River and Stream Restoration
Research
Research projects at New England Land Grant Universities are assessing
how watershed land use is impacting streams and stream habitat, inventorying stream
resources and habitat, modeling different management scenarios, and monitoring and
assessing river and stream restoration projects. Here are a few research projects that
are contributing to the knowledge base of river and stream ecology and restoring the
function of rivers and streams in New England.
The Northeast
Instream Habitat Program (NEIHP) 
,
at the Department of Natural Resources Conservation at UMass Amherst,
is an integrated research, teaching and extension program with a strong
commitment to research and development, sustained outreach, training
and technical assistance, and development of expanded graduate and
undergraduate education. The program aims to improve the sustainable
management of running waters in the Northeast U.S. by developing a
research base and management tools incorporating quantitative computer
simulation techniques. Some example NEIHP projects in New England include:
Researchers from NEIHP and the UConn are assessing
the long-term impacts of UConn campus water supply wells on the
aquatic habitat of the Fenton River .
This project aims to: evaluate the relationship
between fish habitat and in-stream flow, use mathematical simulation
modeling to explore the relationship between groundwater withdrawals
and river flow, and develop and test water management scenarios.
Researchers from New York and UMass Cooperative Research
Units of NEIHP are assessing the in-stream flow requirements
of the Mill River in western Massachusetts to meet the demands of future
water use and its impact on the biological and water quality characteristics of
the waterway.
Results of this study
suggest that human-induced low flows and increased temperature will negatively
impact key mussel species, including the dwarf wedge mussel, as well as affect
fish habitat and alter the fish community.
UNH is partnering with NEIHP and a private consulting firm to
develop a water management plan for the Souhegan and Lamprey Rivers in New Hampshire
.
Researchers will conduct habitat mapping, riparian, wetland and endangered species
impact assessments, and hydrological analysis in order to determine flow values for
designated reaches.
Other River and Stream Restoration Research at New England Land Grant Universities includes:
Research at UVM focuses on
river channel change on the Upper White River
.
The project is looking at how sediments erode and are transported
in forested mountain watersheds, how land use corresponds to river channel
alteration, and how to better focus restoration efforts on historically unstable
locations along the river channel.
The River and Stream Continuity Project
at the UMass is an effort to inventory and more effectively
address barriers to fish movement and river and stream continuity. This project has surveyed more than 2,300 road-stream crossings in MA, CT, VT, RI, and NH. An improved online database encourages input of this volunteer-collected data. Information communicated by this project has driven the decisions of officials responsible for state and federal policy. In fact, elements of the River and Stream Crossing Standards, developed by this project, are used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Programmatic General Permits for MA, ME, CT, and RI, and will be the model for state standards in CT and NH.
Research at the URI is focusing on the
role of in-stream nitrate removal
.
This research will improve our understanding of basic watershed processes as well
as provide insight to managers in targeting stream management and restoration for
the reduction of watershed nitrogen.