6/08/2017  |   14:00 - 14:15   |  302A

Assessing Morphological Performance of Stream Restoration in North Carolina Field assessment and multivariate statistical analyses were used to gauge functional uplift of restored streams. 157 restored, impaired and reference streams were assessed in North Carolina in 2006-2012. GIS-based watershed assessment was conducted for the restored streams and a selection of impaired and reference streams. Macroinvertebrates were collected from 85 of the restored streams. Two rapid stream assessment procedures were developed including the Eco-Geomorphological Assessment (EGA) and the Stream Performance Assessment (SPA). Three existing stream assessments were also applied at a subset of restored streams, including USEPA’s RBP, USDA’s SVAP and the Riparian Channel and Environmental Inventory. Several macroinvertebrate metrics were found to correlate with stream assessment variables. Adding watershed condition improved correlation in most cases. Morphological design parameters and geographic factors, including watershed and landscape parameters (e.g., valley slope, substrate) factors were compiled for 79 of the restored streams. Regression predictions of EPT taxa indicate that larger (wider) streams located in steeper valleys with larger substrate and undeveloped watersheds are expected to have higher numbers of dominant EPT taxa. In addition, EPT taxa numbers are positively correlated with floodplain width and negatively correlated with width-to-depth ratio and sinuosity.

Barbara Doll (Primary Presenter/Author), NC State University, bdoll@ncsu.edu;


Greg Jennings ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Jennings Environmental , LLC, jenningsenv@gmail.com;


David Penrose ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Penrose Environmental, penrose.watershed.science@gmail.com;


Jean Spooner ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), NC State University, jean_spooner@ncsu.edu;


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6/08/2017  |   14:15 - 14:30   |  302A

CONNECTING BASELINE CONDITIONS TO POTENTIAL RECOVERY OF MACROINVERTEBRATE AND DIATOM COMMUNITIES DUE TO RESTORATION THROUGH THE DELAWARE RIVER WATERSHED INITIATIVE To date there have been few comprehensive studies on the effects of large-scale Agricultural Best Management Practice (BMP) programs in multiple small (<100 km2) watersheds or how reductions in runoff correlate with the responses of biota. Our research addresses measuring the success of restoration with potential improvements in stream quality and aquatic biota. We sampled benthic macroinvertebrates and diatoms near agricultural BMPs in the Delaware River Basin with agricultural land use ranging from 0-83%. We performed ordinations, threshold analysis and metacommunity analysis to relate macroinvertebrates and diatoms to stressors, and to determine co-occurrence (assemblage types). Macroinvertebrate genera show shifts in presence along a land use/ habitat gradient, with many of the same genera co-occurring in watersheds with high and medium percentages of forested land. Diatom species exhibit relationships with nutrient concentrations and also show co-occurrence patterns according to land use and nutrient gradients. Knowledge of specific macroinvertebrate and diatom responses to watershed conditions as well as co-occurring assemblages will provide a basis for predicting how improvements in water and habitat quality in these watersheds will be correlated with increased biotic integrity on a local scale.

Stefanie Kroll (Primary Presenter/Author), Riverways Collaboration of CultureTrust Greater Philadelphia, stef.a.kroll@gmail.com;


Bryan Brown ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Virginia Tech, stonefly@vt.edu;


John Jackson ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Stroud Water Research Center, jkjackson@stroudcenter.org;


Meghan O'Donnell ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, mjo63@drexel.edu;


Alison Minerovic ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, adm354@drexel.edu;


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6/08/2017  |   14:30 - 14:45   |  302A

CURRENT RAPID BIOASSESMENT PROTOCOLS DO NOT ADEQUATELY ASSESS BENTHIC INVERTEBRATE ASSEMBLAGES FROM A STREAM WITH RESTORED HYDROLOGY: A CASE STUDY FROM EASTERN KENTUCKY, USA The need for biological monitoring following stream restorations is well established, but there is no consensus regarding field methods and which biological endpoints to report. We monitored and assessed the invertebrate assemblages from a stream with restored hydrologic functions using two approaches: (1) seasonal, habitat-specific quantitative collections that began during the 2nd post-restoration year and continued through the 6th post-restoration year, and (2) a rapid bioassessment (following Kentucky Macroinvertebrate Bioassessment Index protocols) during the 4th post-restoration year. A nearby, un-restored control stream was used for comparison. Both streams drain forested watersheds (2 – 3 km2) within the Daniel Boone National Forest of eastern Kentucky. Results from quantitative monitoring revealed greater invertebrate density and biomass from the restored stream. Notably, EPT biomass from pools was 2 – 4X greater than amounts from the unrestored stream throughout the study. In contrast, the rapid bioassessment indicated no difference between streams (each stream received a ‘good’ narrative rating). These findings suggest that considering new sampling designs and metrics may improve our ability to capture the functional capacity of benthic assemblages from streams with restored hydrology.

Amy Braccia (Primary Presenter/Author), Eastern Kentucky University, amy.braccia@eku.edu;


Mark Vogel ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Eastern Kentucky University, mark.vogel@eku.edu;


Rebecca Roberts ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Eastern Kentucky University, Rebecca.Roberts@eku.edu;


Jesse Robinson ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Louisville, jesse.robinson@louisville.edu;


Jeong Park ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Louisville, jeong.park@louisville.edu;


Michael Croasdaile ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Louisville, m.croasdaile@louisville.edu;


Art Parola ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Louisville, arthur.parola@louisville.edu;


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6/08/2017  |   14:45 - 15:00   |  

ASSESSING PROTECTION AND INCREMENTAL RESTORATION OF AQUATIC ASSEMBLAGES USING THE BIOLOGICAL CONDITION GRADIENT (BCG) The BCG is a conceptual framework for characterizing the structure and function of aquatic assemblages in comparison to natural, undisturbed conditions. Six condition levels ranging from natural to severely-altered are recognized and are associated with biological samples by expert panels. Panelists determine metric decision rules to calibrate a model. The BCG model incorporates value judgments of the expert panel so that each level is meaningful to water resource managers to attain a widely understood standard of biological condition. With six levels, management actions can be prioritized to target sites with vulnerabilities or opportunities. In application, exceptional waterbodies can be expected to have conditions aligning with BCG levels 1 or 2. Implementation of restoration activities are expected to result in biological lift for a waterbody, leading to, for example, changing from level 5 to 4. Calibrations in Indiana, California, Connecticut, and Alabama illustrate approaches to interpreting biological conditions in the context of multimetric indices, regional reference conditions, and restoration potential. Application of a BCG model alone or with other cross-walked indicators can show improvements relative to meaningful and precise condition targets.

Benjamin Jessup (Primary Presenter/Author), Tetra Tech, Inc., benjamin.jessup@tetratech.com;


Jen Stamp ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Tetra Tech, jen.stamp@tetratech.com;


James Stribling ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Tetra Tech, Inc., james.stribling@tetratech.com;
James Stribling is an aquatic biologist in Tetra Tech's Center for Ecological Sciences, Owings Mills, Maryland. He has led taxonomic quality control analysis of benthic macroinvertebrates and zooplankton for the National Aquatic Resources Surveys since 2004.

Michael Paul ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Paul.Michael@epa.gov;


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6/08/2017  |   15:00 - 15:15   |  

STREAM RESTORATION SUCCESS: ARE FUNCTIONAL MEASURES USEFUL? The primary approach to stream restoration in the Chesapeake Bay has historically been associated with managing the riparian zone by, for example, replanting vegetation or fencing out livestock. More recently the primary approach has been projects that involve significant channel reconfiguration including some novel forms of restoration called “regenerative stormwater conveyance” systems. While success of projects was historically based on stream biodiversity, there has been an increasing focus on use of stream functional assessments. Yet which functions and how they are measured remains an open question. Some have advocated the use of a “functional pyramid” approach but it is not clear that is anything more than a structural assessment. We describe our work to directly measure hydrologic, nutrient, and sediment retention functions and the insights we have gained from this. We close with a discussion of paths forward for monitoring approaches that will provide the type of information truly needed to improve restoration outcomes.

Margaret Palmer (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Maryland, mpalmer@umd.edu;


Rosemary Fanelli ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), USGS South Atlantic Water Science Center, rfanelli@usgs.gov;


Michael Williams ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Maryland, williamsmi@serc.org;


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6/08/2017  |   15:15 - 15:30   |  302A

TECHNICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC FACTORS AFFECTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SUCCESS CRITERIA FOR STREAM MITIGATION In 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers jointly implemented new regulations aimed in part at assuring more objective ecological performance standards (i.e. success criteria) for wetland and stream mitigation projects undertaken pursuant to Section 404 of the federal Clean Water Act. Since 2008, at least 1,300 kilometers of compensatory stream mitigation have been approved in the United States. Despite the rapid growth in both the number of stream and river restoration projects and the total monetary expenditures related to them, published literature on the efficacy of stream restoration projects remains largely critical and programmatic reviews of stream mitigation nearly nonexistent. In addition, biological monitoring and success criteria used across the country remain fragmented and inconsistent. This presentation will highlight trends in the compensatory mitigation program and summarize both technical and programmatic factors contributing to the need for targeted, collaborative research to identify short-term biological monitoring and success criteria for stream mitigation.

Eric Somerville (Primary Presenter/Author), US EPA, Region 4, somerville.eric@epa.gov;


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