Poster Details
ASSESSING ECOLOGICAL UPLIFT IN STREAM RESTORATION PROJECTS IN CHARLOTTE, NC
Stream restoration is one tool used to mitigate urban impacts on stream ecosystems. Many restoration projects modify channel geomorphology with the assumption that stream function will also improve. The Stream Functions Pyramid Framework (SFPF) is an alternative approach that seeks to design stream restoration using functional attributes instead of structural measures. The Functional Lift Quantification Tool provides a mechanism to evaluate restoration projects based on multiple processes including hydrology, hydraulics, geomorphology, physiochemical analysis, and biology. Drawn from pre and post-restoration monitoring data, a functional feet score (FFS) and uplift are calculated to assess the restoration project, given the current health of an upstream watershed. Best Management Practices (BMPs) used in urban watersheds mitigate effects of stressors in watersheds and can be used in combination with restoration. By studying the Beaverdam creek watershed, we demonstrate that the Functional Lift Quantification Tool can be used to assess an unrestored urban stream and a restored stream within the same watershed.
Ella Wickliff (Primary Presenter/Author), University of North Carolina at Charlotte, ewicklif@uncc.edu;
Sandra Clinton, PhD ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of North Carolina at Charlotte, sandra.clinton@charlotte.edu;
This session is being submitted on behalf of the SFS Science and Policy Committee.