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REGIONAL METHODS INITIATIVE: DEVELOPMENT OF LARGE RIVER BIOASSESSMENT PROTOCOLS (LRBP) FOR BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES
Citation:
JOHNSON, B. R., J. E. FLOTEMERSCH, AND K. A. BLOCKSOM. REGIONAL METHODS INITIATIVE: DEVELOPMENT OF LARGE RIVER BIOASSESSMENT PROTOCOLS (LRBP) FOR BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES. Presented at SWIMS Conference, Chicago, IL, February 01 - 03, 2005.
Impact/Purpose:
The goal of this research is to develop methods and indicators that are useful for evaluating the condition of aquatic communities, for assessing the restoration of aquatic communities in response to mitigation and best management practices, and for determining the exposure of aquatic communities to different classes of stressors (i.e., pesticides, sedimentation, habitat alteration).
Description:
We are developing the Large River Bioassessment Protocol (LRBP) for assessment of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages. This multi-habitat method is currently being used in support of a REMAP project for probabilistic assessment of large rivers in USEPA Region 5. Six rivers, representing a gradient of size and landuse, were targeted for sampling in summer 2004 and 2005. On each river, we are collecting macroinvertebrates, water chemistry, phytoplankton, and habitat data from 25 sites. Results will be used to identify potential benthic and habitat indicators for the region and to refine LRBP habitat assessment methods. This study will also compare the LRBP with other sampling methods used by States and will evaluate the use of snag sampling as a rapid bioreconnaissance tool. In this presentation, we will provide a detailed description of the LRBP method and an update on project status.