2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference
March 13 - 15, 2022
5/20/2019 | 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM | DESIGNATING AQUATIC LIFE USES ACROSS THE FLOW REGIME SPECTRUM IN ARIZONA STREAMS, USING BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE DATA | 250 CF
DESIGNATING AQUATIC LIFE USES ACROSS THE FLOW REGIME SPECTRUM IN ARIZONA STREAMS, USING BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE DATA
Macroinvertebrate datasets are increasingly used to verify flow regime status and refine designated use classes in Arizona’s surface water standards. Arizona’s unique aquatic & wildlife designated use classes recognize cold, warm, effluent-dependent, and ephemeral streams all as separate categories, with orders of magnitude different chemistry criteria as well as different Index of Biological Integrity thresholds. ADEQ created a statewide elevation-based classification model based on macroinvertebrate species distributions, to distinguish cold from warm designated uses in streams. ADEQ has also used biological data to modify designated uses; a case example that resulted in a designated use upgrade is presented. Macroinvertebrate datasets, photo flows, and visual based flow duration methods are being tested to distinguish ephemeral from intermittent streams and to develop a bioassessment tool for seasonally intermittent streams. Using biological data to more accurately identify flow regime status and associated designated uses is more important now than ever, with a potential loss in Clean Water Act protection for >99% of Arizona’s ephemeral and other stream miles under the proposed WOTUS rule.
- Bioassessment
- Hydrology
- Intermittency
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Presenters/Authors
Patrice Spindler
(), AZ Dept of Environmental Quality, phs@azdeq.gov;
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -