Kootenai River Ecosystem Kootenai River Ecosystem Operational Loss Operational Loss

Assessment, Protection, Assessment, Protection, Mitigation, and Rehabilitation Mitigation, and Rehabilitation

ProjectProject (BPA Project Number 2002-011-00)(BPA Project Number 2002-011-00)

Norm Merz and Scott SoultsNorm Merz and Scott Soults

Fish and Wildlife DepartmentFish and Wildlife Department

Kootenai Tribe of IdahoKootenai Tribe of Idaho

Operational Loss AssessmentOperational Loss Assessment

• Goal 1: Develop a scientifically valid and regionally acceptable assessment tool to quantify habitat and ecological function loss due to the operation of Libby Dam.

• Goal 2: Ensure this tool is transferable to evaluate operational losses of the Federal Columbia River Hydropower System outside the Kootenai River Subbasin.

MeanderReach

Braided Reach

CanyonReach

AquaticRiparian

Terrestrial

Hydrology

Research Design and Review Research Design and Review TeamTeam

• Scott Soults, Charlie Holderman, Roland Capilo - Kootenai Tribe of Idaho

• Dwight Bergeron, Dr. Alan Wood - Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

• Dr. Klaus Jorde, Dr. Elowyn Yager - Center for Ecohydraulics, University of Idaho

• Dr. Tim Hatten, Invertebrate Ecology, Inc.• Dr. Bahman Shafii - Statistical Consulting Services• Dr. Philip Tanimoto - Conservation Imaging, Inc.• Dr. Stewart Rood, Karen Gill - University of Lethbridge,

Alberta, Canada• Dr. Paul Anders - Cramer Fish Sciences, Inc.• Mike Burke - Inter-fluve• Dr. Gregory Egger - Umweltbüro Klagenfurt

Conceptual Approach: Hierarchy of Impacts in Response to River Regulation

Modified from Jorde, et al., 2007

1 flow predictability2 winter mean daily flow (November-March)3 spring/summer mean daily flow (April-July)4 autumn mean daily flow (August-October)5 1-day minimum flow6 7-day minimum flow7 1-day maximum flow8 7-day maximum flow9 base flow10 low pulse count11 low pulse duration12 high pulse count13 high pulse duration14 rise rate15 fall rate 0% change

Mean % Deviation: 124%Deviation from Circularity: >100Note: Parameters with deviation > 100% are shown as 0.

% Deviation - Median Basis

54

15

14

109

8 7

6

32

1

1312

11

INDEX OF HYDROLOGICAL ALTERATIONINDEX OF HYDROLOGICAL ALTERATION

INDEX OF FLUVIAL ALTERATIONINDEX OF FLUVIAL ALTERATION

IFA - Second Order Impacts

IFA - Second Order Impacts

Composite-1954,1955,1956,1957,1962

Composite-1986,1991,1993,1994,1996

1 & 2 D Hydraulic Modeling

Extending IFA into FloodplainsExtending IFA into Floodplains

Aquatic and Terrestrial Index of Aquatic and Terrestrial Index of Biological IntegrityBiological Integrity

• Rate Sites based on integrity1. Severe alteration2. Major alteration3. Moderate alteration4. Minor alteration5. Pristine

• Regress community metrics against site rating 1. Be independent2. Have temporal consistency or stability 3. Be ecologically meaningful4. Be sensitive and responsive to hydro operations, and

should5. Readily show responses to hydro operations

High Resolution Land Classification High Resolution Land Classification

and NDVI (Primary Productivity)and NDVI (Primary Productivity)• National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP)

Imagery– Benefits

• 1 meter resolution• Excellent positional accuracy• No cost for true color imagery, relatively

inexpensive for color infrared

– Draw Backs• Shadows• Imaging mosaics

2003 ALL MONTHS

RIVER KILOMETER

200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550

Chl

orop

hyll

a (m

g/m

2 )

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

CHLOROPHYLLCHLOROPHYLL aa

20-30 mg/m2 PRODUCTIVE NW RIVERS

2.43 mg/ m2

IDAHO SITES

Aquatic Primary ProductionAquatic Primary Production

Aquatic Multi-trophic Program

Periphyton

Macroinvertebrates

Fish Community Dynamics

Water Quality

Conceptual Framework

Index of Ecological Integrity(IEI)

Index of Ecological Integrity (IEI)Hierarchical integration from community,

Habitat levels to ecosystem level characterization

Community IndexChanges:

Index of Hydrologic Alteration

Index of Fluvial Alteration

Index of Vegetation Alteration

Aquatic IBI

Invertebrate IBI

Avian IBI

Current TasksCurrent Tasks

• Refine and Finalize IHA and IFA

• Extend IFA into the Floodplain

• Assembling IBI models following Karr (1981) methodology.

• Define rating systems to assess level of integrity.

• Assemble IBI into IEI matrix

• Continue to bring OLA methodology to the Region

QUESTIONS?QUESTIONS?