Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index

Bradley HansenJohn Nieber

Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering

For BBE 4535/5535Fall 2011

Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI)

• The QHEI was developed by the Ohio EPA for assessment of habitat loss due to sediment

• It can evaluate whether habitat is a limiting factor for a fish community, and which factors are the likely stressors

• It can also help determine both the source of the sediment and the effects on the stream

• Correlated to fish IBI scores

Consists of 6 Metrics• Substrate• Instream Cover• Channel Morphology• Riparian Zone and Bank Erosion• Pool – Riffle Quality• Map Gradient

Metric 1: Substrate• Type• Quality

Substrate

Not embedded Embedded

Riffle

Pool

Riffle

Pool

Pool

None Low Moderate Extensive

Metric 2: Instream Cover• Type• Amount

Instream Cover

Metric 3: Channel Morphology

• Sinuosity – number of bends in the reach• Development – pool-riffle complex• Channelization – human made channel

modifications• Stability – bank and channel stability

Channel Morphology

stability channelization

Pool/Riffle Development

Metric 4: Riparian Zone and Bank Erosion• Width

– Floodplain • Quality

– Landuse• Bank Erosion

– Stability

Riparian Zone

Metric 5: Pool-Riffle Quality• Max. DepthPool and Riffle• CurrentVelocity estimate• MorphologyPool-Riffle width

Pool-Riffle Quality

Metric 6: Map Gradient• Channel slope - Measure stream lengthbetween two contoursdivide by contourinterval

Map Gradient

Individual metrics

Score

Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index• It can evaluate whether habitat is a

limiting factor for a fish community, and which factors are the likely stressors

• It can also help determine both the source of the sediment and the effects on the stream