| |
Presented at the NABS Annual meeting, Vancouver, British Columbia, 2004
in Disturbance
Linking flow regime and geomorphic setting to water quality impairment over a gradient of streamflow diversion
C.M. Albano and N.L. Poff. Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523
Fine sediment deposition is a major cause of water quality impairment and benthic habitat degradation. While numerous studies have shown a link between water quality and surrounding land use, few have addressed how flow regime and geomorphic setting (e.g., channel slope) influence water quality impairment for a given land use. In the Colorado, water diversions from headwater streams are a ubiquitous source of streamflow alteration. Changes in flow regime can have dramatic effects on water quality parameters by altering sediment transport dynamics and by reducing habitat for stream biota. In this poster, we describe a new research project aimed at relating water quality impairment to magnitude of flow alteration and to specific geomorphic setting, using fine sediment deposition and benthic community structure and function as response variables. We will sample headwater streams across a gradient of streamflow diversion, contrasting stream reaches above and below the point of diversion, in order to isolate the effects of flow regime and geomorphic setting. Results from this research are expected to help improve model predictions of water quality impairment, especially by exploring how antecedent low flow conditions may regulate the deposition of fine sediments and influence associated biological responses.
|
|
