Monitoring the Effects of Reservoir Creation on Federally Listed Fish Species in the Southeast
Author(s)
Anderson, Paul G.
Browne, Barry G. H.
Freeman, Byron J.
Advisor(s)
Editor(s)
Hatcher, Kathryn J.
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Abstract
The proposal to construct a large off-stream public
water supply reservoir on the floodplain of the Conasauga River raised
concern for the aquatic community of the river, that includes twelve
federally listed fish and mussel species. The primary function of the
reservoir is to augment Conasauga River discharge during low flow
periods by the release of water collected during periods of high flow.
During the permitting process, concern was focused on potential
aquatic macro-habitat modification issues such as the river's thermal
regime, discharge regime, and water quality (dissolved oxygen and
nutrient availability) and on issues related to availability of preferred
habitats for species of special concern. In an effort to quantify any
change to water quantity and quality, studies on the Conasauga River
and an existing similar reservoir began in 1992. In 1992, the Section 404 permit was granted for the proposed
reservoir. The permit requires implementation of a water quality and
biological monitoring program. The monitoring program includes
collection of information relative to river temperature, discharge and
water quality information and the collection of water quality
information from an existing reservoir of similar design. In addition,
the monitoring program includes the collection of fish distribution,
habitat preference and micro-habitat availability information for the
purposes of monitoring the distribution of fish species of special
importance, to obtain additional information on the life history and
habitat requirements of these species and to assess the availability of
preferred habitats over time. The pre-operation phase of the monitoring
program is nearing completion and the biological and water
quality monitoring program has been in-place for two years. In this
paper, the design of the monitoring program is introduced and some
initial results of the pre-operation phase monitoring program are
presented.
Sponsor
Sponsored and Organized by: U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology
Date
1997-03
Extent
Resource Type
Text
Resource Subtype
Proceedings