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Habitat Assessment Using the QHEI Edward T. Rankin June 6 City of Columbus, Level 3 Training Course Columbus, Ohio Senior ResearchScientist QHEI@aol.com

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Q ualitative H abitat E valuation I ndex

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Flow Regime High/Low Extremes Precipitation & Runoff Velocity Land Use Ground Water Chemical Variables Biotic Factors Energy Source Habitat Structure Hardness Turbidity pH D.O. Temperature Alkalinity Solubilities Adsorption Nutrients Organics Reproduction Disease Parasitism Feeding Predation Competition Nutrients Sunlight Organic Matter Inputs 1 and 2 Production oo Seasonal Cycles Riparian Vegetation Siltation Current Substrate Sinuosity Canopy Instream Cover Gradient Channel Morphology Bank Stability Width/Depth INTEGRITY OF THE WATER RESOURCE Principal Goal of the Clean Water Act The Five Major Factors Which Determine the Integrity of Aquatic Resources (from Karr 1981)

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Visual Method Tool For Designating Aquatic Life Uses Tool For Assessing Causes of Impairment Correlated With Biological Integrity Associated With Sediment/Nutrient Inputs Effects on Biota Occur At Multiple Scales Matches Resolution of Biological Data

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Substrate Size, Quality Instream Cover Type, Quality, Amount Channel Quality Sinuosity, Riffle/Pool Development, Channelization, Stability Riparian Width, Type, Bank Stability Pool, Riffle/Run Depth, Morphology, Current Types, Riffle/Run Substrates Stream Gradient Standardized by Stream Size

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Level 2 This training and site scored independently at last site tomorrow Sufficient similarity with Instructor Score Level 3 This training and site scored independently (Level II site above) Three sites scored outside of this training Sufficient similarity with all test sites

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Not explicitly measured in QHEI Reflected in certain metrics Can be limiting to aquatic life in many instances Consider flow regime when interpreting data

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QHEI and its subcomponents correlated with IBI at multiple scales

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Structural features include the numerous components of habitat that include living and non- living attributes. Parent geology and climatic influences are two factors that influence structural attributes..

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areas of the stream with fast current velocity and shallow depth; the water surface is visibly broken by rocks, boulders, etc. Functions: High production zone for macroinvertebrates Spawning area for many sensitive species Feeding area for species groups such as darters Oxygenation

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Functions: Spawning Area Feeding Area Oxygenation Macroinvertebrate Production areas of the stream that have a rapid, non- turbulent flow; runs are deeper than riffles with faster current velocity than pools; generally located down- stream from riffles where the stream narrows; the stream bed is often flat beneath a run and the water surface is not visibly broken. Run

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an area of the stream with slow current velocity; depth greater than riffle and run areas; the stream bed is often concave; stream width frequently is the greatest; the water surface slope is nearly zero. Functions: Low Flow Refugia Nursery Area Resting Area Cover Pool

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Flat, canal-like flow Shallow, generally poor habitat Transitional in natural streams Can be predominant in channelized and altered streams Functions: - Shallow nursery areas - Invertebrate production

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Strong Link Between Channel Score and Substrate Score Fine substrates (e.g., silts) source of attached phosphorus. Improved channel form will result in higher channel score, higher substrate scores and less nutrients stored in wetted channel Storm events will re-suspend less nutrients in stream with intact channels than with modified channels May use pebble count data and sediment nutrient concentration from sediment chemical data to create hypothetical loads with various habitat types QUESTION: How much channel improvement (e.g., full restoration vs. two-stage channel) is needed to significantly reduce nutrients?

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http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/monitoring/rbp/

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Illinois SHAP U.S. EPA EMAP/NWS Assessment Methods RBP Habitat Form Other State Methods (e.g., quantitative and qualitative) QHEI has been modified for other environment and systems (e.g., HHEI, Lake Erie Shoreline, etc)

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Goal is to explain variation we observe in aquatic biology What is relative contribution of habitat condition to observed biology? What are the factors limiting the biology? When in doubt about meaning of metric Refer to reference materials Think FUNCTIONALLY! What is hypothetical link between metric and biology (Think like a fish!)