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Aquatic Ecosystem Assessment for Rivers

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Aquatic Ecosystem Assessment for Rivers Aquatic Research and Monitoring Section Science and Research Branch Ministry of Natural Resources Aquatic Research Series 2013-06 Aquatic Ecosystem Assessments for Rivers Robert A. Metcalfe, Robert W. Mackereth, Brian Grantham, Nicholas Jones, Richard S. Pyrce, Tim Haxton, James J. Luce, Ryan Stainton Ontario.ca/aquaticresearch Aquatic Research and Monitoring Section Science and Research Branch Ministry of Natural Resources Aquatic Research Series 2013-06 Aquatic Ecosystem Assessments for Rivers Robert A. Metcalfe, Robert W. Mackereth, Brian Grantham, Nicholas Jones, Richard S. Pyrce, Tim Haxton, James J. Luce, Ryan Stainton November 2013 Aquatic Ecosystem Assessments for Rivers © 2013, Queen’s Printer for Ontario Printed in Ontario, Canada ISBN 978-1-4606-3215-4 (PDF) This publication was produced by: Aquatic Research and Monitoring Section Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources 2140 East Bank Drive Peterborough, Ontario K9J 8M5 Online link to report can be found at: Ontario.ca/aquaticresearch This document is for scientific research purposes and does not represent the policy or opinion of the Government of Ontario. This technical report should be cited as follows: Metcalfe, R.A., Mackereth, R.W., Grantham, B., Jones, N., Pyrce, R.S., Haxton, T., Luce, J.J., Stainton, R., 2013. Aquatic Ecosystem Assessments for Rivers. Science and Research Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources, Peterborough, Ontario. 210 pp. Cover photo: Robert Metcalfe Cette publication hautement spécialisée Aquatic Ecosystem Assessments for Rivers n’est disponible qu’en anglais en vertu du Règlement 411/97, qui en exempte l’application de la Loi sur les services en français. Pour obtenir de l’aide en français, veuillez communiquer avec le ministère des Richesses naturelles au [email protected]. Foreword This document is intended to provide information for assessing the current state of riverine ecosystems and identifying potential changes to those systems resulting from in- stream development (including re-developments and operational changes). The framework and approach may also be applied to other factors causing the alteration of river processes (e.g. climate and land use changes). The ecosystem assessment indicators described in this report are ecological measures, not social or economic considerations. Acknowledgements Development of the assessment framework benefited from the contributions of Trevor Friesen, Steve McGovern, Mark Sobchuk, Sandra Dosser, Emily Hawkins, Fiona McGuiness, and Audie Skinner. Also acknowledged are those who were involved in earlier discussions that framed the evolution of this document including the Institute for Watershed Science, Trent University and the many people who provided comments and suggestions on earlier drafts. Executive Summary Aquatic Ecosystem Assessments for Rivers (AEAR) provides a science-based framework for assessing the ecological condition of river ecosystems, the state of valued ecosystem components (VECs) within rivers and the changes expected to arise in response to in-stream development. The assessment framework is designed to provide technical information on a standardised approach for assessing the current state of riverine ecosystems and identifying potential changes to riverine ecosystems resulting from the alteration of physical and biological processes. Although the document often uses the construction and operations of dams as an example, the framework and approach can be applied to any in-stream development or other factors (e.g. climate and land-use changes) that may alter water levels and flows in a riverine environment. The assessment framework was developed based on the following guiding principles: that it provides a science-based approach, provides technical information that is flexible to varying scales of development, and is consistent and transparent in its application. It is grounded in ecological concepts of ecological condition and ecological integrity as the basis to assess and describe the current state and degree of alteration in river ecosystems, river system connectivity, the range of natural variability in river ecosystems, and the relationship between ecological condition and system alteration. The assessment framework provides a step-by- step process for practitioners to identify the zone of influence for a project, implement a sampling design to characterise the current ecosystem state and establish a reference condition, assess the degree of alteration and identify opportunities for mitigation, predict the effect of the remaining alteration on biological indicators and ecological condition, and to conduct post-alteration monitoring. Aquatic Ecosystem Assessments for Rivers identifies key ecosystem components that have important functions in determining the integrity of river ecosystems. These include the hydrologic regime, sediment regime, water quality, thermal regime, and biologic components. For each ecosystem component, a series of indicator variables are identified which are thought to best represent, or be important determinants of, ecosystem integrity. Indicator variables are intended to provide sufficient information to characterize a river ecosystem, evaluate its ecological condition and the state of VECs. Alteration of riverine processes as a result of in-stream development or other factors are assessed based on the expected changes in physical and chemical indicator variables relative to their existing or natural state. Where possible, changes in an indicator variable are assessed using criteria based on the expected magnitude of deviation from a natural reference condition and categorized as being low, medium, or high alteration. Based on an overall assessment of predicted changes in physical and chemical indicator variables, expected responses in the biological indicator variables are determined and potential changes in the ecological condition of the river ecosystem or state of VECs, predicted. Understanding the natural range of variability in indicator variables in river ecosystems and the relationship between ecological condition and system alteration are fundamental concepts underlying the framework. This understanding increases certainty in predicting the effects of an alteration and interpreting changes in indicator variables following an alteration. Résumé Le document Aquatic Ecosystem Assessments for Rivers (AEAR) se veut un outil scientifique qu'on pourra utiliser pour déterminer l'état écologique des écosystèmes fluviaux, l'état des composantes valorisées de l'écosystème (CVE) dans les rivières et les changements qui sont susceptibles de surgir en raison de l’aménagement de projets aquatiques. Dans le document sont donnés des avis techniques qui mènent à une méthode uniformisée pour déterminer l'état actuel des écosystèmes fluviaux et relever les changements que l'altération des processus physiques et biologiques pourrait faire subir aux écosystèmes fluviaux. Même si le document cite souvent en exemple la construction et l’exploitation de barrages, l’outil et la démarche peuvent être appliqués à n’importe quel projet d’aménagement aquatique ou à d’autres facteurs (p. ex., changements climatiques ou causés par des projets d’aménagement) étant susceptibles de modifier le niveau d’eau et le débit d’un environnement fluvial. L'outil d'évaluation a été conçu d'après les principes directeurs suivants : il doit être axé sur des données scientifiques; il doit donner des avis techniques pouvant être adaptés à divers degrés d'aménagement; il doit être cohérent et d'une application transparente. Il repose sur les concepts de l'état et de l'intégrité écologiques des milieux naturels, considérés comme le point de base pour décrire et évaluer l'état actuel et le degré d'altération des écosystèmes fluviaux, la connectivité des écosystèmes fluviaux, la plage de variabilités naturelles dans les écosystèmes fluviaux et les relations entre l'état écologique et l'altération de l'écosystème. L'outil d'évaluation offre aux praticiens une façon de procéder par étapes pour délimiter la zone touchée par les travaux, exécuter un plan d'échantillonnage pour caractériser l'état actuel de l'écosystème et établir un état de référence, déterminer le degré d'altération de l'écosystème et relever les façons possibles d'atténuer les effets indésirables sur l'écosystème, prédire les effets que les autres altérations pourraient avoir sur les indicateurs biologiques et l'état écologique, et mener la surveillance postaltération. Dans le document sont relevés les principaux éléments de l'écosystème qui jouent des rôles importants dans la détermination de l'intégrité des écosystèmes fluviaux. Cela comprend le régime hydrologique, le régime sédimentaire, la qualité de l'eau, le régime thermique et les composantes biologiques. Pour chaque élément de l'écosystème est donnée une suite de variables indicatrices qui représenteraient le mieux l'intégrité écologique ou en seraient des déterminants importants. Les variables indicatrices visent à donner suffisamment de renseignements pour pouvoir caractériser un écosystème fluvial et déterminer son état écologique et l'état des CVE. L'altération des processus fluviaux causée par un projet d’aménagement aquatique ou d’autres facteurs est déterminée d'après les changements que pourraient subir les variables indicatrices physiques et chimiques par rapport à leur état naturel. Dans la mesure du possible, les changements que subit une variable indicatrice sont déterminés d'après des critères fondés sur l'ampleur prévue de la déviation de
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