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Abating Threats to Freshwater Ecosystems and Species that Depend on Groundwater

Participating States/Provinces: OR, WA, CA

Length of Project: 5 years, 2006-2010

Amount of Award: $460,000

For more information, please contact , Arid Lands Ecologist, The Nature Conservancy

General Significance of Project:

The quantity and quality of groundwater is critical to the conservation of aquatic biodiversity and yet, around the globe, this supply of water is increasingly threatened. With significant population growth in the Northwestern United States, water demand is intensifying and water management agencies are increasingly turning to groundwater to meet that demand. In addition, much of the groundwater in this part of the country has been, or is highly susceptible to being, contaminated by nutrients or chemicals. The Conservancy and our partners need tools and strategies for understanding and abating threats to ecosystems and species that depend on a clean and adequate supply of groundwater.

Goals of Project:

1. Produce methods guide to integrate groundwater management into conservation actions
2. Across the Pacific Northwest, identify groundwater focus areas and then determine the ecological requirements of and threats to their groundwater-dependent biodiversity.
3. Design, implement and test stewardship strategies for abating threats to groundwater

Achievements to Date:

1. Methods guide:

This peer-reviewed and field-tested methods guide is to help resource managers and conservation planners understand the importance of groundwater to ecosystems and their conservation at a site. The manual describes tools and approaches for: 1) understanding groundwater processes within a watershed, 2) identifying key ecosystems and species that are groundwater-dependent, and 3) describing the groundwater requirements of these ecosystems and species. It’s written for non-hydrogeologists, uses readily available data (so detailed groundwater studies do not need to have been completed at your site), and illustrates all steps with an example. It has been field tested at Moses Coulee (WA) and Shasta Valley (CA). The specifics of the methods are for use in the Pacific Northwest of North America but the overall framework may be useful in other areas.

2. Regional assessment:

• Methods for identifying groundwater-dependent biodiversity and threats to the supply and quality of groundwater at a regional scale have been developed.
• Analysis of data and development of maps delineating the spatial distribution of groundwater-dependent ecosystems and critical threats to groundwater in Oregon is ongoing; completion expected end of March 2008; similar work in Washington is begining (Winter 2008).

3. Stewardship strategies:

• Moses Coulee Conservation Area and Shasta Valley completing site assessments and identifing groundwater management strategies by end of June, 2008.
• Oregon site to be selected by end of spring, 2008.

4. Outreach:

• Presentation at TNC Science conference on Collins groundwater project
• Led symposium on groundwater and biodiversity at TNC science conference
• Invited panelist in Groundwater and Salmon workshop in British Columbia
• Invited plenary speaker and presenter at groundwater Protection Council annual meeting, September 2007.
• Presentation and paper at the International Association of Hydrogeologists Meeting on Groundwater and Ecosystems in Lisbon, Portugal, September 2007.