Standard Operating Procedure WWSOP04001 Effective Date: 04/01/2013

1. KENTUCKY WATERSHED WATCH LOW GRADIENT STREAM HABITAT ASSESSMENT Standard Operating Procedure WWSOP04001 Effective Date: 04/01/2013

2. SOP statement This presentation is based on the “Kentucky Watershed Watch Low Gradient Stream Habitat Assessment Standard Operating Procedure WWSOP04001”

3. Introduction to Habitat and Water Quality What is a watershed?

4. Introduction to Habitat and Water Quality Smaller watersheds combine to create larger watersheds

5. Introduction to Habitat and Water Quality Land use in watersheds affects stream habitat

6. Introduction to Habitat and Water Quality More impervious cover Increased runoff

7. Introduction to Habitat and Water Quality Increased Erosion

8. Introduction to Habitat and Water Quality Turbidity and Sedimentation

9. Introduction to Habitat and Water Quality Normal channel Incised channel Stream connection to floodplain

10. Stream Types in Kentucky Low Gradient High Gradient Differences in Gradient = Differences in Habitat Types

11. Pre-sampling Information • You will receive for sampling: • Instructions • Field Records • Field Data Sheets • Calculation Sheet • You will receive materials from program coordinators or by mail • Read instructions upon receipt! (Critical info on sample times included)

12. Reach Selection The Habitat Assessment is performed on the same 100 meter reach selected for the Biological Assessment… …and should be performed immediately following the Biological Assessment.

13. Sample Scheduling Habitat Assessments must be done in when the Biological Assessments are completed May or June

14. Habitat Assessment Field Data Sheet Ten Habitat Parameters – Front and Back of Page

15. Habitat Parameters Epifaunal Substrate/Available Cover Pool Substrate Characterization Pool Variability Sediment Deposition Channel Flow Status Channel Alteration Channel Sinuosity Bank Stability Vegetative Protection Riparian Vegetative Zone Width Habitat Parameters

16. Habitat Parameters • Parameters 1 – 5 • evaluate the same • 100 m used for the • Biological Assessment • (this 100 m includes the • grab sampling location) • Parameters 6 – 10 • evaluate the 100 m • assessed in 1 – 5, • plus an additional • 100 m upstream • Epifaunal Substrate/Available Cover • Pool Substrate Characterization • Pool Variability • Sediment Deposition • Channel Flow Status • Channel Alteration • Channel Sinuousity • Bank Stability • Vegetative Protection • Riparian Vegetative Zone Width

17. Condition Categories and Scores Condition Category • Condition Categories • Optimal (16-20) • Suboptimal (11-15) • Marginal (6-10) • Poor (0-5) • Scores • Range from 20-0 • Highest is best Score

19. Habitat Parameters 1 What is Epifaunal Substrate? Epi - on top of Fauna - animals Substrate – material on the bottom

20. Habitat Parameters 1 Stable habitat = consistently available conditions Colonization potential = aged, stream-conditioned substrate materials capable of providing food and shelter for macroinvertebrates

21. 2

22. Habitat Parameters 2 Mud Clay Sand Hard-pan clay Gravel

23. Habitat Parameters 2 Gravel = bigger than a bb, but smaller than your fist Sand = sediment with particle sizes smaller than a bb but still with gritty texture Mud = silt and clay mixture Clay = sediment with particle sizes that will form ribbons when rubbed between thumb and fingers Hard-pan clay = compacted clay deposits on a stream bottom that give the appearance of bedrock, but have a hard gummy surface

24. 3

25. Habitat Parameters 3

26. Habitat Parameters 3 Mix = well-balanced combination of all four pool types present in the reach Deep/shallow = very dependent on watershed size; deep at the beginning of a stream may be only 0.5 meter, and deep in a larger stream may be one meter or more

28. Habitat Parameters 4 Island Point Bar

29. Habitat Parameters 4 Point bar = a curved ridge of sediment deposited by a stream on the inside of a bend (can be located below the surface of the water or extend above it)

31. Habitat Parameters 5 Base of lower bank = the point at which the stream bed ends and the stream bank begins

32. NOTE: = Parameters six through ten should evaluate an area from approximately 100 m upstream of (and in addition to) the original 100 m sampling reach (for a total of 200 m). This whole area should be evaluated as a composite. Habitat Parameters 200 meter reach additional 100meters original 100meters

34. Habitat Parameters 6 Dredging = physical removal of material from stream bed, usually done with heavy equipment Embankment = a stream bank that has been raised to hold back water, carry a roadway, etc. Bridge abutment = a structure that supports a bridge and is built in or near the stream Gabion = a metal cage containing natural materials (usually rock) that are stacked to support stream banks

36. 200 meter reach length Straight line distance Habitat Parameters 7 Channel Sinuosity =

37. Habitat Parameters 7 Straight line distance Measure the straight line distance (ignoring the bends of the stream) from the starting point to the end point of your 200 meter reach

38. 200 meter reach length Straight line distance 200 meter reach 120 meters Habitat Parameters 7 Channel Sinuosity 1.67 120 meters = = 200 meter reach

39. Habitat Parameters 7

40. Habitat Parameters 8 through 10 are scored for each bank Which bank is left and which is right?

42. Habitat Parameters 8 Erosion = loss of soil or rock material from the stream bank due to the flow of water Bank Failure/Sloughing = events that cause large scale displacement of soil or rock material due to support material being undercut or weakened by erosion due to saturation “Raw” areas = stream bank locations with recently exposed soil

44. Habitat Parameters 9

45. Habitat Parameters 9 Native vegetation = the plants that have developed over time to exist in a particular geographic area without human intervention and are adapted to survive in a balance in the specific local conditions Understory shrub = a woody plant of low height having several stems arising from the base that grows beneath the tree canopy Nonwoodymacrophytes= soft-stemmed plants that are visible to the naked eye

47. Habitat Parameters 10 Optimal width is around 18 meters = ~60 feet

48. Habitat Parameters 10 Riparian area = the land along and adjacent to a stream or river

49. Field Data Sheet Completion • Add the scores from parameters • 1-10 on your Field Data Sheet (both sides) to determine your • Total Habitat Score • This step does not have to be completed at the stream

50. Field Record Completion Date Time At the stream, record the time and date that you perform your Habitat Assessment