Grantee Research Project Results
2004 Progress Report: A Hierarchical Classification System for Identifying Restoration and Protection Priorities in Mined Appalachian Watersheds
EPA Grant Number: R831364Title: A Hierarchical Classification System for Identifying Restoration and Protection Priorities in Mined Appalachian Watersheds
Investigators: Ziemkiewicz, P. , Petty, J. Todd , Stiles, James
Institution: West Virginia University
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: January 1, 2004 through August 31, 2007
Project Period Covered by this Report: January 1, 2004 through August 31, 2005
Project Amount: $599,638
RFA: Development of Watershed Classification Systems for Diagnosis of Biological Impairment in Watersheds and Their Receiving Water Bodies (2003) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Watersheds , Water
Objective:
The overriding objective of our research is to develop monitoring and assessment tools that can be used by water resource management agencies to restore and effectively manage mining impacted watersheds of the mid-Atlantic Highlands region. The specific objectives of this research project are to: (1) develop and validate a landscape model relating watershed attributes, instream attributes, and ecological condition of streams in mined watersheds; and (2) develop a hierarchical watershed classification system that can be used to identify areas of restoration priority and vulnerability to future impact.
Progress Summary:
Significant progress on our project can be broken into three categories: (1) compilation of geographic data into a comprehensive GIS database and modeling structure; (2) field sampling and compilation of data on stream flow, water chemistry, benthic invertebrates, and fish communities; and (3) initial data analysis and empirical model formulation. All of these tasks are associated with Objective 1 of the original proposal (development and test of a landscape model for the Tygart and Cheat River watersheds). We proposed to complete Objective 1 by mid-year of Year 2 of the project. We are well positioned to meet this deadline, which will produce a fully functional and validated model of the watersheds. The model will be used to predict chemical conditions, flow, temperature, and ecological condition at the stream reach scale throughout the two watersheds.
Future Activities:
In keeping with our original proposal, we will pursue the following tasks in the coming year:
- Finalize field sampling of stream flow, water chemistry, and fish communities needed to validate the landscape model. This is a continuation of our field sampling efforts from Year 1 of the project.
- Finalize development of an appropriate mining index for the Cheat and Tygart River watersheds.
- Include a spatially explicit weighted flow distance index for location of mine features to the focal reachshed pour point and distance to downstream reaches. This will be the distance to the closest mining feature.
- Finalize development and validation of empirical models to predict chemical and ecological conditions continuously throughout the study watersheds.
- Continue efforts using multivariate techniques to identify discrete water quality types relevant to classifying streams on the basis of vulnerability to mining impact and restoration potential.
- Develop methods for calculating measures of vulnerability and restoration potential as an initial step in Objective 2 of our research project.
Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 26 publications | 7 publications in selected types | All 7 journal articles |
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Petty JT, Thorne D. An ecologically based approach to identifying restoration priorities in an acid-impacted watershed. Restoration Ecology 2005;13(2):348-357. |
R831364 (2004) R831364 (2006) |
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Supplemental Keywords:
aquatic, dose-response, ecosystem, indicators, risk assessment,, RFA, Scientific Discipline, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Water, Watersheds, Monitoring/Modeling, Water & Watershed, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Monitoring, mining impacted watershed, restoration planning, water quality, watershed assessment, watershed restoration, integrated watershed model, watershed classification, Appalachian watersheds, GIS, hierarchical classification system, Mid-Atlantic Highlands, ecosystem restoration, landscape-scale monitoring, Appalachian Mountains, ecosystem modelingProgress 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.