Stream Measuring & Mapping Training Workshop

August 3, 2014

Outline for Today Introduction to the Huron River Watershed Council and the Adopt-A-Stream Program

Why Measure and Map?

The measurements

Team organization

To the stream!

The Huron River Watershed Council…The Huron River Watershed Council…

…is a nonprofit coalition of communities and residents.

…was established under state law in 1965.

…protects the Huron River and its tributary streams, lakes, wetlands, groundwater and

watershed.

…is a nonprofit coalition of communities and residents.

…was established under state law in 1965.

…protects the Huron River and its tributary streams, lakes, wetlands, groundwater and

watershed.

What does HRWC do?What does HRWC do?

Citizen education & stream monitoring Work with local governments

Stormwater RequirementsPlanning

Mass media education and information Stream restoration projects Run a statewide monitoring network (MiCorps) Defend the river, wherever it is needed

Citizen education & stream monitoring Work with local governments

Stormwater RequirementsPlanning

Mass media education and information Stream restoration projects Run a statewide monitoring network (MiCorps) Defend the river, wherever it is needed

Huron River Watershed

• 900 square miles • 63 communities• 7 counties • >525,000 people

• 900 square miles • 63 communities• 7 counties • >525,000 people

What is a Watershed?

A watershed (or basin) is the area of surrounding land that drains into a river or creek.

Adopt-A-Stream Program

River RoundUp

Aquatic Insects Tell Us the Condition of the River

AndHabitat conditions can help us understand the aquatic insects

Outline for Today Introduction to the Huron River Watershed Council and the Adopt-A-Stream Program

Why Measure and Map?

The measurements

Team organization

To the stream!

Measuring and Mapping

Diagram from Aquatic Entomology by W.P.McCafferty and A.V Provonsha

You will be assessing the quality of the stream habitat.

The measurements you take will be used to. .

look for immediate problems

document changes in quality

interpret the biological data

compare sites

Measuring the severity of human impacts to the physical environment of the stream

• Channel cutting and widening; erosion• Sedimentation (too much sand and fine particles)• Channelization- loss of microhabitats• Loss of vegetation- riparian and instream

Major cause: Hydrology alteration

•Impervious surface

•Flashiness

Outline for Today Introduction to the Huron River Watershed Council and the Adopt-A-Stream Program

Why Measure and Map?

The measurements

Team organization

To the stream!

Logistics of “Measuring and Mapping”

• Attend this training

• Join a team

• The team picks a date for the event

• Do the event (2-3 hours)

• Return the gear

What You’ll Look For

Shape of channel & bank

Substrate for hiding places

150 feet of Transects

The way the water flows (Pools, Riffles, Bends)

Bare or eroded banks

Plants in stream and on bank

300 feet of Observations

What is a transect?

Stretch the tape measure across the stream

Transects – Depth and substrate

•10 transects, 15 feet apart.

• Measure depth and bottom type at intervals across each transect.

•Aim to have 10-15 measurements per transect (divided up evenly)

Boulder -- more than 10” length or width or diameterBigger or equal to adult head

Cobble -- 2.5 - 10”Size of a fist Child’s head

Rock -- 1 - 2.5”Half of a finger Size of a small fist

Gravel -- up to about an inchChild and Adult Fingernails

Sand -- fine particles, all about the same tiny size, gritty

Fines: Clay or Muck -- finer than sand and not gritty, can’t even see individual grains

Overview

(Tape measure)

Hashmark is a “substrate check”

Active Edge

Transects – Waters edge width, active channel width

The waters edge width is the width of the water.

The active channel is the area of normal water flow.The active channel edge is the bottom edge of vegetation on the bank.

Example: Active Channel on Arms Creek

Bank Angle

Transects – Bank angle

Bank Angle

Transects – Bank angle

Transects – Bank angle (undercut banks)

Bank Angle

What You’ll Look For

Shape of Channel – Transects

Substrate for Hiding Places

Bank Angles

150 feet-Transects

The way the water flows (Pools, Riffles, Bends)

Bare or Eroded Banks

Plants in Stream and on Bank

300 feet- Observations

Pools, riffles, bendsPools. An area of water deeper and slower than average. Often found on outside of bends where there is more erosion. 2 bends

pool

pool

This is an idealized rule of thumb

Pools, riffles, bendsRiffle. An area of choppy or turbulent water. Often shallower water than the average depth of stream. Often caused by rocks or obstructions in the water. Sometimes on the inside of bends where it tends to be shallow.

2 bends

This is an idealized rule of thumb

III.Stream Substrate: Embeddedness

Tips:1) Look in a riffle (preferred) or fast moving area2) Pull a cobble or boulder out to see how much of it is buried

Look at the bank bare areas above the Active Edge

Bare areas are shaded and appear to be about 25% of the area between the Active Edge the top of the bank

What % of the banks are bare (showing soil) ABOVE the Active Edge?

ActiveEdge

Shaded area

Where to look for bare areas

V. Bank Stability: % Bare Banks

Survey Protocol for Wadable Streams and Rivers

How is all of this used?

How is all of this used?1) Your direct observations tell us of immediate

problems.

2) Tracking long term changes– 11 Metrics Add up to 200 points

– Divide by 2

– Final Score:

5 (Habitat really poor) –

100 (Habitat is excellent)

Metrics include:

Flashiness Maintained Flow Volume Velocity and Depth Sediment Deposition Embeddedness Habitat Variety

Bottom Substrate, Available Cover

Riparian Vegetative Zone Width Bank Stability Erosion Resistance Channel Alteration

Map

pin

g Y

ou

r S

trea

m You will have access to previous maps.

A new map is only needed if the old one is inaccurate, ugly, or hard to understand.

In that case- do a better job than your predecessor!

TAKE PICTURES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And give them to us!Be sure to include people and faces in your pictures as well as pictures of the creek.

Safety

Measure and map during low water levels

You will need to wait 2 days or so after really torrential downpours. Minor rain doesn’t matter.

Do only what you feel comfortable doing

If you expect to stay dry, wear waders. Tall boots are not good enough on 95% of the streams we are studying.

Doing a study with boots filled with

water is NOT fun.

You may NOT go barefoot

Do NOT wear flip-flops.

You MUST wear waders in Ann Arbor area and also Mill Creek.

What not to wear on your feet

1) Wear Waders OR 2) wear shoes/secure sandals that can get wet

Outline for Today Introduction to the Huron River Watershed Council and the Adopt-A-Stream Program

Why Measure and Map?

The measurements

Team organization

To the creek!

Team Positions

Goal: 3-5 people• 1 Mapper/Picture Taker

• 1 Note taker

• 2-3 Measurers (holding and moving tape measure, taking substrate samples)

In the next 10 MINUTES: Gather with your team by your site name.

Introduce yourselves again

Get your binder from Paul

Make sure your contact info is right.

Everyone take a color map

The binder is holding your blank datasheets

Meet your team

If your whole group is here today, you can fill out the team form (your date, who does what, etc…) Give Paul or Jason a copy of the filled out form

In your whole team isn’t here, in the next two days, email each other to answer the questions on your team form.• Email psteen@hrwc.org and jfrenzel@hrwc.org with your final decisions.

Fill out the team form

Planning your datesPlanning your dates

Measurements MUST be done under NORMAL or LOW FLOW conditions. Plan a rain date, and keep it open in case of high water.

ALSO: Please try to do 2 outings if possible! After your first outing, talk to your team about another date that would work and be in touch with Jason and Paul who will assign you a different site.

Day of the event:• Come to back door of this building

• Find the hidden key to the shed

• Get equipment from the shed (make sure you put in your wader/foot size to whoever picks up the equipment)

• Return the hidden key to its location

• Return your equipment ASAP.

• Leave your binder and its contents in the shed

Outline for Today Introduction to the Huron River Watershed Council and the Adopt-A-Stream Program

Why Measure and Map?

The measurements

Team organization

To the creek!

But first, let’s take a walk to the shed.

At the creek, bring your pink datasheet with you.