AusRivAS Physical Assessment Protocol

Developer:	National Rivers Health Program
Method Type:	Rapid assessment
Application:	Australia
Scale:	Aggregation, Habitat, Regional, Sub-regional
Purpose Types:	Management
Water Types:	Freshwater
Keywords:	river

Description

This protocol is a standardised rapid method for the collection of geomorphological, physical habitat, riparian and basic water quality data. It can be used to assess the physical condition of rivers and streams and to predict the local scale habitat features that should be present at a site. It incorporates aspects of several existing physical assessment methods into a method that can be implemented to construct AusRivAS style predictive models. Physical, chemical and habitat information collected from reference sites is used to construct the predictive models, which are then used to assess the condition of test sites. Large scale catchment characteristics are used to predict local scale features.

Purpose Summary

To use a standardised tool to assess and predict river habitat condition at a national to local level.

Purposes

Management
- Decision support

Outputs

An observed:expected ratio which compares the features expected to occur at the test site against those actually observed.

Uses

To inform environmental policy at a national scale.
To measure the success of river rehabilitation at a local scale.
Community monitoring.

Strengths

Has a predictive capability.
Can be modified to incorporate components from other stream assessment methods.
Complementary to AusRivAS.
Reference sites are only visited once.

Limitations

A large number of reference sites must be sampled.

Criteria Basis

Based on Habitat Predictive Modelling with sampling design, data collection and analytical components from other stream assessment methods. Large scale catchment characteristics are used to predict local scale features.

Resources Required

Office based data, data from reference and test sites, trained protocol operator.

Time Required

Short-medium term

Field assessment is designed to be rapid.

Data Required

Catchment and local scale physical, chemical and habitat variables measured using standardised methods for reference and test sites.

Recommended Users

Training is required to use the protocol. The results would be useful to catchment managers, natural resource managers and government agencies.

Criteria / Indicators

ecological importance:
- control variables
  - position of site in catchment
  - water chemistry
  - catchment characteristics
  - valley characteristics
  - planform channel features
  - landuse
  - hydrology
- response variables
  - physical morphology and bedform
  - planform channel features
  - floodplain characteristics
  - bank characteristics
  - instream vegetation and organic matter
  - physical and US EPA habitat assessment
  - riparian vegetation
  - cross sectional dimension
  - substrate
  - site observations

Case Studies

(not documented)

References

Parsons, M., Thoms, M. and Norris, R. (2002). Australian River Assessment System: AusRivAS Physical Assessment Protocol, Monitoring River Heath Initiative Technical Report no 22. Commonwealth of Australia and University of Canberra, Canberra.
Parsons, M., Thoms, M.C. and Norris, R.H. (2004). Development of a standardised approach to river habitat assessment in Australia. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 98: 109-130.