30
40
50
AA/A B C NA
A
Macroinvertebrate Result
0
10
20
30
40
50
AA/A B C NA
B
Algae Result
~25% of data
~25% of data
~25% of data
~25% of data
median
Tom Danielson, Maine DEP
MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep
Risk of Not Attaining Biological Criteria
% Impervious Cover
0 5 10 15 20
High Risk
High Risk
High Risk
Low Risk
Low Risk
Class AA/A
Class B
Class C
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IC Targets
• “How much IC is too much for this watershed?”
• “What is a good restoration target for this watershed?”
• Answer: “Well, it depends.”
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Factors that Influence Resilience of Streams to
Urbanization
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1. Condition of Riparian Zone
Kennedy Brook, Augusta
Penjajawoc Stream, Bangor
Whitten Brook, Skowhegan
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Riparian Zones • Sites with more IC in
50 m buffer zone had less Mayfly, Stonefly, and Caddisfly (EPT) Taxa
• The size of points indicates the amount of IC in a 50m buffer zone
0 10 20 30 40 50
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
% IC
EP
T re
lativ
e ric
hnes
sEP
T Ta
xa R
elat
ive
Ric
hn
ess
Watershed % IC
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2. Condition of Headwaters
Perkins Brook, Waterville
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3. Stream Channel Alteration
Unnamed Stream, Waterville Lindsay Brook, Rockland
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4. Habitat Fragmentation
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5. Road Crossings and Culverts
Concord Gully, Freeport, Source: MPBN Tributary to Bond Brook, Augusta
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6. Water Source
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7. Watershed Connection
Fall Brook, Portland
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8. Agriculture
Fence Protects Stream Cows in Stream
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source: NRCS
source: NWF
Buffer Strips and Contour Tilling
Erosion from Traditional Tilling
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9. Groundwater Quality
Fish Brook, Fairfield
Upstream Control Downstream Impact
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10. Nutrient Enrichment
Capisic Brook, Portland
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11. Salt Application
Source: Road Salt Institute
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Salt Pile
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Salt Pile
2,750 µS/cm
1,600 µS/cm
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12. Polluted Runoff
Birch Stream, Bangor
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Take Home Messages • There are different ways to measure IC • There is more to urbanization than IC • A variety of factors make streams more or
less resilient to urbanization • Urbanization can impact aquatic life at
very low levels
MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep
www.maine.gov/dep [email protected]