Analysis of riparian forest and floodplain quality in the Yellow Creek Watershed using the qualitative habitat evaluation index /

Abstract

Analysis of Riparian Forest and Floodplain Quality in the Yellow Creek Watershed Using the Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index The Yellow Creek watershed, located in northeast Ohio, covers an area of approximately 32,330 acres. Local environmental groups are concerned about the degradation ofwater quality due to land development. The three main objectives ofthis study were: delineation ofthe riparian condition using aerial photographs; construction of a geographical information system (GIS) database; and field evaluation ofthe Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI). The evaluation ofstreams throughout the Yellow Creek watershed indicates severe deterioration ofriparian forest. The average riparian width score using the QHEI procedure was 1.53 out of4.0 (in the "moderate" range). Ofthe 62 streams analyzed, 10 have an average riparian width less than 10 m. The average floodplain condition ofthe 4 lakes and 17 streams was poor. The results confirmed the non-attainment status ofthe Yellow Creek watershed for warm water habitat criteria set by the Ohio EPA. GIS maps were analyzed in order to devise a sampling network for field examination and future water quality monitoring. Full QHEI evaluations were conducted on 14 field sites. For these sites, the average QHEI score was 44.2 out of 100, indicating that the habitat is in poor condition. The field evaluations were also compared to the aerial delineation, and served to corroborate the aerial delineation method.