Jessie J. Green

Arkansas Chapter American Fisheries Society 26 February 2014 – Rogers,  Clean Water Act of 1972 • “fishable/swimmable”  Provide basis for development, review and adoption of water quality standards  Define chemical, physical, and biological parameters of least-impaired streams  Objectives • Ecoregions • Site selection • Range of watershed sizes • Critical survey periods  Objectives Ozark Highlands • Ecoregions Boston Mountains

Arkansas River Valley

Delta • Least Disturbed • Channel Altered

Gulf Coastal Plains • Typical • Spring Influenced  Objectives

• Site selection  36 Sites  Most representative of ecoregion  Least disturbed

 Objectives

• Range of watershed sizes  20-50 mi2  100-200 mi2  300-500 mi2

 Objectives

• Critical survey periods  Late Summer  Temp  Dissolved Oxygen

Freshwater Illustrated  Chemical - Q, cfs - BOD-5, mg/L - NH3-N, mg/L - Chlorophyll a, - Temperature, °C - BOD-20, mg/L - Cl -, mg/L µg/L - pH - Nitrates - SO4 =, mg/L - Fecal Coliform - Turbidity, ntu - Total Phosphorus, - Fe, mg/L - Dissolved - TSS, mg/L mg/L - Conductivity, Oxygen - TDS, mg/L - PO4-P, mg/L µmho - NO2+NO3-N, mg/L - Alkalinity, mg/L  Physical - Drainage area - Mean Stream Width - Riffle/Pool ratio of - Mean Bank - Watershed land - Mean Stream velocity Transects Stability use - Observed Flow - Mean Bank - Mean Stream - Stream Gradient - Average Substrate Overstory Cover Canopy - Mean Channel Type - Mean Bank Ground Width - Mean Instream Cover Cover

 Biological - Fish - Macroinvertebrates 1983-1985: Original Survey (36)

1993-1994: Ozark Highlands Revisit (3)

1998: Boston Mountains Revisit (1) 2003: Gulf Coastal Plains Revisit (8) 2005: 2004: Ouachita Mountains Revisit (6) Valley Revisit (3)

2009: Boston Mountains Revisit (5)

2014  25 of 36  Ambient and roving water quality monitoring stations  Land-use Land-cover  Fish community structure index • Ecoregion • Site specific

 1986  1992  1999  2006  Categories • Forest • Agriculture and pasture • Urban

 % Sensitive  % Cyprinidae  % Ictaluridae  % Centrarchidae  % Percidae  % Primary Feeders  % Key Individuals  Diversity  Ouachita Mountains  Gulf Coastal Plains  Boston Mountains   Ozark Highlands Ouachita Mountains • Board Camp Creek • Caddo River • Cossatot River • Little Missouri River • Saline River • South Fork  Gulf Coastal Plains  Boston Mountains  Arkansas River Valley  Ozark Highlands 100%

80%

60% Forest Ag 40% Urban 20%

0% 100% 1983-1985 2004 80% Mostly Similar

60% Generally Similar 40% Somewhat Similar 20% Not Similar

0% 1983-1985 2004 100% 30 rho = -0.57, p = 0.01 25 80% 20 60% Forest 15 Ag

40% 10 % Percidae % Urban 5 20% 0 0 5 10 15 20 0% 1983-1985 2004 % Urban 70 rho = 0.50, p = 0.10 60 50 40 30 20

10 % Key Individuals Key % 0 0 5 10 15 20 % Urban  Impaired - Not Supporting Fisheries Designated Use • Caddo River  Cause: Silt - Source: Resource extraction • Saline River  Cause: Turbidity, TDS - Source: Surface erosion, Unknown

 Impaired – Supporting Fisheries Designated Use • Little Missouri River  Cause: Copper - Source: Unknown 100% Forest 80% Mostly Similar Ag 60% Urban Somewhat Similar 40% 100% 20%

0% 80% 1983 2004 Cyprinidae Catostomidae 60% Ictaluridae Atherinopsidae 40% Fundulidae Centrarchidae 20% Percidae

0% 1983 2004  Ouachita Mountains  Gulf Coastal Plains • Big Creek • Cypress Creek • Derrieuseaux Creek • East Fork Tulip Creek • Freeo Creek • Hudgens Creek • L’Aigle Creek • Moro Creek  Boston Mountains  Arkansas River Valley  Ozark Highlands 100% Forest 80% Ag Urban 60%

40%

20% 100% 0% 1983-1985 2003 80% Mostly Similar

60% Generally Similar 40% Somewhat Similar 20% Not Similar

0% 1983-1985 2003 100% Forest 60

rho = -0.58, p = 0.03 Ag 80% 50 Urban 40 60% 30 40% 20

20% 10 % Key Individuals Key % 0% 0 1983-1985 2003 rho = -0.50, p = 0.04

50 35 rho = -0.58, p = 0.05

40 30 25 30 20 20 15 10

10 Species Richness Species

BiocriteriaScore 5 0 0 0 2 4 6 0 2 4 6 % Urban % Urban  Impaired - Not Supporting Fisheries Designated Use • Big Creek  Cause: Turbidity - Source: Surface Erosion Turbidity (NTU) Typical GCP 100 All Flows Standard 80 60 1985 Average 40 20 0 1990 2000 2010 100% Forest Ag 80% Mostly Similar Urban 60% Generally Similar 40%

20% 100% Anguillidae 0% 1985 2003 80% Cyprinidae Catostomidae Ictaluridae 60% Esocidae Aphredoderidae 40% Fundulidae Poeciliidae 20% Centrarchidae Percidae 0% Elassomatidae 1985 2003  Ouachita Mountains  Gulf Coastal Plains Boston Mountains • Hurricane Creek • Illinois Bayou • Indian Creek • Lee Creek • Mulberry River  Arkansas River Valley  Ozark Highlands 100%

80%

60% Forest Ag 40% Urban 20%

0% 100% 1983-1985 1999,2009 80% Mostly Similar

60% Generally Similar 40% Somewhat Similar 20% Not Similar

0% 1983-1985 1999,2009 100%

80% Mostly Similar

60% Forest Somewhat Similar 40% Ag Urban 20% 100% 0% 1985 2009 Lepisosteidae 80% Cyprinidae Catostomidae 60% Ictaluridae Atherinopsidae 40% Fundulidae Centrarchidae

20% Percidae Sciaenidae

0% 1985 2009 pH 1985 Average 9 8.5 8 7.5 7 6.5 6 5.5 5 4.5 4 1990 2000 2010  Ouachita Mountains  Gulf Coastal Plains  Boston Mountains Arkansas River Valley • North Fork Cadron Creek • Mill Creek • Petit Jean River  Ozark Highlands 100%

80%

60% Forest Ag 40% Urban 20%

0% 100% 1983-1985 2005 80% Mostly Similar

60% Generally Similar 40% Somewhat Similar 20% Not Similar

0% 1983-1985 2005  Impaired - Not Supporting Fisheries Designated Use • Petit Jean River  Cause: Turbidity - Source: Sediment Erosion  Ouachita Mountains  Gulf Coastal Plains  Boston Mountains  Arkansas River Valley Ozark Highlands • Flint Creek • Kings River • Yocum Creek 100%

80%

60% Forest Ag 40% Urban 20%

0% 100% 1983-1985 1993-1994 80% Mostly Similar

60% Generally Similar 40% Somewhat Similar 20% Not Similar

0% 1983-1985 1993-1994  Impaired – Supporting Fisheries Designated Use • Kings River  Cause: TDS - Source: Unknown 1983-1985: Original Survey (36)

2013: Ozark Highland 2014: Boston Mountains

2016: Ouachita Mountains Arkansas River Valley Need more data  Standardize methods • 1983-1985: rotenone, mini-fyke nets, electrofishing • Present: electrofishing