An ecologically based approach to identifying restoration priorities in an acid-impacted watershed

The extent of impairment to some Appalachian watersheds from acid precipitation is so extreme that watershed scale analytical tools are needed to help guide cost-effective management decisions. The objective of this study was to develop a measure of the functional value of streams as potential areas for juvenile Brook trout recruitment. This measure, which we term weighted potential recruitment area (WPRA), is a function of the expected Brook trout spawning intensity and juvenile survivorship. Estimates of WPRA for each stream segment were then used to identify restoration priorities and optimal restoration programs in the upper Shavers Fork watershed in West Virginia, U.S.A. Using this approach, we determined that the watershed has lost nearly 80% of its historic juvenile recruitment potential as a result of acid precipitation. We also determined that of the 145 stream segments in the watershed, eight critical stream segments account for nearly 20% of the loss. The costs and ecological benefits of a series of five alternative restoration programs were then assessed using an ArcGIS model (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, CA, U.S.A.). This approach identified two optimal alternatives: (1) a low-cost, moderate-benefit approach that would use existing rail access to treat acidification in three critical headwater locations and (2) a high-cost, high-benefit approach that would use aerial limestone application to treat numerous acidic tributaries near their source. The measure of stream ecological value that we developed was effective in identifying critical restoration priorities and optimal restoration strategies in this watershed. A similar procedure could be used to guide watershed restoration decisions throughout the Appalachian region.