adoptionofnumericbiocriteria（13页）.docVIP

Selecting Reference Condition Sites An Approach for Biological Criteria and Watershed Assessment Opal Creek, a Cascades ecoregion stream. Doug Drake Watershed Assessment Section Oregon Department of Environmental Quality November 2003  Executive Summary This paper describes the approach the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Watershed Assessment Section uses to select reference condition sites. The purpose of selecting reference condition sites is to establish an objective and systematic method for finding water bodies minimally disturbed by human activities for a given basin or region. The approach consists of using geographic information systems (GIS) and site specific information to characterize human disturbance. Selected reference sites are then used to describe “reference condition” for a specific region for the purposes of stream and watershed assessment. Reference Condition versus Reference Sites Reference condition is based on the idea that for any given water body (stream, lake, wetland, etc.) there exists a range of natural conditions unaffected by human activity. Reference condition is best characterized by a set of attributes at undisturbed or minimally disturbed sites characteristic of a water body type in a region. Within a basin or region, reference condition is described by a group of sites that have relatively unaltered biology, chemistry, and physical habitat. Therefore “reference condition” is represented by a group of “reference sites” with minimal human disturbance. Scope - Though the concept of reference condition applies to all waters, to date in Oregon reference sites have only been systematically identified and sampled for wadeable streams. Wadeable streams are typically 1st through 3rd or 4th order streams (Strahler stream order), which represent 84 to 92 percent of total stream miles in the state. Most reference streams represent minimally disturbed conditions where human disturbance is low. However