Grantee Research Project Results
1999 Progress Report: Development and Evaluation of Ecosystem Indicators for Urbanizing Midwestern Watersheds
EPA Grant Number: R825871Title: Development and Evaluation of Ecosystem Indicators for Urbanizing Midwestern Watersheds
Investigators: Spacie, Anne , Hondzo, Midhat , Engel, Bernard A. , Harbor, Jonathan M.
Institution: Purdue University
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: October 1, 1997 through September 30, 2000
Project Period Covered by this Report: October 1, 1998 through September 30, 1999
Project Amount: $672,323
RFA: Ecosystem Indicators (1997) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Aquatic Ecosystems , Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration
Objective:
Urbanization is thought to have negative impacts on stream ecosystems and yet the actual causal relationships between land use change and stream community response have not been well studied. The focus of this project is on the development of predictive indicators of urbanization that are applicable to midwestern watersheds and stream ecosystems.
The project objectives are to: (1) quantify the impacts of urbanization on hydrologic regimes, water quality, and habitat structure of stream ecosystems using paired experimental watersheds, and to develop linked models that accurately predict these impacts; (2) use the linked models as a virtual laboratory within which to generate and test indicators of urbanization and hydrologic change in terms of responses of fish and macroinvertebrate communities; and (3) use these models and indicators to assess the response of stream communities to alternative urbanization scenarios with extension to larger watersheds in the region.
Progress Summary:
The research examines eight third-order watersheds near Indianapolis, Indiana, that are in transition from rural to urban. We are evaluating linkages between increased urban runoff, altered channel morphology, water quality effects, and reduced biotic integrity for three sites on each stream. A dynamic physically based hydrology model has been developed that can simulate cross-sectional averaged velocities, shear stress velocities, and water depth variability during storm peaks. Both flow and water temperature predictions using this model have shown excellent results compared to field measurements in a headwater stream. Efforts currently are ongoing to extend this model to predict instream dissolved oxygen and nutrient transport. The dynamic hydrology model does not yet have a land use component suitable for running urbanization scenarios. At this point, an existing empirical nonpoint runoff model (SWAT) has given the best predictive results when compared to observed historic hydrology at our urbanizing study sites. A third model under investigation is L-THIA, a simplified runoff model best suited for general watershed-scale planning. It is ideal for making comparisons among various urbanization scenarios, but has proven inadequate for predicting the observed hydrology of our study streams.
Land use characteristics of the study watersheds have been determined from supervised classification of 1997 multispectral satellite images (SPOT Inc.) using Erdas/Imagine v.8.3 image processing software. Watershed imperviousness was calculated independently from digital maps of streets and building outlines provided by the City of Indianapolis. The study watersheds range from 3 to 24 percent impervious by this method.
The bulk of the field measurements on stream geomorphology, habitat quality, and biotic community structure were made in 1999. Each study reach was characterized by a suite of physical metrics such as cross-sectional area, mean substrate size, percentage of eroded banks, and percentage of riffles and pools. The results show a clear pattern of channel enlargement, decreased channel stability, and increased stream power that is consistent with greater runoff in urbanizing streams. Stream habitat quality (using a QHEI rating system) and aquatic community structure also have shown significant changes across the range of urbanization. For example, the index of biotic integrity (IBI), as well as specific metrics such as the proportion of darter and sculpin species, decline with channel instability and more generally with increasing watershed imperviousness. A suite of biological metrics for fish, benthic insects, and periphyton currently are being evaluated to determine those that best reflect urban hydrologic changes.
Future Activities:
The hydrologic and water quality models developed thus far will be extended for use with dissolved oxygen and nutrient transport, and will be linked to the SWAT runoff model for application at the study sites. Water chemistry sampling will be emphasized in 2000 so that this component can be added to the physical habitat information already completed. Collection and characterization of biotic community structure will continue for an additional summer season to reduce interannual variability in community structure metrics. Several new study sites representing high rates of recent urbanization also have been selected for physical and biological evaluation. The risk analysis portion of the project also will be completed.
Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 35 publications | 9 publications in selected types | All 8 journal articles |
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Younus M, Hondzo M, Engel BA. Stream temperature dynamics in upland agricultural watersheds: measurements and modeling. Journal of Environmental Engineering 2000;126(6):518-526. |
R825871 (1999) R825871 (2001) R825871 (Final) |
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Supplemental Keywords:
integrated assessment, EPA Region 5, ecosystem indicators, urbanization, SWAT, modeling, watersheds, Indiana, IN., RFA, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Scientific Discipline, Geographic Area, Water, Ecological Risk Assessment, EPA Region, State, Ecosystem Protection, Watersheds, Ecosystem/Assessment/Indicators, Midwest, Ecological Effects - Environmental Exposure & Risk, Hydrology, Wet Weather Flows, Water & Watershed, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Monitoring, ecological effects, ecosystem health, integrated assessment, watershed protection, urban watersheds, stream ecosystems, large-scale regional studies, urban runoff, aquaculture, ecosystem assessment, urbanization, water quality, aquatic biota , ecosystem evaluation, risk assessment, stream flow, Indiana, aquatic ecosystem, aquatic, Indianapolis, aquatic biota, environmental stress, remote sensing, remotely sensed data, scaling, suburban watersheds, Region 5, ecological exposure, anthropogenic stresses, ecological indicators, land use, regional scale, urban ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems, modeling, fish , nutrient transport, dissolved oxygen , IN, hydrologic dynamics, anthropogenic processes, runoffRelevant Websites:
http://www.fnr.purdue.edu/fi/spacie/spacie.htm
http://danpatch.ecn.purdue.edu/~sprawl/LTHIA5/
http://danpatch.ecn.purdue.edu/~tgis/cases/ipcase/background.html
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.