Jessie J. Green Arkansas Chapter American Fisheries Society 26 February 2014 – Rogers, Arkansas 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 Ouachita Mountains • 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 - PO -P, mg/L - TDS, mg/L 4 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: Arkansas River 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 Arkansas River Valley Ozark Highlands Ouachita Mountains • Board Camp Creek • Caddo River • Cossatot River • Little Missouri River • Saline River • South Fork Ouachita River 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 .