Stressors and their Impact on Stream Health and Restoration Outcomes in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Neely L. Law, PhD
Fairfax County Department of Public Works & Environmental Services
Fairfax, VA
Chris Ruck
Fairfax County Department of Public Works & Environmental Services
Fairfax, VA 22035
Since 2010, jurisdictions throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed have implemented nearly 270 miles of stream restoration with an additional 84 miles planned as part of Phase III Watershed Implementation Plans. The extent of project implementation driven by nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment (N/P/sed) load reductions required by the Chesapeake Bay TMDL will result in large-scale effects on aquatic ecosystems. Although Expert Panels have determined that stream restoration may lead to N/P/sed load reductions, the recovery of local stream functions remains debated. The complexity of a stream’s functional interrelationships and ecosystem response and the extent to which stressors impacting stream functions are addressed through restoration may be a limiting factor for recovery. It may take decades to document noticeable changes in higher-level stream functions. Despite more holistic efforts to approach stream restoration, evidence suggests that more must be done to effectively restore streams impacted by multiple stressors. A model is used to evaluate the feedback amongst stream functions post restoration. The results showed the following: (a) The stream functions respond and adapt based on the removal of stressors and externalities and type of management intervention. However, some of these functions undergo these changes at slower rate and may take decades to recover; (b) a balanced investment in watershed management with reach-scale restoration is recommended to reduce to the maximum extent practicable, stressors impacting stream health and achieve desired goals and outcomes.
About Neely L. Law, PhD
Neely L. Law, PhD, is a Water Resources Project Manager with Fairfax County with over twenty years of watershed restoration and planning experience. Neely has worked extensively with multidisciplinary teams at the federal, state and local governments to find solutions to address local water quality issues. She currently works at Fairfax County’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services and oversees the design and project management of water restoration projects in Fairfax County. She is the past Co-Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Program Stream Health Work Group and has participated in a number of U.S. EPA Chesapeake Bay Program Expert Panels to quantify nutrient and sediment load reductions from stormwater management controls.