River Mapping for Endangered Species Habitat and Streambank Erosion

Assessment: Case Studies at Fort Benning and Camp Atterbury

Paul Ayers, Kelsey Hensley, Ken Swinson, Bryan McConkey, Brett Connell

Biosystems Engineering, University of Tennessee

Heidi Howard, ERDC - CERL

Mike Peterkin, Natural Resources CoordinatorCamp Atterbury JMTC

Hugh Westbury, Watershed Program Manager, Fort Benning

Objectives• Use canoe and kayak-mounted underwater videomapping

system• Develop aquatic habitat maps for the Driftwood River (20

miles)• Develop optimum habitat maps for Rayed Bean (Villosa

fabalis) mussel - PWTB 200-1-114 • Snorkel and sneak peek mapping• Streambank mapping (erosion) - Legacy• Ocean/coral reef aquatic habitat maps

VIDEO CAMERAS

LASERS

SONAR TRANSDUCER

WATERPROOF CASE

Geo-referenced Image Recording

AudioEncoder Audio output

(GPS output)

Audio Input (GPS input)

GPS

Video input

Splash Cam

DVD Recorder

GPS NMEA Data (ASCII)

Canoeing with Drop-down Camera

Georeferenced Above Water Image

GIS Attributes Defined

• GPS Position

• Depth

• Width

• Substrate

• River Characteristic

• Embeddedness

• Streambank Erosion (bank height, bank angle, riparian diversity, river sinuosity)

Modified Wentworth Scale

Substrate Description

Bedrock Unbroken Rock Surface

Fines/Sand < 0.3 cm (0.1 inch)

Small Gravel 0.3—1.0 cm (0.1—0.4 inch)

Large Gravel 1.0—10 cm (0.4—4 inch)

Cobble 10—30 cm (4—12 inch)

Small Boulder 30—60 cm (12—24 inch)

Large Boulder > 60 cm (24 inch)

Using underwater lasers to determineSubstrate scale (dot spacing is 7.75 inches)

Substrate Classification

Sand Small Gravel Cobble

Small Boulder Large Boulder Bedrock

Some Substrate Types

RiverSurface

Characteristics

Driftwood RiverRiver Characteristics20 mile38,503 Sample Points

Driftwood RiverThalweg Depth20 mile38,053 Sample Points

Driftwood RiverSubstrate20 mile38,053 Sample Points

Species at Risk Habitat Maps

• Rayed Bean (Villosa fabalis) mussel

• Develop Optimum Habitat Criteria

Rayed Bean (Villosa fabalis) Habitat Criteria

• primarily found in small, shallow rivers• usually about 4 feet in depth or less• in and near riffles/runs• usually found deeply buried in sand and

gravel substrates • often in and around aquatic vegetation

Search • (Depth <= 4 feet)• River Characteristic = riffle/run• Substrate = sand or gravel

Rayed Bean (Villosa fabalis) 6.7% Optimum Habitat

Obed Wild and Scenic River

Virtual tour capabilities

Summary - River Habitat Videomapping for Aquatic Species at Risk (SAR) Habitat

• Cover large reaches (10 miles/day) - continuous• Non-intrusive, no access required• Determine above and below water features• Develop total river habitat suitability index• By mapping every foot of the river, the total amount

and location of optimum habitat can be determined (development occupancy model)

• Provides permanent historical video database to evaluate changing habitat conditions

Legacy FY 2015 Proposal• Species At-Risk, Species of Concern and Declining

Species and Habitat (Natural)Pilot or demonstration efforts of new techniques, methodologies, and management practices, including the implementation of new or innovative monitoring and predictive modeling techniques.

• Ken Oristaglio – Fort Picket (Nottoway River)– Roanoke Logperch– Atlantic Pigtoe

Others?

Snorkel mapping for Species counts Embedded video recorder and GPS on back strap

Georeferenced manual underwater recording video for observing under rocks

Legacy Project (Year 1)GIS-based streambank mapping to identify areas of

erosion potential on rivers/streams within military installations (Camp Atterbury and Fort Benning)

Mapping Site-specific Streambank Erosion

Streambank Erosion Videomapping

• Determine erodibility and erosivity• Identify areas of restoration needs• Cover large areas (10 miles/day) - continuous• Non-intrusive, no access required• Permanent video database and virtual tour capability• Uses EPA Bank Assessment of Non-point source

Consequences of Sediment (BANCS) for annual total streambank erosion prediction

• Used to determine sediment TMDL’s.

THE END -Questions?

Paul Ayers, University of Tennessee - ayers@utk.edu