2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference

March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH

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5/25/2021 | 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM | A FUNCTIONAL FLOWS DECISION SUPPORT APPROACH FOR WATERSHED PRIORITIZATION AND FLOW MANAGEMENT | Virtual Platform

A FUNCTIONAL FLOWS DECISION SUPPORT APPROACH FOR WATERSHED PRIORITIZATION AND FLOW MANAGEMENT

Flow alteration is a pervasive issue across highly urbanized watersheds that can impact the physical and biological condition of streams. However, prioritizing where to focus flow management actions can be a challenge when alteration is widespread across broad spatial scales and multiple aspects of the flow regime. A functional flows approach focuses on identifying and managing for discrete aspects of the annual hydrograph that are associated with ecological, geomorphic, or biogeochemical processes in order to preserve the key hydrologic signals upon which native biological communities depend on. Using a functional flows approach, we developed a decision support process that uses a combination of hydrologic models and established ecological thresholds based on bioassessment indices to help managers optimize where to prioritize watershed restoration and flow management efforts. A series of adaptable decisions are explored in the context of watershed prioritization including how many and which flow components constitute alteration, the frequency and degree of alteration that are biologically-important, and the spatial patterns of alteration. We illustrate the utility of this approach on prioritizing subbasins for flow management in a highly urbanized watershed in southern California.

Flow
Urban streams
Flow regime

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Presenters/Authors

Kris Taniguchi-Quan (), Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, kristinetq@sccwrp.org;