Assessing the Value of a Geomorphic Toolbox to Assist with Determining Ecological Health of Wadable Streams Within the Waikato Region
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Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of the Author. Assessing the value of a geomorphic toolbox to assist with determining ecological health of wadable streams within the Waikato Region A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geography at Massey University, New Zealand. Teryll Alexandra Lepper 2020 Kaua e kōrero mō te awa, kōrero ki te awa Don’t talk about the river, talk to the river Abstract Ecological measures such as quantification of taxa and chemical indicators are well established as tools for assessing river health, but the geomorphic component is often left out despite forming the template on which all other processes occur. To address the missing geomorphic component in monitoring river health, this research focused on framing river health within a geomorphic context and formulated a Waikato Region-specific geomorphic toolbox to be integrated with existing river health monitoring, providing a more holistic understanding of rivers in the region. Six indicators were chosen to assess geomorphic condition and develop a toolbox: riparian zone, wood, bank erosion, particle size, connectivity and geomorphic units. Reference conditions were established for each site based on ‘minimally disturbed’ conditions. Qualitative and semi-quantitative techniques for assessing each indicator were outlined and tested against six monitoring sites – four ecological reference state and two non-reference state – within the Waikato Region using desktop based ‘apriori’ methods, as well as in-field monitoring. Assessment outputs included a qualitative proforma of each stream and a scoring mechanism to provide comparable results of each streams. Streams were given an assessment level from ‘Excellent’ to ‘Very Poor’ depending on their geomorphic quality. Four reference sites were assessed as ‘Excellent’, while the two non-reference sites were assessed as ‘Poor’ for geomorphic quality. Comparisons to ecological monitoring data of the same reaches showed a relationship between ecological and geomorphic health, such as the excellent fish and MCI scores corresponding with ‘Excellent’ geomorphology. However, proximity to the coast can skew fish indicators due to the diadromous nature of many native New Zealand fish; whilst the Whangarahi Stream was considered ‘Poor’ for geomorphic health, it was inhabited by an order of magnitude more eels than any other reach assessed. The use of reference conditions is integral to a well-functioning geomorphic toolbox, although further exploration is needed around whether reference conditions should represent ‘minimally disturbed’ or ‘best attainable’ condition given existing land use patterns. Inclusion of more encompassing geomorphic unit indicators, as well as bed structure would strengthen the toolbox. i The geomorphic toolbox was created to provide meaningful and comparable data for assessing geomorphic health in a time- and cost-efficient manner, which has been achieved. Subject to further testing and refinement of variables to maintain relevance to a range of geomorphic contexts, the toolbox is considered adequate for inclusion into State of the Environment reporting structures for the Waikato Region. ii Acknowledgements Funding for this research was provided by the Waikato Regional Council, Te Kaunihera a Rohe o Waikato. Without this support, the project would not have been possible, and I am grateful for having been given this opportunity. Thank you to Professor Ian Fuller for his continued encouragement and thoughtful consideration of this research, as well as the immense knowledge that I was able to draw on throughout. Thank you also to the WRC Water, Science and Strategy team (namely Michael Pingram, Bruno David, and Josh Smith) for their enthusiasm, support, and advice for this topic, and the provision of ecological data for all of the sites monitored. And finally, thanks to Dan his support throughout this project, including being my wonderful field assistant, as well as the whanau for showing up to Sunday Dinners and letting me wax lyrical about how awesome rivers are. iii Contents List of Figures ......................................................................................................................... vii List of Tables ..........................................................................................................................xiv 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Research gap ............................................................................................................ 1 1.2. Objectives................................................................................................................. 2 2. Literature Review ............................................................................................................. 4 2.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 4 2.2. River Health and Naturalness .................................................................................. 5 2.3. Policy Context – New Zealand .................................................................................. 9 2.4. Ecological and chemical indicators of river health ................................................ 12 2.5. Morphological indicators of river health ............................................................... 15 2.5.1. Flow Regime ................................................................................................... 18 2.5.2. Sediment Regime ........................................................................................... 25 2.5.3. Wood Regime ................................................................................................. 29 2.6. Existing toolbox / morphological assessment approaches .................................... 33 2.6.1. Methodological characteristics of the toolboxes........................................... 42 2.6.2. Reference conditions ..................................................................................... 43 2.7. Challenges .............................................................................................................. 45 2.7.1. Scale ............................................................................................................... 45 2.7.2. Variability of river styles and types / representativeness.............................. 46 2.8. Principles of a Waikato-centric toolbox assessment ............................................. 47 2.9. Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 49 3. Methodology .................................................................................................................. 50 iv 3.1. Pre-assessment ...................................................................................................... 50 3.1.1. Site selection .................................................................................................. 50 3.1.2. Establishing reference conditions .................................................................. 53 3.2. Fieldwork ................................................................................................................ 54 3.2.1. Site identification ........................................................................................... 54 3.2.2. Flow ................................................................................................................ 57 3.2.3. Particle size .................................................................................................... 58 3.2.4. Riparian Zone ................................................................................................. 61 3.2.5. Bank Erosion................................................................................................... 61 3.2.6. Wood Pieces ................................................................................................... 62 3.2.7. Geomorphic Units .......................................................................................... 62 3.2.8. Fieldwork summary ........................................................................................ 63 3.3. Post assessment and analysis ................................................................................ 66 3.3.1. Geomorphic assessment ................................................................................ 66 3.3.2. Cross-reference to ecological monitoring ...................................................... 67 4. Results ............................................................................................................................ 68 4.1. Geomorphic assessment ........................................................................................ 68 4.1.1. 11726_11 Upper Wainui Stream ................................................................... 69 4.1.2. 1172_6 Wainui Stream................................................................................... 76 4.1.3. 2080_1 2nd Order Stony Stream ..................................................................... 87 4.1.4. 2079_1 3rd Order Stony Stream ...................................................................