Deep River-Portage Burns Waterway InitiativeSouth Shore Clean Cities Webinar

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Watershed Management Plan Tasks

Watershed Community Initiative (elements 1-3)

Watershed Inventory (elements 4-16)

Identify Problems & Causes (elements 17-18)

Identify Sources & Calculate Loads (elements 19-21)

Set Goals & Identify Critical Areas (elements 22-24)

Choose Measures/ Best Management Practices (elements 25-26)

Action Register & Schedule (element 27-31)

Tracking Effectiveness (elements 32-33)

Why is Our Watershed Important?

Recreational opportunities

Aesthetics

Large stretches of meandering channel

Connects so many cities

Drains to and affects Lake Michigan

Natural areas

Wildlife

Quality of life

Sense of place

Parks and trails

Economic and tourism

Drinking water

Beauty of Lake George

Mix of urban and agriculture

Agricultural production and local produce

Stakeholder Concerns

Habitat

Economic & Recreation

Planning/Coordination/Management

Watershed Processes

Storm Water Runoff

Groundwater & Drinking Water

Floodplains/Flooding/Drainage

Miscellaneous

Steering Committee

Municipal

County or Regional

Environmental & Conservation

Recreation

Business & Industry

Universities

State & Federal

Watershed Overview

Land Cover Change

41,928

197

37,239

11,650

8,840

5,029

953

9,462

38,744

89

40,977

10,986

8,472

5,377

1,015

9,360

37,108

53

42,725

10,951

8,330

5,491

1,040

9,323

34,818

691

44,685

10,777

8,415

5,280

1,033

9,322

32,100

270

51,555

10,891

6,411

3,950

1,058

8,899

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000

Agriculture

Bare Land

Developed

Forest

Grassland

Scrub/ Shrub

Water

Wetland

Acres

2010

2006

2001

1996

1985

Soils- Runoff Potential

Wetland Loss

Impaired Streams (2012)

Stream Monitoring Study

Parameters:• E. coli• Fish &

Macroinvertebrate Communities

• Temperature• Dissolved Oxygen• Nutrients• Ammonia• Sediments• Habitat

Impaired Streams (2016)

Water Quality Targets

Is water quality safe enough for swimming?Recreational Use

Recreational Use Threats

E. coli “Hot-Spots”

Do the streams support healthy fish & macroinvertebrate communities?Aquatic Life Use

Index of Biotic Integrity

36

Aquatic Life Use Support Criteria

Biotic Index Integrity Class Corresponding Integrity Class Attributes

Fish community Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) Scores (Range of possible scores is 0-60)

Fully SupportingIBI ≥ 36

Excellent53-60 Comparable to “least impacted” conditions,

exceptional assemblage of species

Good45-52 Decreased species richness (intolerant

species in particular), sensitive species present

Fair36-44 Intolerant and sensitive species absent,

skewed trophic structure

Not Supporting IBI < 36

Poor23-35 Many expected species absent or rare,

tolerant species dominant

Very Poor12-22 Few species and individuals present,

tolerant species dominant

No Organisms 12 No fish captured during sampling.

Integrity Class Rating

If Not, Why?

Stressor Identification

Increased stream temperaturesLow dissolved oxygen levelsExcess nutrient loadingAmmonia toxicityExcessive sediment loadingPoor habitat quality

Dissolved Oxygen Levels

Dissolved Oxygen Levels

Stream Temperature

Stream Temperature

Nutrients- Phosphorus

Nutrients- Phosphorus

Ammonia Toxicity

Ammonia Toxicity

Habitat Quality

51

Stressor Co-occurrence with Impairment

Site

Biotic Impairment

Candidate Causes/ Stressors

↑Temp↓DO ↑ Nutrients Toxicity ↑ Sediment ↓Habitat Quality

Fish Macros Temp DO TP NO3 TKN NH3 TSS Turb QHEI Emb Chan Grad

1 Yes No 0 + + 0 0 + - + - + + 0

2 Yes Yes 0 - - 0 0 0 - - - - - -

3 Yes Yes 0 - - 0 0 + - 0 + - + +

5 Yes No 0 - + - 0 0 - + - + + 0

6 No Yes 0 - + - 0 0 - 0 - + + 0

7 Yes Yes 0 - + - 0 0 - + + + - +

8 Yes Yes 0 + + - 0 + - 0 - + + 0

Site Cluster Analysis of Fish & Macroinvertebrate Communities

Variables Predictive of Community Structure

Variable FishSignificance (α=0.05, CL=95%)

MacroinvertebrateSignificance (α=0.05, CL=95%)

Water ChemistryTemperature .014Dissolved Oxygen (DO) .036 .019Dissolved Oxygen % Saturation .024Ammonia .019Turbidity .036E. coli .026pH .017Total Organic Carbon (TOC) .028Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) .046

Land CoverWetland .022 .026Forest .040Scrub/Shrub .021Riparian Deciduous Forest .003Riparian Scrub/Shrub .015

HabitatChannel Morphology .019 .018Riparian .027Gradient .001 .010Embeddedness .022

Most Influential Factors?

↑ chemical oxygen demand

industry

channel alteration

agriculture urbanization

↓ aeration

upstream impoundment

↑ nutrients

human activity

source

additional step in causal pathway

interacting stressor

proximate stressor

response

LEGEND↓ dissolved oxygen (water or sediment)

↑ dissolved oxygen (water or sediment)

↑ DO fluctuation (water or sediment

∆ ecosystem processes∆ population & community structure

↑ temperature

↑ sediment

↑ oxygen production

↑ aeration

↓ oxygen in discharged waters↑ biochemical

oxygen demand

↑ organic loading↑ chemical

contaminants

↑ delivery of chemicals, organic material, & nutrients to stream

downstream impoundment

watershed & riparian devegetation

Simple conceptual diagram for DISSOLVED OXYGENDeveloped 7/2007 by Kate Schofield & Suzanne Marcy; modified 4/2015

Opportunities for Conservation

Looking Ahead

Identify problems that reflect the concerns

Potential causes for each problem

Potential sources for each pollution problem

Pollutant loads

Load reductions needed

Set goals and identify critical areas

Stakeholder Concern Analysis

ConcernsSupported

by Data?Evidence

Able to Quantify?

Within Project Scope?

Steering Committee

Wants to Focus On?

Stream Habitat Loss and Riparian Encroachment

Yes

24 of the 35 stream sites (69%) assessed by IDEM had QHEI scores <51 indicating that habitat quality in these reaches was generally not conducive to supporting a healthy warm water fish community.

Yes Yes YesThe average “riparian quality” metric score from the QHEI was 5.5 with a range of 3 to 9 (12 possible points).An analysis of land cover types within a 30-meter buffer adjacent to streams showed that human land uses account for 35 to 65% of the area with an average of 52%.

Wetland Habitat Loss and Degradation Yes

Based on hydric soils data, approximately 37,233 acres (58 mi²) of wetland historically existed within the watershed. Today only about 9,247 acres (14 mi²) or 25% of that wetland area remains.

Yes Yes Yes

Concerns & Problems

Concern Problem• Stream Habitat Loss and Riparian Encroachment• Wetland Habitat Loss and Degradation• Ability of Watershed to Store and Filter Storm Water Runoff

While Providing Habitat

Forest and wetland habitat loss is negatively affecting our watershed’s natural ability to store and filter storm water runoff while also providing important habitat.

• Need for Conserved Open Spaces, Riparian Corridor Acquisition, Recreational Access

• Ability of Watershed to Store and Filter Storm Water Runoff While Providing Habitat

• Habitat Restoration and Long-Term Management of Natural Areas

• Terrestrial and Aquatic Invasive Species

Natural area acquisition, conservation, restoration and accessibility needs to be increased in our watershed to benefit people and the environment.

Problems & Causes

Concern Problem• Stream Habitat Loss and Riparian Encroachment• Wetland Habitat Loss and Degradation• Ability of Watershed to Store and Filter Storm Water Runoff

While Providing Habitat

Forest and wetland habitat loss is negatively affecting our watershed’s natural ability to store and filter storm water runoff while also providing important habitat.

• Need for Conserved Open Spaces, Riparian Corridor Acquisition, Recreational Access

• Ability of Watershed to Store and Filter Storm Water Runoff While Providing Habitat

• Habitat Restoration and Long-Term Management of Natural Areas

• Terrestrial and Aquatic Invasive Species

Natural area acquisition, conservation, restoration and accessibility needs to be increased in our watershed to benefit people and the environment.

Questions or Comments

Joe Exl

Senior Water Resource Planner

Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission

6100 Southport Road

Portage, IN 46368

219-763-6060 x137

jexl@nirpc.org

www.nirpc.org/environment/deep-river-portage-burns-waterway-initiative.aspx