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An Ecological Characterization and Landscape Assessment of the Muddy-Virgin River Project Area
Citation:
Hare, L., D. Heggem, R. Hall, AND P. Husby. An Ecological Characterization and Landscape Assessment of the Muddy-Virgin River Project Area. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-15/040, 2014.
Impact/Purpose:
This study is presented to give the results of an ecological assessment using landscape ecology and water quality methods in the Muddy-Virgin River Project Area located in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9.
Description:
The Muddy-Virgin River Project Area covers a large part of southern Nevada. Very little is known about the water quality of the entire Basin. The Muddy and Virgin Rivers drain into Lake Mead which provides drinking water for communities located in the Las Vegas Valley. The area covers some of the most densely populated and fastest growing communities in the United States and yet this area also covers some of the most remote lands in Nevada. The people living in this area depend on clean water. Not knowing about water quality or ecological condition is a concern because people will need to manage the negative impacts of mining, agriculture, livestock grazing, land development, water use (dewatering) and recreation. These activities may adversely affect water quality for human use and for any unique aquatic biota found in the rivers and streams. Having more ecological knowledge of this Project Area will help community leaders and decisions makers balance water quality protection with economic growth and social concerns. This will require a great deal of thought, coordination and cooperation. Landscape characterization and analysis are cost-effective tools which can be used to characterize the quality and condition of ecological resources. This information can be used by local resource managers and local stakeholders to make decisions that will help sustain the economic growth, ecological health and social benefits. This study will provide a data set and demonstration of analyses that can serve as a basis for a landscape ecological assessment. It can substantially increase our knowledge of conditions in this area using data collected from an earlier water quality study (Hare, et al., 2013).