Quantifying the Variability of
Stream Health Indicators for TMDL Assessment
Bruce Wilson, Professor
John Nieber, Professor
Gary Sands, Assistant Professor
James A. Perry, Professor and Head, Fisheries and Wildlife
Bruce Vondracek, Professor, Fisheries and Wildlife
Funding Source
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Objective
The overall goal of the proposed study is to improve TMDL
assessments by obtaining a better understanding of the variability
of stream health indicators. Objectives are to:
- Assess watershed conditions along different reaches of
the channel,
- Evaluate the natural variability within reaches of uniform
watershed conditions, and
- Develop a composite index of several indicators of stream
health that can be used in TMDL assessments.
Need or Impact
Stream health indicators typically vary with longitudinal
position. This variability contributes to the uncertainty
of TMDL assessment. Variability is caused by changes in watershed
factors, such as land use, geologic conditions and soil characteristics,
as well as natural variability of fluvial systems. This natural
variability results in different indicator values for the
same (apparently) watershed conditions. One useful outcome
of the project will be to investigate the impact of TMDL implementations.
If natural variability is large (i.e., stream health indicators
vary with longitudinal position), then the impact of TMDL
implementation will need to be substantial to detect its benefits
to stream health.
Project Status
The investigators are compiling data sets and hiring graduate
students and research associates to work on the project.
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