Stream Health Workgroup Projects and Resources
The Stream Health Workgroup is dedicated to creating positive impacts on the streams within the Chesapeake Bay watershed by improving the health and functionality of ten percent of stream miles above the 2008 baseline by the year 2025.
Recommendations for Developing Hydromorphology Indicators with GIS Data - completed
This project is a continuation of work developed by the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) Stream Health Work Group (SHWG) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to better understand the drivers and stressors affecting stream health throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and to identify additional parameters or metrics to describe and quantify stream health to complement existing biological indicators. This project is part of a larger plan which will begin to address the question outlined in the SHWG’s Logic and Action Plan: “Following the implementation of management efforts, how is stream health changing, and how can we better characterize the response through non-biological metrics?”
Management Approaches to Reduce Stressors of Stream Health - completed
This study sought to answer the following research question: What capacity do management activities being implemented by jurisdictions to meet total maximum daily load (TMDL) goals have to address key stressors affecting stream health in the Chesapeake Bay watershed? This research examined the co-benefits to stream health that can be expected from implementation of BMPs primarily targeted at reducing sediment and nutrient loading to the Chesapeake Bay.
Identifying Key Stressors Driving Biological Impairment in Freshwater Streams in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, USA - completed
This USGS study was conducted to better understand which stressors are most likely driving biological impairment in freshwater streams throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The authors used two approaches: 1) reviewing and synthesizing published multi-stressor studies, and 2) examining 303(d) listed impairments linked to biological impairment as identified by jurisdiction regulatory agencies (the states within the watershed and the District of Columbia).
Literature Review: Building Climate Resilience in Stream Restoration Practices - in progress
This project seeks to determine overall trends regarding the resiliency of stream restoration practices in a changing climate by reviewing existing research of metrics known to be affected by climate change and stream restoration practices.
Stream Restoration Permitting Survey
In 2023, the Stream Health Workgroup's Stream Restoration Permitting Committee created a survey to track and report progress and identify remaining and/or new issues on permitting stream restoration projects. This survey was distributed to the workgroup on April 21, 2023, with the deadline of June 23, 2023, and workgroup members and interested parties were encouraged to send the survey to those outside the Bay Program Partnership. The results were discussed with the Workgroup to acknowledge progress and address identified issues.
Stream Health Indicators Project
The project “Scope of Work 12: Data Review and Development of Multi-Metric Stream Health Indicators” was a 2021 GIT-funded project that was completed in September 2023. This project was a continuation of work developed by the Stream Health Workgroup and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to better understand the drivers and stressors affecting stream health throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This project was awarded to Tetra Tech and is phase 3A of a larger process to develop additional stream health indicators. Phases 3B and 3C will be completed in the future.
Additional information on this project and the deliverables can be found below:
- Watershed Wide Benthic Invertebrate Database - LINK
Stressor White Paper Project
Provided recommendations for the water quality impairments associated with a TMDL that will achieve co-benefits as a result of addressing other stressors through restoration practice implementation.