Biological Integrity: A Long-Neglected Aspect of Water Resource Management Author(s): James R. Karr Source: Ecological Applications, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Feb., 1991), pp. 66-84 Published by: Ecological Society of America Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1941848 . Accessed: 12/03/2014 10:41 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Ecological Society of America is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Ecological Applications. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 128.173.125.76 on Wed, 12 Mar 2014 10:41:50 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Ecological Applications,1(1), 1991, pp. 66-84 ? 1991 by the Ecological Society of America BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY: A LONG-NEGLECTED ASPECT OF WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT1 JAMES R. KARR Departmentof Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg,Virginia 24061-0406 USA Abstract. Waterof sufficient quality and quantity is criticalto all life.Increasing human populationand growthof technologyrequire human society to devotemore and more attentionto protectionof adequatesupplies of water.Although perception of biological degradationstimulated current state and federal legislation on thequality of water resources, thatbiological focus was lost in the searchfor easily measured physical and chemical surrogates.The "fishableand swimmable"goal of the Water Pollution Control Act of 1972 (PL 92-500)and its chargeto "restoreand maintain"biotic integrity illustrate that law's biologicalunderpinning. Further, the need foroperational definitions of termslike "bio- logicalintegrity" and "unreasonabledegradation" and forecologically sound tools to mea- suredivergence from societal goals have increasedinterest in biologicalmonitoring. As- sessmentof water resource quality by sampling biological communities in the field (ambient biologicalmonitoring) is a promisingapproach that requires expanded use of ecological expertise.One suchapproach, the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI), providesa broadlybased, multiparametertool for the assessment of biotic integrity in runningwaters. IBI based on fishcommunity attributes has nowbeen applied widely in NorthAmerica. The successof IBI has stimulatedthe development of similarapproaches using other aquatic taxa. Ex- pandeduse of ecologicalexpertise in ambientbiological monitoring is essentialto the protectionof waterresources. Ecologists have theexpertise to contributesignificantly to thoseprograms. Key words: biologicalintegrity; biological monitoring; fish community; Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI); indexesof degradation; indicators; water pollution; water resources. INTRODUCTION AccountingOffice 1987, NationalResource Council Degradationof water resources has longbeen a con- 1987,Simon et al. 1988,Davis and Simon1989, Day cernof human society. Regions with dense human pop- 1989).A GovernmentAccounting Office study (Gen- ulationswere the earliest areas at risk,but watersin eral AccountingOffice 1989) in UnitedStates Envi- isolatedareas have also experienceddegradation. The ronmentalProtection Agency (USEPA) Region 10 earliestanthropogenic threats to waterresources were (NorthwestUnited States) showed that 602 segments oftenassociated with human health, especially disease- of riversand streamsare water-qualitylimited (i.e., causing organismsand oxygen-demandingwastes limitedby chemicalcontamination). Further, a na- (Meybeckand Helmer1989). Early emphasis (e.g., the tionwideUnited States Fish and WildlifeService sur- saprobicsystem: Kolkwitz and Marsson1908, 1909) veyfound reduced fishery potential because of chem- was on controllingthese contaminants in urbanareas icalproblems in 56%ofthe stream segments with water whereeffluents exceeded the natural waste assimilation resourcedegradation (Judy et al. 1984).Of equal con- capabilitiesof waters. An industry developed to collect, cern,the study found that 49% wereimpaired by deg- treat,consolidate, and release household sewage through radationin physical habitat and 67% by flow alteration, point-sourceoutflows. The goal was to see thatthe neitherof whichare treatedby existingUSEPA pro- streams'or lakes' abilityto assimilatethose wastes grams.In 1986,USEPA acknowledgedthat nonpoint werenot exceeded, using the philosophy that "dilution sourcesaffect 65% of impairedstream miles, 76% of is thesolution to pollution."As technologyadvanced, impairedlake acres, and 45% of impaired estuary square chemicaland physicalindicators became the primary miles(General Accounting Office 1989; citing USEPA regulatorytool to protectwater resources. 1986 National WaterQuality Inventory Report to However,continuing declines in the qualityand Congress).From 1972 to 1982,four times more lake quantityof water resources despite massive regulatory acreagedeteriorated than improved in quality(John- effortscall attentionto the inadequaciesof existing son 1989).Because most water resource programs con- programs(EPA 1987, 1988a,c, 1989c, 1990,General centrateon humanhealth rather than a broaderarray of naturalresource issues, many water resource prob- lemspersist (Huber 1989). I Manuscript received 16 October 1989; revised 26 June As human populationsand theirtechnology in- 1990; accepted 27 June 1990. crease,impacts, such as thefollowing, are too diverse This content downloaded from 128.173.125.76 on Wed, 12 Mar 2014 10:41:50 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions February1991 BIOTIC INTEGRITY AND WATER RESOURCES 67 forchemical control approaches to protectthe resource kansas,Rohm et al. 1987),and biologicalcriteria in (Karrand Dudley 1981, Karr et al. 1985b):(a) pro- assessmentsand monitoring (Michael et al. 1989).Fol- ductionof domestic effluents, (b) erosionfollowing al- lowinga detailed,statewide program to evaluateam- terationof landscapes by agriculture, urbanization, and bient(field) biological monitoring, Ohio is incorporat- forestry,(c) alterationof stream channels and lake mar- ingbiological monitoring into regulations for attainment ginsthrough dams, channelization, drainage and filling ofthe goals of the Clean Water Act. An additional16 ofwetlands, and dredgingfor navigation, (d) diversion stateshave activeinterest and 23 otherstates are ex- or otherflow alteration, (e) overharvestof biological pressirnginterest in biocriteria(Marcy 1989). Some resources,and (f)proliferation oftoxic chemicals from (Colorado)retain a toxicand effluent focus while others pointand nonpointsources. Treatment of the impact (Ohio) incorporatea broader biological integrity goal. ofmultiple stresses is in itsinfancy (Preston and Bed- Theseadvances came about because of recognition that ford1988, Cairns and Niederlehner1989). Recogni- waterresource problems involve biological as wellas tionof these problems stimulated research to develop physicochemicaland socioeconomicissues. improvedapproaches for assessing the integrity oreco- Philosophicalshifts within state and federalagencies logicalhealth of waterresource systems (Karr 1981, suggestthat the short-sighted and incomplete approach Karret al. 1986,Ohio EPA 1988,Plafkin et al. 1989). to waterresources management ("making clean water Growingconcern about the need to resolvethe bio- willsolve water resource problems") can be overcome. diversitycrisis (OTA 1987) is a parallelbut broader Replacementof this approach with sophisticated, problem.For thefirst time in severaldecades, the op- quantitativeassessments based on ecologicalprinciples portunityto altersociety's approach to theprotection is morelikely to protectwater resources from the wide ofwater resources presents itself. rangeof human actions that degrade those resources. Severalfederal agencies and manystates are calling Whereasthe foundationsfor these advances have forevaluation and implementationofprograms of di- existedfor perhaps two decades three factors have con- rectbiological monitoring. New philosophiesguide tributedto rapidadvances in thelast decade:(a) the theseefforts and signalmajor shifts that will be instru- developmentof integrativeecological indexes (Karr mentalin "restoringand maintaining"biological in- 1981,Karr et al. 1986,Ohio EPA 1988,Plafkin et al. tegrityof thenation's waters, the explicit mandate of 1989),(b) thedevelopment of the ecoregion approach PL 92-500(Water Quality Act Amendments of 1972) (Hugheset al. 1986,1987, Omernik 1987, Hughes and and amendments.USEPA has calledfor the following: Larsen1988), and (c) recognitionof the importance of (a) inclusionof biologicalcriteria in its water-qualitycumulative impact assessment at regionalscales (Pres- standardsprogram (EPA 1988a), (b) restructuringof ton and Bedford1988). The challengefor basic and existingmonitoring programs to documentthe impact appliedecologists in thenext decade will be to ensure of regulatoryprograms (EPA 1989a), (c) evaluation thatecological principles are used to improvethe na- and controlof nonpointpollution (EPA 1989b),(d) tion'sprograms to protect and manage water resources. coordinationof chemical sampling with biological sur- Anotherbenefit will be theopportunity to conductad- veys(EPA 1984),(e) ecologicalrisk assessment