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Functional Objectives for
Stream Restoration
by J. Craig Fischenich 1 September 2006
(^1) USAE Research and Development Center, 3909 Halls Ferry Rd., Vicksburg, MS 39180
OVERVIEW
The National Research Council (1996) defined restoration as “the return of the form and function of an ecosystem to its pre- disturbance condition…” This definition presents two challenges when working in today’s environment.
First, the significant hydrological changes and infrastructure encroachments found in many watersheds often prevent the reestablishment of the stream form to a condition prior to disturbance. These streams have a new form consistent with the altered conditions, and may not be able to maintain functions associated with a pre-disturbance condition.
Second, while the general concept of “functions” can be grasped by most, the specific functions provided by streams and riparian corridors have yet to be defined in a manner that can serve as a basis for assessment, design, and management.
The recommendations presented in this document center on the recognition that the character of stream systems (and, thus, their value or potential to support certain uses) is a result of a set of dynamic and interrelated processes referred to as functions in this report. Fifteen critical functions were identified by a committee of U.S. and international scientists, engineers, and practitioners, and were synthesized into a framework for ecosystem evaluation.
Understanding the basic functions of streams and riparian corridors provides planners and designers with a concise and effective basis from which to evaluate proposed projects, and offers several powerful advantages over assessments that focus upon beneficial uses. Use of functions and processes can be elegantly incorporated within a systems approach, enhancing understanding, enabling predictions, and supporting management decisions.
This report presents the functional framework and discusses ways in which the framework can be applied to support the Corps’ Ecosystem Restoration and Urban Flood Damage Reduction Programs.
Figure 1. Healthy streams and riparian zones support important functions, even if their form has been altered from historic conditions.
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Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-
Function Categories
Healthy streams support and maintain basic functions associated with either structure or processes that result in a continual development or evolution of the watershed. These functions relate to the physical, biological, and chemical nature of waterways but do not relate directly to their social context, which is addressed later in the category of beneficial uses. The basic functions that streams and riparian corridors support can be divided into five categories:
- System dynamics.
- Hydrologic balance.
- Sediment processes and character.
- Biological support.
- Chemical processes and landscape pathways.
Within each of these categories, three key functions, components and processes (Table 1) were compiled from a preliminary list of over 60 functions identified by a scientific committee. The committee was well aware of the interconnection, interdependence, and integration of functionality expressed in aquatic ecosystems. To reduce bias, this technical note discusses each function independently. An attempt is then made to
recouple the interdependence of functions. It is important to note also that not all functions will be of equal importance in individual watersheds, so interpretation of this framework will be required for each situation.
Tables 2 through 6 present an overview of each of the 15 primary functions. This overview is supported and augmented by the references provided in the bibliography at the end of this technical note, and is expanded upon in another document (Fischenich 2003).
Generally speaking, an individual will be knowledgeable about only a few of these functions, but the team involved in planning and design for the project should be comprised of individuals that collectively possess expertise in all the functional categories. Understanding ecosystem functions will help planners and designers formulate alternatives and assess the relative benefits and impacts of each. To help with this need, Tables 2 through 6 present lists of indicators commonly used to determine the presence/absence of a particular function, as well as lists of measures used to quantify the degree to which the functions are present.
Table 1. Summary of Primary Functions.
System Dynamics Hydrologic Balance
Sediment Processes and Character Biological Support
Chemical Processes and Pathways Stream Evolution Processes
Surface Water Storage Processes
Sediment Continuity Biological Communities and Processes
Water and Soil Quality
Energy Management
Surface / Subsurface Water Exchange
Substrate and Structural Processes
Necessary Habitats for all Life Cycles
Chemical Processes and Nutrient Cycles Riparian Succession
Hydrodynamic Character Quality and Quantity of Sediments
Trophic Structures and Processes
Landscape Pathways
Indicators and Measures of Functions
There is consensus that the world’s streams and riparian corridors are of fundamental importance to human health, that they are increasingly threatened by economic change and by environmental degradation, and that, consequentially, urgent and effective attention is needed. To provide this, it is important to assess accurately the current state of these
aquatic and semi-aquatic systems, through the indicators and measurements provided, and to predict system trends inclusive of the consequences of various management alternatives. Addressing these needs requires both qualitative and quantitative approaches, through which the sustainability of relevant systems can be assessed and sometimes measured.
Indicators are variables, features or attributes that allow for a reasonable and practical means of identifying the presence or absence of a particular function. They also serve to foster an understanding of cause/response relations at and between the various scales present on aquatic systems - not a simple matter given the complexity of ecosystems. Processes operate across scales and thus define critical linkages (e.g. runoff generation, sediment load and transport, erosion/deposition, and plant interaction/succession). These processes are assessed in terms of the physical variables, features and attributes that are manifest at the scales of watershed, reach and site. Indicators are generally qualitative, though they can be semi-quantitative as well.
Measurement of certain attributes allows quantification of the degree to which a particular function is achieved in an ecosystem. Measures can be physical, ecological, economic, or social. Indicators and measures for the primary functions identified in the previous section are summarized in Tables 2 through 6.
Beneficial Uses Perspective
The social aspects of stream and riparian ecosystems are addressed in this report as beneficial uses. Uses are classified as a sink, a source (consumptive use), or indifferent (non-consumptive). Table 7 lists common uses of rivers and riparian corridors and how they affect or are affected by the function categories. Beneficial uses are presented without regard for priority or value, which varies with time and by region.
Table 7 demonstrates the considerable interrelation between the functions and the common beneficial uses ascribed to the resource. A particular use can impact one or more functions, with consequent impacts
upon other potential uses. Uses are not consistent across political boundaries, change with public perception or time, and are difficult or impossible to measure, but the fundamental processes (i.e. functions) that support them are less susceptible to these variations and difficulties.
Many of the functions are interrelated such that impacts to one function can cause a cascade of impacts to other functions and to multiple uses. For example, actions that impact the surface/subsurface exchange of water will almost certainly impact the stream’s hydrodynamic character, riparian succession, water quality, and habitat. Depending upon the nature and magnitude of the impact, surface water storage, chemical processes, biological communities and trophic structure might also be impacted, but the other functions are likely to remain largely unaffected.
Establishing a hierarchy of functions is difficult because no single function is unaffected by the others. The relative significance of each function can be inferred by assessing the interrelations among functions. The results of such an assessment are presented in Table 8. In this regard, the hydrodynamic character of the system may be the most significant of the functions as it directly or indirectly affects all other functions.
Habitat – the focus of most restoration efforts
- is the lowest ranked function in this analysis because it affects only three other functions, suggesting that the remaining functions are relatively insensitive to habitat changes. On the other hand, habitat is directly influenced by all but three of the other functions. This implies that habitat may be a good indicator of an impacted system, but impacts to habitat may provide little insight into the causal mechanism of the disturbance.
Table 3. Hydrologic Balance.
Function Description Indicators Measurements Surface water storage processes
¾ Provides temporary water storage during high flows. ¾ Regulates discharge and replenishes soil moisture. ¾ Provides pathways for fish and macroinvertebrate movement. ¾ Provides low-velocity habitats. ¾ Maintains base flow and soil moisture. ¾ Provides contact time for bio- geochemical processes.
Presence of perennial flood- plain topographic features, such as floodplain lakes, ponds, oxbows, wetlands, and sloughs. Riparian wetlands, depres- sions, and microtopog- raphic changes in active floodplain. Presence of floodplain- spawning fishes. Presence of macroinvertebrate and amphibian indicator species. Watershed % impervious surface. Riparian debris patterns. Detrital accumulations.
Backwater computations. Hydrologic routing models. Stream entrenchment surveys. Rating curves. Floodplain species spawning success. Topographic surveys. Infiltration rates, com- paction surveys. Gage and well records.
Maintain surface / subsurface water connections and processes
¾ Provides bi-directional flow pathways from open channel to subsurface soils. ¾ Allows exchange of chemicals, nutrients, and water. ¾ Moderates low and high in-channel flows. ¾ Provides habitat and pathways for organisms. ¾ Maintains subsurface capacity to store water for long durations. ¾ Maintains base flow, seasonal flow, and soil moisture.
Invertebrates found in the hyporheic zone under floodplains. Presence of floodplain topographic features that connect the channel to groundwater recharge areas by free-draining soils. Occurrence of flows sufficient to allow connection. Presence of layers of silt or organics in soil profile. Moist soil conditions, hydro- phytic vegetation. Adjacent wetlands, hydric soil indicators. Groundwater elevation fluctuations. Watershed % impervious surface.
Flux in groundwater levels. Stream baseflow. Hyporheic macroinver- tebrate distribution, density, and diversity. Complexity of microtopography. Isotope dating. Soil porosity. Water chemistry profiles. Temperature recording. Texture, structure, moisture, redox, and porosity of adjacent soils.
General hydro- dynamic balance
¾ Rivers have a unique hydrologic signature important in ensuring proper flow conditions at the appropriate seasons for support of the biotic environment.
Presence of an active floodplain. Associated wetlands. Redoximorphic features and other indicators of hydric soils. Hydrophytic vegetation, drift line, and sediment deposits at appropriate elevations.
Flow duration analyses. Rating curves. Spawning success.
Table 4. Sediment Processes and Character.
Function Description Indicators Measurements Sediment continuity
¾ Provides for appropriate erosion, transport, and deposition processes. ¾ Maintains substrate sorting and armoring capabilities. ¾ Provides for the estab- lishment and succession of aquatic and riparian habitats. ¾ Important part of nutrient cycling and water quality maintenance.
Bed sediment character. Evidence of recent channel or floodplain sediment and detrital deposits. Recent bed or bank erosion. Channel planform, section, or grade changes. Active bars. Changes in supply, erosion and deposition patterns. Diversity in aquatic and riparian biota. Watershed disturbance patterns. Composition and diversity of macroinvertebrates. Changes in magnitude, duration, or frequency of flow.
Bed material sediment loads and gradations. Suspended sediment load assessments. Stability assessment techniques. Temporal changes in channel geometry. Sediment yield measures. Sediment transport modeling and/or incipient motion analysis. Lower bank angle surveys. Stream bed core sampling.
Maintain substrates and structural processes
¾ Stream channels and riparian zones provide substrates and structural architecture to support diverse habitats and biotic communities. ¾ Complex habitats naturally attenuate the effects of irregular disturbance processes such as fire and floods.
Presence and health of indigenous biota. Distribution, abundance, health and diversity of biota. Relative complexity of substrates. Structural complexity and distribution. Abundance and distribution of large woody debris. Habitat diversity and complexity. Population trends of indi- cator species. Disturbance history.
Presence, composition, frequency, and distribution of physical characteristics such as pools, riffles, bedforms, specific depths and velocities, cover and substrate features, riparian corridor widths, etc. Aquatic and riparian habitat assessment methods such as PHABSIM, RCHARC, RBPS, HEP, IBIs. Distribution and frequency of key physical parameters. Riparian and in-channel woody debris surveys. Aquatic macrophyte surveys. Periphyton samples. Stream substrate composition. Soil compaction, displacement, or erosion. Detrital mass surveys. Bacterial counts. Fungal surveys. Fire and flood history mapping. Quality and quantity of sediments
¾ Organisms often evolve under specific sediment regimes and these must be preserved for the ecological health of the system. ¾ Sediment yield and character are primary variables in determining the physical character of the system.
Change in banks, pools, and bars acceptable relative to other similar streams. Distribution, abundance, health, and diversity of biota. Presence of indicator species.
Sediment grain size distribution. Embeddedness. Sediment yield. Bedload. Suspended sediment load. Sediment concentration. Secchi depth. Armor layer size and thickness. Depth to bedrock. Sediment mineralogy. Macroinvertebrate surveys. Redd counts.
Table 6. Chemical Processes and Pathways.
FUNCTIONS Description Indicators Measurements
Maintain water and soil quality
¾ Water quality parameters are directly tied to support of biologic community. ¾ Riparian communities trap, retain, and remove particulate and dissolved constituents of surface and overland flow, improving water quality. ¾ Regulates chemical and nutrient cycles. ¾ Controls pathogens and viruses. ¾ Maintains chemistry and equilibrium conducive to reproduction, behavior, development and sustainability of a diverse aquatic ecosystem. ¾ Supports important chemical processes and nutrient cycles.
Watershed conditions and disturbance features. Stream order. Presence/absence/abundance of key indicator biota. Presence/absence of trophic indicators. Abnormal forms or behaviors; unusual mortalities of indicator species. Plant, fish, and invertebrate density, diversity, distribution, and health. Wetland and riparian aerial and positional changes. Geology and soils - availability of a range of surface textures and areas for reactions. Presence/ absence of riparian sediment deposits. Density, diversity, and distribution of microbial, fungal, and invertebrate communities.
Conventional water quality measures (e.g., D.O., pH, conductivity, turbidity, TDS, salinity, temperature, suspended sediment). Bacterial counts. Metals and trace element sampling. Nutrient (N, P) tests. Examination of soil profiles. Soil profile elemental composition surveys. Rates of sediment deposition in channel and riparian corridor. Detrital mass surveys. Large woody debris counts. Infiltration rates. Compaction, displacement, and erosion surveys. Bacterial counts. Trace element sampling. Nutrient (N, P) tests. COM levels.
Maintain chemical processes and nutrient cycles
¾ Provides for complex chemical reactions to maintain equilibrium and supply required elements to biota. ¾ Provides for acquisition, breakdown, storage, conversion, and transformation of nutrients within recurrent patterns.
Presence of seasonal debris in riparian area. Presence/ absence of indicator species and their health. Presence/absence of photosynthesis, fecal matter, biofilms, and decomposition products. Presence/absence of particulates on vegetation. Riparian vegetation composition and vigor. Changes in algae, periphyton, or macrophyte communities. Changes in trophic indicators.
BOD (CBOD & NBOD) and DOC. Stable carbon isotope analyses -- identify energy pathways. Cell counts, ATP concentration, respiration rates, uptake of labeled substances. Water and soil buffer capacity. Complexation. Redox potential. Ion exchange capacity. Adsorption capacity. Dissolution/precipitation rates. Decomposition rates. Plant growth rates, biomass production. Maintain landscape pathways
¾ Maintains longitudinal and latitudinal connectivity to allow for biotic and abiotic energy process pathways. ¾ Serves as barriers, corridors, or buffers to plant and animal migration. ¾ Provides source and sink areas for maintaining population equilibrium of plant and animal species.
Presence of animal trails along corridor. Observations of migratory species use. Flood tolerance of vegetation species on floodplains. Presence/absence of key indicator species in portions of the adjacent landscape. Recent deposits of sediments and detrital matter in the riparian corridor. Distribution, density, diversity, and age class composition of riparian vegetation. Accumulation of species during high stress periods.
Relative scale of stream to riparian corridor as a function of stream order or slope. Width, density, and composition of riparian vegetation community. Frequency and duration of floodplain inundation. Migratory bird surveys. Measures of sediment deposition and detrital flux in the riparian corridor. Migration barrier surveys. Genetic analyses. Canopy cover measurements of various life forms. Temperature.
Table 7. Example Relations Between Beneficial Uses and Functions.
Function
Beneficial Uses
System Dynamics
Hydrologic Balance
Sediment Processes and Character
Biological Support
Chemical Processes and Pathways Sink Cooling water O O O I I/O Drainage O I/O I/O I I/O Flood storage / attenuation I/O I/O I/O I/O I/O Wastewater O O O I I Consumptive Aggregate withdrawal I/O I/O I/O I/O I/O Drinking water O I/O O I/O I/O Fishing and hunting O O O I/O I/O Hydropower I/O I/O I/O I/O I Industrial water supply I/O I/O I/O I I/O Irrigation I/O I/O I/O I I/O Groundwater withdrawal - I/O - I I/O Riparian timber harvest I/O I/O I/O I/O I Non-consumptive Aesthetics O - O - - Ecosystem protection I/O I/O I/O I/O I/O Housing I/O I/O I/O I I Landscape feature O - O I I Recreational boating I/O O O I/O I/O Commercial transport I/O I/O I/O I/O I/O Navigation service I/O O I/O I/O I Non-boating recreation O O O I/O I/O Spatial corridor I/O I/O I/O I/O I/O
Key:
- No discernible impact. I Use may impact indicated function. O Use may be impacted by indicated function.
role in the development of the general basis for the functional framework. Establishment of the key functions was aided by an Interna- tional committee of scientists including: Mr. Jos Van Alphen, Rijkswaterstaat directie Oost-Nederland; Mr. Georg Rast, World Wildlife Fund, Germany; Capt. Heather Mitchell, Mitchell Associates, UK; Prof. J.M. Hiver, Laboratoire de Recherches Hydraulique, Belgium; Dr. Michael Fiedler, Federal Institute of Hydrology, Germany; Mr. Paul Pierron, Mission d’Inspection Generale territoriale, France; Mr. Jan Reche, Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing, Germany; Mr. Enrique Uribarri, Alatec Proes S.A, Spain; Dr. Richard Hey, East Anglia University, UK; and Dr. Jack Imhof, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Many practitioners assisted in the assessment of the recommendations, and their assistance is gratefully acknowledged. Technical reviews were provided by Dr. Richard Fischer and Messrs. Jim Henderson and Jock Conyngham, of the Environmental Laboratory.
POINTS OF CONTACT
For additional information, contact Dr. J. Craig Fischenich, (601-634-3449, Craig.J.Fischenich@erdc.usace.army.mil ), or the manager of the Ecosystem Management and Restoration Research Program, Mr. Glenn Rhett (601-634-3717, Glenn.G.Rhett@erdc.usace.army.mil ). This technical note should be cited as follows:
Fischenich, J.C. (2006). Functional objectives for stream restoration. EMRRP Technical Notes Collection (ERDC TN-EMRRP-SR-52). Vicksburg, MS: U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center. www.wes.army.mil/el/emrrp
ANNOTATED REFERENCES AND
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Abbe, T.B., Mongomery, D.R., and Petroff, C. (1997) “Design of stable in-channel wood debris structures for bank protection and habitat restoration: An example from the Cowlitz River, WA,” Proceedings of the Conference on Management of Landscapes Disturbed by Channel Incision, 809-814. Most bank protection structures not designed to improve aquatic or riparian habitat and restoration projects lack sufficient engineering and geomorphic analysis. This project demonstrated that engineered log jams can meet erosion control objectives while restoring riverine habitat in large alluvial rivers. There is good potential for integrating natural processes into river engineering in ways that will meet human objectives for limiting bank erosion while maintaining habitat.
Benke, S.C., Henry, R.L., III, Gillespie, D.M., and Hunter, R.J. (1985) “Importance of snag habitat for animal production in southeastern streams,” Fisheries , 10-5, 8-13. This study showed that snagging operations, as performed by many agencies over the years in order to enhance navigation or modify channels, can devastate much of the fish community. Furthermore, removal of the snags can increase water velocity, adversely affect stream channels and riparian vegetation, reduce the frequency of floodplain inundation, and alter nutrient and organic matter pathways.
Beschta, R.L., and Platts, W.S. (1986) “Morphological features of small streams: Significance and function,” Water Resources Bulletin , 22-3, 369-379. Where channel morphology is modified or structural features are added, stream dynamics and energy dissipation need to be considered. Understanding each stream feature individually and in relation to all others is essential for proper stream management. Although engineered structures for modifying habitat may alter stream characteristics, channel morphology must ultimately be matched to the hydraulic, geologic, and [especially] vegetative constraints of a particular location.
Bravard, J.P., Amoros, C. and Patou, G. (1985) “Impact of civil engineering works on the successions of communities in a fluvial system,” Oikos , 47-1, 92-111. Fluvial dynamics determine the habitat diversity by the erosion-deposition processes that create biotopes. Contemporary impacts, such as navigational embankments, hydroelectric projects, and the protection of agricultural land halt the fluvial dynamics by restricting the extension of the area of active geomorphology. The absence of lateral erosion prevents the initiation of succession and leads to the disappearance of communities corresponding to the first stages of the sequence.
Brinson, M. M. (1993). “A hydrogeomorphic classification for wetlands,” Technical Report WRPDE-4, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS. An overview of the HGM classification and the basis for its use.
Brinson, M. M., Hauer, F. R., Lee, L. C., Nutter, W. L., Rheinhardt, R. D., Smith, R. D., and Whigham, D. (1995) “A guidebook for application of hydrogeomorphic assessments to riverine wetlands,” Wetlands Research Program Technical Report WRP-DE-1, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS. Provides details of the application of HGM to riverine wetlands.
Burke, T. D., and Robinson, J. W. (1979) River structure modifications to provide habitat diversity,” A National Workshop on Mitigating Losses of Fish and Wildlife Habitats, General Technical Report RM-65, Colorado State University, pp. 556-561. Discussion of beneficial and detrimental effects of Missouri River Bank Stabilization and Navigation Project and description of structure modifications used to improve fish and wildlife habitats, flood carrying capacity, and for controlling accretions. Methods include notched, rootless, and low elevation structures.
Downs, P.W., and Thorne, C.R. (2000) “Rehabilitation of a lowland river: reconciling flood defense with habitat diversity and geomorphological sustainability,” J. of Environmental Management , 58, 249-268.
The authors concluded that true restoration was neither possible nor desireable on the River Idle in the United Kingdom. Management objectives are geared towards environmental enhancement through rehabilitation. The requirement to reconcile environmental enhancement with the river’s ongoing flood defense function remains a challenge, while the desire to produce a sustainable solution influences long-term planning.
Ehrenfield, J.G. (2000) “Defining the limits of restoration: The need for realistic goals,” Restoration Ecology , 8-1, 2-9. This paper describes the advantages and disadvantages of restoration project goals at three different levels: Species, ecosystem functions, and ecosystem services. It provides quantifiable components of selected ecosystem processes that are part of the ecosystem functions, and a list of various ecosystem services that have been proposed in recent publications.
Fischenich, J.C. (2001) “Impact of Streambank Stabilization Measures,” EMRRP Technical Notes Collection (ERDC TN-EMRRP-SR-32), U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Vicksburg, MS. Provides an overview of the impacts of various stream alteration and stabilization measures upon a wide range of riverine processes.
Fischenich, J.C. (2002). “Impacts of Riprap on Aquatic and Riparian Ecosystems,” USACE Wetlands Regulatory Assistance Program, Technical Report ERDC-EL TR 03-04, Vicksburg, MS. Discusses the influence of riprap on the lotic environment and provides guidelines for measures to reduce impacts.
Fleming, N.S., and Daniell, T.M. (1993) “Sustainable water resources management: An Australian perspective,” Paper presented at the International Conf. On Environmentally Sound Water Resources Utilization, Bangkok, Thailand, 8-11 November, 1993. Evidence is mounting that current methods of natural resource use and development are unsustainable, which impacts economic efficacy and causes serious environmental degradation. To achieve sustainability in water resources
and aesthetics. Vegetation for bank protection is most effective when used in combination with structural components.
Hickey, J.T., and Diaz, G.E. (1999) “From flow to fish to dollars: An integrated approach to water allocation,” J. of the American Water Resources Association , 35-5, 1053-1067. This paper presents the results of a case study on the value and application of a conceptual integration of economic, salmonid population, physical habitat, and water allocation models.
Hill, M.T., Platts, W.S., and Beschta, R.L. (1991) “Ecological and geomorphological concepts for instream and out-of-channel flow requirements,” Rivers , 2-3, 198-210. Alteration of streamflow for power production, irrigation, flood control, and other purposes adversely affects aquatic resources. The authors examined various concepts concerning the broad interactions of fluvial-geomorphic processes, riverine-riparian habitat, and their geographic setting.
Hobbs, R.J., and Norton, D.A. (1996) “Towards a conceptual framework for restoration ecology,” Restoration Ecology , 4-2, 93-110. Key processes in restoration include identifying and dealing with the processes leading to degradation in the first place, determining realistic goals and measures of success, developing methods for implementing the goals and incorporating them into land management and planning strategies, and monitoring the restoration and assessing its success. To become a useful tool, restoration ecology must become a landscape-scale endeavor.
Johnson, B.L., Richardson, W.B., and Naimo, T.J. (1995) “Past, present, and future concepts in large river ecology,” Bioscience , 45-3, 134-141. Despite the importance of large rivers, understanding how they function and how human activities influence river processes is limited. There are currently two primary hypotheses of how lotic systems function: the river continuum concept with its corollaries and the flood-pulse concept. Neither of these explains system function in all large rivers.
Klingeman, P. C. (1984) “Evaluating hydrologic needs for design of stream habitat modification structures,” Proceedings of the Pacific Northwest Stream Habitat Workshop, Arcata, CA. This paper describes the needs and uses of basic hydrologic, hydraulic, and geomorphic information for designing a stream habitat modification structure at a site. Also, common types of stream habitat modification structures are described.
Kondolf, G.M. (2000) “Some suggested guidelines for geomorphic aspects of anadromous salmonid habitat restoration proposals,” Restoration Ecology , 8-1, 48-56. To be successful, river restoration projects must account for geomorphic processes at both the watershed and reach scales. In streams with sufficient energy and sediment load to recreate a natural channel morphology during floods, aquatic habitat might best be served by no direct physical intervention beyond removing those factors that negatively influence habitat [e.g., close levees, riprap banks, etc.].
Montgomery, D.R. (1995) “Input- and output- oriented approaches to implementing ecosystem management,” Environmental Management , 19- 2, 183-188. Input-oriented landscape management provides the foundation for implementing ecosystem management based on current knowledge of processes and linkages among biological and physical components of an ecosystem and the influences of human actions on those processes and linkages. Defining the priorities between resource use or extraction and acceptable changes in ecosystem condition is a component of any land management framework.
Moyle, P.B., and Randall, P.J. (1998) “Evaluating the biotic integrity of watersheds in the Sierra Nevada, California,” Conservation Biology , 12- 6, 1318-1326. The authors contend that one problem with the selected watershed approach to conservation is that it implies that watersheds can be systematically rated so that those with the highest biodiversity values can be the focus of whole-watershed protection efforts. They present an alternated method, called the watershed index of biotic integrity [W-IBI], for
identifying watersheds with high conservation potential over a much larger area.
Naiman, R.J., Bilby, R.E., and Bisson, P.A. (2000) “Riparian ecology and management in the Pacific coastal rain forest,” Bioscience , 50-11, 996-1011. This paper discusses the role of the many dynamic processes affecting riparian zones within the Pacific coastal rain forest. Dramatic changes in the management of riparian areas have been driven by new understandings of riparian processes. These new insights include: restoring biophysical properties of riparian zones improves all natural resource values; protecting interactions between surface flows and groundwater is essential to aquatic-riparian integrity; allowing streams and rivers to migrate laterally is necessary for habitat development; incorporating natural flow regime characteristics in regulated rivers promotes aquatic and riparian diversity and resilience; and control of exotic species depends on reestablishing natural land-water interactions in riparian areas.
National Research Council. (1996) Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems: Science, Technology, and Public Policy. Committee on Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems — Science, Technology, and Public Policy, Water Science and Technology Board, Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources, National Research Council. — Washington, DC. Presents an overview of the state of science, state of practice, and case studies for restoration.
Newbury, R., and Gaboury, M. (1993) “Exploration and rehabilitation of hydraulic habitats in streams using principles of fluvial behaviour,” Freshwater Biology , 29, 195-210. Rivers and streams are integrated flowing systems that create and maintain aquatic habitats within the structure of their flow as well as on and below their wetted boundaries. The combination of elements from geomorphology, open-channel hydraulics, and hydraulic habitat requirements of stream fish form the basis for an ecologically sound “soft engineering” of river channels. Two project examples were used
to demonstrate how this “soft engineering” approach enhanced the fish habitat.
Pastorok, R. A., MacDonald, A., Sampson, J. R., Wilber, P., Yozzo, D. J., and Titre, J. P. (1997) “An ecological decision framework for environmental restoration projects,” Ecological Engineering , 9, 89-107. Ecosystem restoration projects require planning and monitoring, yet projects completed thus far have been planned on an ad hoc, consensus basis and are virtually ignored after revegetation at the site is complete. A process was developed to integrate a fundamental understanding of ecological principles into the existing project planning framework used by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers in their growing role in restoration of aquatic habitats, but it should be applied to terrestrial habitats as well.
Poff, N.L., Allan, J.D., Bain, M.B., Karr, J.R., Prestegaard, K.L., Richter, B.D., Sparks, R.E., and Stromberg, J.C. (1997) “The natural flow regime,” Bioscience , 47-11, 769-784. Historically, the protection of river ecosystems has been limited in scope, emphasizing water quality and only one aspect of water quantity: minimum flow. Five critical components of the flow regime regulate ecological processes in river ecosystems: the magnitude, frequency, duration, timing, and rate of change of hydrologic conditions. By defining flow regimes in these terms, the ecological consequences of particular human activities that modify one or more components of the flow regime can be considered explicitly. To manage rivers from this new perspective, some policy changes are needed with regard to narrow regulatory focus and conflicting mandates of multiple agencies.
Prichard, D. (1998) Riparian Area Management , Technical Reference 1737-15, USDI Bureau of Land Management, National Applied Resource Sciences Center, Denver, CO. This report describes a methodology for determining the Proper Functioning Condition [PFC] for riparian-wetland areas. Various functions and processes that the wetland should be able to address are used to determine the condition of the area.
Sparks, R.E., (1995) “Need for ecosystem management of large rivers and their floodplains,” Bioscience , 45-3, 168-182. The author describes the importance of large river-floodplain ecosystems and the consequences of altering their natural processes, functions, and connectivity.
United Nations. (1992) Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development , and the Statement of principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests were adopted by more than 178 Governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, 3-14 June 1992.
Vannote, R.L., Minshall, G.W., Cummins, K.W., Sedell, J.R., and Cushing, C.E. (1980) “The river continuum concept,” Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science , 37,130-137. Physical variables within a river system present a continuous gradient of physical conditions. The river continuum concept provides a framework for integrating predictable and observable biological features of the lotic systems. Although the model was developed specifically in reference to natural, unperturbed stream ecosystems, it should accommodate many unnatural disturbances, as well.
Wesche, T. A., (1985) “Stream channel modifications and reclamation structures to enhance fish habitat,” The Restoration of Rivers and Streams , Chapter 5, Butterworth Publishers. Many of the detrimental effects of channelization can be avoided, with little compromise in channel efficiency, by employing channel design guidelines that do not destroy the hydraulic and morphologic equilibrium that natural streams possess. These guidelines include minimal straightening; promoting bank stability by leaving trees, minimizing channel reshaping, and employing bank stabilization techniques; and, emulating the morphology of natural stream channels.
Wissmar, R.C., and Beschta, R.L. (1998) “Restoration and management of riparian ecosystems: a catchment perspective,” Freshwater Biology , 40, 571-585. This paper examines approaches and perspectives for restoration of riparian ecosystems. Sound restoration strategies require an understanding of the processes, functional attributes, and the landscape connectivity of riverine habitats, both temporally and spatially. The process of developing a restoration strategy also requires an understanding of the influences of present-day human land and water uses and management practices.
