Application of techniques to identify wetland mitigation and stream restoration opportunities

Abstract

The major goals of this project were to identify wetland mitigation opportunities within the Meander Creek, Mill Creek and Yellow Creek watersheds and stream restoration opportunities in Meander Creek watershed. The project involved application of a ranking system for wetland mitigation potential for forty-three land parcels, and development of a geographic information system (GIS) based procedure to evaluate and map two metrics of the Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI) - Riparian Width and Flood Plain Quality. Field inspections were conducted at sites with high potential for wetland mitigation and stream restoration in order to evaluate the strengths and limitations of the procedures. The methods used well established, publicly available GIS databases, including soil type, land cover, waterways, and topography overlaid in digital format so that the watershed study area can be analyzed spatially.

The wetland mitigation study generated numerically ranked lists of potential wetland mitigation sites in each watershed. The stream restoration study produced color-coded maps of stream corridor conditions in the Meander Creek Watershed. Field inspections confirmed the accuracy of the GIS-based rankings in most cases. The study results can serve as a starting point for approaching landowners to discuss the acquisition of land parcels for wetland mitigation. Further analysis of stream segments is recommended, using a technique that incorporates additional measures of stream health.