Literature Review of the Influence of Large Impoundments on Downstream Temperature, Water Quality and Ecology, with Reference to the Water Framework Directive

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Literature Review of the Influence of Large Impoundments on Downstream Temperature, Water Quality and Ecology, with Reference to the Water Framework Directive Literature review of the influence of large impoundments on downstream temperature, water quality and ecology, with reference to the Water Framework Directive Scottish Environmental Protection Agency APEM Ref: 413570 March 2015 Hannah Austin, David Bradley, Iain Stewart-Russon and Nigel Milner Client: Scottish Environmental Protection Agency Address: SEPA Corporate Office Erskine Court The Castle Business Park Stirling FK9 4TR Project reference: 413570 Date of issue: March 2015 ________________________ Project Director: Dr David Bradley Project Manager: Hannah Austin Project Steering Group: Ian Milne, Heather Ferguson, Michael Wann (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) Graham Rutt, Katie Fawcett (Natural ResourcesWales) Colin Gibney (Northern Ireland Environment Agency) Judy England (Environment Agency) ________________________ APEM Ltd Riverview A17 Embankment Business Park Heaton Mersey Stockport SK4 3GN Tel: 0161 442 8938 Fax: 0161432 6083 Registered in England No. 2530851 Report should be cited as: APEM (2015) Literature review of the influence of large impoundments on downstream temperature, water quality and ecology, with reference to the Water Framework Directive. APEM Scientific Report 413570. Scottish Environment Protection Agency. pp 84. Revision and Amendment Register Version Date Section(s) Page(s) Summary of Changes Approved by Number 1.0 20/02/15 Draft for comments DB 2.0 17/03/15 Draft comments addressed DB Contents 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background............................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Aims ......................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Objectives ................................................................................................................. 2 1.4 This report ................................................................................................................ 2 2. Summary of literature search ........................................................................................... 4 3. Findings of the literature review ....................................................................................... 7 3.1 Overview ................................................................................................................... 7 3.2 Thermal and chemical characteristics of unregulated rivers and the general effects of impoundments and natural lakes ......................................................................................... 7 3.2.1 Effects of natural lakes compared with artificial impoundments .......................... 7 3.2.2 Thermal regime – unregulated rivers ................................................................. 9 3.3 How do impoundments affect the thermal regime and water chemistry of downstream watercourses? ............................................................................................... 11 3.3.1 Influences of impoundments on thermal regime ............................................... 11 3.3.1.1 Downstream propagation of thermal effects and recovery ............................ 13 3.3.2 Influences of impoundments on water chemistry .............................................. 19 3.3.2.1 Downstream propagation of water chemistry effects and recovery ............... 22 3.4 Influences of impoundment thermal and water chemistry effects on ecology .......... 28 3.4.1 Macrophytes and phytobenthos ....................................................................... 29 3.4.2 Macro-invertebrates ......................................................................................... 31 3.4.3 Fishes .............................................................................................................. 35 3.5 What processes affect the influence of impoundments on downstream watercourses and their ecology? ............................................................................................................. 41 3.5.1 Physical and operational impoundment characteristics .................................... 41 3.5.2 Downstream watercourse characteristics ......................................................... 51 4. Risk assessment decision framework ............................................................................ 54 4.1 Mitigation Measures ................................................................................................ 57 5. Evaluation of Water Framework Directive environmental standards ............................... 59 6. Knowledge gaps ............................................................................................................ 60 7. Conclusions ................................................................................................................... 61 8. Recommendations ......................................................................................................... 63 9. References .................................................................................................................... 64 List of Figures Figure 2.1 Proportion of published and grey literature identified in the literature search ...... 6 Figure 2.2 Proportion of literature from different continents identified in the literature search (other denotes documents covering multiple areas) ................................................................ 6 Figure 3.1 Factors influencing the thermal regime of rivers: reproduced from Caissie (2006) .......................................................................................................................... 9 Figure 3.2 Mean daily and diel variability of water temperatures as a function of stream order / downstream direction: reproduced from Caissie (2006) ............................................. 11 Figure 3.3 Thermal tolerance ranges (min-max, oC) for reproduction in some common British fish, showing the transition from cold water species - brown trout (Salmo trutta), Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and grayling (Thymallus thymallus); through cool water species – perch (Perca fluviatilis), pike (Esox lucius), roach (Rutilus rutilus) and minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus); to warm water species – bleak (Alburnus alburnus), common bream (Abramis brama), chub (Leuciscus cephalus), silver bream (Blicca bjoerkna) and tench (Tinca tinca). Adapted from Webb and Walsh (2004) ................................................................................. 36 Figure 3.4 Relative influence of stream characteristics on temperature in small, medium and large streams from Poole and Berman (2001) ................................................................ 53 Figure 4.1 Risk assessment decision framework .............................................................. 56 List of Tables Table 2.1 List of search terms............................................................................................ 4 Table 2.2 List of search results .......................................................................................... 4 Table 3.1 Types of thermal modification downstream of impoundments .......................... 17 Table 3.2 Types of chemical modification downstream of impoundments ........................ 24 Table 3.3 Biotic responses to thermal and chemical effects downstream of impoundments – macrophytes and phytobenthos ......................................................................................... 29 Table 3.4 Biotic responses to thermal and chemical effects downstream of impoundments – macro-invertebrates ........................................................................................................... 33 Table 3.5 Biotic responses to thermal and chemical effects downstream of impoundments – fishes ........................................................................................................................ 39 Table 3.6 Impoundment characteristic risk factors for downstream water quality impacts (including occurrence of stratification) ................................................................................... 45 Table 3.7 Watercourse characteristic risk factors for downstream water quality impacts . 51 APEM Scientific Report 413570 1. Introduction 1.1 Background The implementation of the European Union Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) (WFD) in the UK has driven the need to review the operation of many artificial impoundments of rivers and lakes, in terms of how controlled releases of water meet environmental objectives in the river water bodies downstream. The WFD requires all water bodies to achieve good ecological status (GES), except those that have been designated as heavily modified water bodies (HMWB). HMWBs are required to achieve good ecological potential (GEP) after their economic and social values, together with the technical and financial costs of altering them, have been taken into consideration. A water body may be designated as a HMWB where its physical characteristics have been substantially changed as a consequence of one or more of the following specific uses, and where the changes to its hydromorphological characteristics required to achieve GES would have a significant adverse impact on these uses or the water environment: navigation, including port facilities; recreation; activities associated to water storage, such as hydropower generation or drinking water supply; water
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