Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index

1. Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index Bradley Hansen John Nieber Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering For BBE 4535/5535 Fall 2011

2. Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI) • The QHEI was developed by the Ohio EPA for assessment of habitat loss due to sediment • It can evaluate whether habitat is a limiting factor for a fish community, and which factors are the likely stressors • It can also help determine both the source of the sediment and the effects on the stream • Correlated to fish IBI scores

4. Consists of 6 Metrics • Substrate • Instream Cover • Channel Morphology • Riparian Zone and Bank Erosion • Pool – Riffle Quality • Map Gradient

5. Metric 1: Substrate • Type • Quality

6. Substrate

7. Not embedded Embedded

8. Riffle Pool Pool Riffle Pool Moderate Extensive None Low

10. Metric 2: Instream Cover • Type • Amount

11. Instream Cover

14. Metric 3: Channel Morphology • Sinuosity – number of bends in the reach • Development – pool-riffle complex • Channelization – human made channel modifications • Stability – bank and channel stability

15. Channel Morphology

16. stability channelization

17. Pool/Riffle Development

19. Metric 4: Riparian Zone and Bank Erosion • Width • Floodplain • Quality • Landuse • Bank Erosion • Stability

20. Riparian Zone

23. Metric 5: Pool-Riffle Quality • Max. Depth Pool and Riffle • Current Velocity estimate • Morphology Pool-Riffle width

24. Pool-Riffle Quality

26. Metric 6: Map Gradient • Channel slope - Measure stream length between two contours divide by contour interval

27. Map Gradient

30. Individual metrics

31. Score

32. Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index • It can evaluate whether habitat is a limiting factor for a fish community, and which factors are the likely stressors • It can also help determine both the source of the sediment and the effects on the stream