Journal
WATER
Volume 10, Issue 6, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/w10060791
Keywords
environmental flows; ELOHA; ecohydrology; mixed-land-use hydrology; SWAT; EflowStats
Categories
Funding
- Missouri Department of Conservation
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act [G08-NPS-17]
- National Science Foundation [OIA-1458952]
- USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch project [1011536]
- West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station
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Determining environmental flow requirements to sustain aquatic ecosystem health remains a challenge. The purpose of this research was to quantify the extent of current flow alterations relative to baseline hydrologic conditions of a simulated historic flow regime prior to anthropogenic flow disturbance (i.e., pre-settlement flows). Results allowed assessment of the efficacy of environmental flow targets based on pre-settlement land cover in a contemporary mixed-land-use catchment (i.e., urban, agricultural, and forested). Pre-settlement flows were simulated using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Pre-settlement land cover, based on soil physical characteristics, was used to simulate pre-settlement flows with the SWAT model. Environmental flow targets were calculated for each flow element of a historic flow regime (magnitude, frequency, duration, timing, and rate of change). Urban (20% of watershed area) and agricultural development (42% of watershed area) were correlated to decreased median daily stream flow by 0.8 m(3) s(-1) (percent difference = -115%), increased maximum daily flow by 22 m(3) s(-1) (percent difference = 13%), and a 34% increase in daily flow variability. High flow frequency increased by 45-76% following development. Results highlight a need for consideration of environmental flow targets appropriate for watersheds already modified by existing land use, and point to a need for long-term, broad-scale, and persistent efforts to develop achievable environmental flow recommendations, particularly in rapidly urbanizing mixed-land-use watersheds.
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