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| Title: | Ecological Characteristics of County Drains in the River Raisin, Michigan |
| Authors: | Kelley, Jill |
| Keywords: | river raisin
agricultural drainage |
| Issue Date: | Dec-2007 |
| Abstract: | Agricultural drainage is widely implemented throughout the U.S. to improve land
drainage and increase crop productivity, affecting as much as 50% of cropland area in
Midwestern states. Many of the headwater streams of this region are managed under
state laws by drainage districts, county drain commissioners or similar entities. The
ecological condition of these streams is sparsely documented but considered poor. I
evaluated ten stream reaches, each of which contained a segment managed under the
Michigan Drain Code and an unmanaged segment (“natural”), using a paired reach
sampling design. Habitat quality was significantly lower for seven of nine rapid
assessment metrics and for overall habitat quality. Other physical characteristics
including woody debris, substrate particle size and sinuosity were all greater in natural
reaches. In comparison to natural reaches, county drains were significantly incised and
were nearly straight in planform. Biological assessment using macroinvertebrates
indicated slightly improved scores in natural reaches but differences were not significant
for most metrics. A regression of biological metrics against habitat quality that included
data from a wide variety of streams within the watershed reveals poorer biological
condition in both stream types than would be expected from habitat alone, suggesting that
these systems are challenged by additional stressors. |
| Appears in Collections: | Dissertations and Theses (Ph.D. and Master's)
Natural Resources and Environment, School of (SNRE)
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Files in This Item:
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Description |
Size | Format | |
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| Kelley_thesis_12_11_07.pdf | | 2444Kb | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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