Application of Effective Discharge Analysis to Environmental Flow Decision-Making

Well-informed river management decisions rely on an explicit statement of objectives, repeatable analyses, and a transparent system for assessing trade-offs. These components may then be applied to compare alternative operational regimes for water resource infrastructure (e.g., diversions, locks, an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental management (New York) 2016-06, Vol.57 (6), p.1153-1165
Main Authors: McKay, S. Kyle, Freeman, Mary C., Covich, Alan P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Aquatic Pollution
Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution
Dams
Decision Making
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecological effects
Ecology
Ecosystems
Environment
Environmental Management
Environmental Monitoring - methods
Environmental studies
Fishes - classification
Fishes - growth & development
Forestry Management
Geomorphology
Georgia
Hydrology
Management decisions
Models, Theoretical
Natural flow
Nature Conservation
R&D
Research & development
River ecology
Rivers
Seasons
Variables
Waste Water Technology
Water flow
Water Management
Water Movements
Water Pollution Control
Water resources
Water Resources - supply & distribution
Water resources management
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Summary:Well-informed river management decisions rely on an explicit statement of objectives, repeatable analyses, and a transparent system for assessing trade-offs. These components may then be applied to compare alternative operational regimes for water resource infrastructure (e.g., diversions, locks, and dams). Intra- and inter-annual hydrologic variability further complicates these already complex environmental flow decisions. Effective discharge analysis (developed in studies of geomorphology) is a powerful tool for integrating temporal variability of flow magnitude and associated ecological consequences. Here, we adapt the effectiveness framework to include multiple elements of the natural flow regime (i.e., timing, duration, and rate-of-change) as well as two flow variables. We demonstrate this analytical approach using a case study of environmental flow management based on long-term (60 years) daily discharge records in the Middle Oconee River near Athens, GA, USA. Specifically, we apply an existing model for estimating young-of-year fish recruitment based on flow-dependent metrics to an effective discharge analysis that incorporates hydrologic variability and multiple focal taxa. We then compare three alternative methods of environmental flow provision. Percentage-based withdrawal schemes outcompete other environmental flow methods across all levels of water withdrawal and ecological outcomes.
ISSN:0364-152X
1432-1009
DOI:10.1007/s00267-016-0684-4