Article
Dissolved oxygen, stream temperature, and fish habitat response to environmental water purchases
Journal of Environmental Management
(2017)
Abstract
Environmental water purchases are increasingly used for ecological protection. In Nevada's Walker Basin (western USA), environmental water purchases augment streamflow in the Walker River and increase lake elevation of terminal Walker Lake. However, water quality impairments like elevated stream temperatures and low dissolved oxygen concentrations also limit ecosystems and species, including federally-threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout. In this paper, we prioritize water volumes and locations that most enhance water quality for riverine habitat from potential environmental water rights purchases. We monitored and modeled streamflows, stream temperatures, and dissolved oxygen concentrations using River Modeling System, an hourly, physically-based hydrodynamic and water quality model. Modeled environmental water purchases ranged from average daily increases of 0.11–1.41 cubic meters per second (m3/s) during 2014 and 2015, two critically dry years. Results suggest that water purchases consistently cooled maximum daily stream temperatures and warmed nightly minimum temperatures.
Disciplines
Publication Date
July, 2017
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.04.016
Citation Information
Null, SE et al. 2017. Dissolved oxygen, stream temperature, and fish habitat response to environmental water purchases. Journal of Environmental Management 197:559-570. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.04.016