Watershed Assessment and Planning

1. Watershed Assessment and Planning

2. Review • Watershed Hydrology • Watershed Characteristics and Processes • Watershed Management • Watershed Planning and Assessment Process • Linking watershed processes with assessment and planning

3. Review • Hydrology • the study of H2O in all its forms • Watershed Hydrology • The effects of land characteristics and management on water quality and quantity. • Watershed Management • Process of managing resources of a Watershed to meet social goals –(sustainable) • Condition that soil and water resources are not adversely affected (use is sustainable over long term)

4. Watersheds • Unifying area for evaluating watershed processes and water quality data. Know all of the inputs & outputs: (Water Balance) Precipitation Infiltration Deep drainage Evapo-transpiration Runoff (Erosion)

5. Overview • Watershed Management (and Planning) • Recognize the linkages between upstream and downstream areas and the interrelationships across the landscape among soil and water, water quality and quantity, land use & other resource values.

6. Review • Watershed Characteristics: • Climate: temperature, precip, bio-region • Soils, vegetation, landuse • Topography (hydrologic processes) • Shape of the watershed • Drainage density • Drainage pattern • Stream orders • Stream permanence • Need to be able to differentiate among overland flow, base flow and channel processes

7. Review • Watershed Hydrologic Processes • Land use/management • Economic Value

8. Watershed Processes (and WQ) Influenced/Dependent on: • Drainage pattern • Stream orders • Stream permanence • Climate region • Homogeneity of landuse • Watershed geology and geomorphology

9. Watershed Planning • Platform for Environmental Assessment and decision making. • the original role of watershed management was “water yield”

10. Watersheds • Can be assessed at a variety of scales • Unit order watershed (1 ha) • Basin scale • Heterogeneity and complexity increase as increase in scale • To evaluate Watershed issues need to examine the data and their implications at the appropriate scale(s)

17. Upper Watershed

18. Middle of Watershed

19. Lower Watershed

20. Watershed Planning Approach Watershed Resource Profile • A descriptive set of data portraying the significant natural resource features of the watershed. Rapid Watershed Assessment • An evaluation of watershed resources to determine the size, scope, and value of natural resource needs.

21. Watershed Profile • A descriptive set of data portraying the significant natural resource features of the watershed. • Physical characteristics • Soils, Geology, Vegetation • Land Use • Precipitation/hydrology • Common Resource Area • Census/Social data • Resource Concerns

22. A Watershed Approach: • Is hydrologically defined • geographically focused • includes all stressors (air and water) • Involves all stakeholders • includes public (federal, state, local) and private sector • is community based • includes a coordinating framework • Strategically addresses priority water resource goals (e.g. water quality, habitat) • integrates multiple programs (regulatory and voluntary) • based on sound science • aided by strategic watershed plans • uses adaptive management

23. A Watershed Approach: • What are the goals of watershed planning? • How do you know if the “plan” has worked?

24. EPA Watershed Planning • Identification of the causes and sources that need to be controlled to achieve load reductions in the watershed- based plan • A description of the process that will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing the plan and achieving its goals. • designation of critical areas tied to BMPs. • Estimate of the load reductions expected for the Management efforts.

25. EPA Watershed Planning • A set of criteria that can be used to determine if load reductions are being achieved over time • If not – a set of criteria to determine if the watershed based plan needs to be revised. • http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3313_3682_3714-69714--,00.html

26. BMPs • Best Management Practices What are they and how do we evaluate them? http://www.bmpdatabase.org/

28. Defining A Healthy Watershed US EPA- We can best understand the overall health of aquatic systems on a watershed basis. Using watersheds, we can take a broader view of the environment, which is complicated and interconnected with our activities across local and regional scales. But what is a “healthy” watershed??

29. “Health” • Human health? • Indicators and Standards for assessing

30. Some “Health” Definitions Rangeland Health (Natural Research Council 1994) “The degree to which the integrity of the soil and ecological processes of rangeland ecosystems are maintained” Forest Health (U.S. Forest Service) “A condition wherein a forest has the capacity across the landscape for renewal, for recovery from a wide range of disturbances, and for retention of ecological resiliency, while meeting current and future needs of people for desired levels of values, uses, products, and services”

31. Watershed Health (Jones et al. 2002) “A state in which resource management activities sustain human needs and uses of the watershed while ensuring that ecological function is maintained” “Functional” components of a Watershed: Hydrologic Function Ecological Function Human/Societal Function Do we have indicators that we can use to evaluate the “health” of our watersheds?

32. Factors indicating stream health http://www.phillywatersheds.org • Water quality • Tied to intended use • Stream flow • Quantity • Timing • Physical habitat • Morphology • Riparian vegetation • Surface / groundwater interactions • Biologic / hydrologic interactions

33. http://www.mtnvisions.com/Aurora/healthst.html

35. Cornell.edu http://www.fws.gov/ http://www4.agr.gc.ca

36. Discussion on Healthy Streams http://www.grmw.org/

37. Discussion on Healthy Streams

38. Discussion on Healthy Streams

39. Evolving channel in Vermont http://www.anr.state.vt.us

40. Discussion on Healthy Streams http://www.grmw.org/

41. Discussion on Healthy Uplands What are some of the indicators?

45. Homework • Describe a local watershed – • Characteristics • Estimate an annual water balance for that watershed • Annual precipitation • http://climate.usurf.usu.edu/products/data.php