Stream Flow, Habitat, and Biological Assessments of Big Cypress Bayou An Update on USGS Activities

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Stream Flow, Habitat, and Biological Assessments
of Big Cypress Bayou An Update on USGS
Activities

• J. Bruce Moring, Ph.D.
• U.S. Geological Survey
• Austin, Texas
• jbmoring_at_usgs.gov
• 512.927.3585 (office)
• 512.940.0505 (cell)

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Stream Flow

• Objectives
• Evaluate the accuracy and assumed benefits of
  prescribed flows derived from the flows-ecology
  building blocks.
• Monitor stream flows during prescribed releases
  from Lake O The Pines (LOP).
• Provide the USACE with stage and discharge data
  in support of modeling efforts to evaluate areas
  of inundation during releases from LOP.
• Coordinate with USACE FW District Reservoir
  Control in translating prescribed flows to
  prescribed hydrographs for releases from LOP.

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Stream Flow, cont. .
Eleven sites on Big Cypress Bayou
instrumented with pressure transducers to monitor
stage and temperature.
Pressure transducers at 4 USGS study sites have
been recording since the early winter of 2006.
Seven USACE x-sections were instrumented
with pressure transducers in late Jan 2007 to
record LOP releases.
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Stream Flow, cont.

• Tasks Completed
• -Began evaluation of the accuracy of prescribed
  flows to maintain connectivity and aquatic
  diversity in the low-flow channel.
• -Developed preliminary ratings for four USGS
  sites
• -Provided stage data from Jan 07 release from
  LOP to USACE for travel-time analysis.

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Evaluating Flow Building Blocks for the Low-Flow
Channel
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USGS Reaches
BC00 Big Cypress below Jefferson
(Raineys) BC01 Big Cypress above Hwy 59
(Sanders) BC02 Big Cypress near Lynn Oil Field
(Lockes) BC03 Big Cypress below Lake O The
Pines (Thomas Camp)
BC00
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1500 cfs
536 cfs
40 cfs
13 cfs
6 cfs
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Stream Flow, cont.

• Future Tasks (i.e., planned through Sept 2007)
• -Complete stage to discharge ratings for USGS
  sites and prelim. ratings for 7 USACE x-sections
  that are instrumented with pressure transducers.
• -Determine the variability in high-flow
  pulses and low-flows in Big Cypress Bayou
  required to provide the geomorphic and ecological
  benefits defined in the building blocks with
  differences largely upstream and downstream of
  Jefferson!
• - Emphasis on flows between bankfull
  and subsistence!
• - Consider a controlled release from LOP in
  late summer 07
• to evaluate accuracy of prescribed
  high summer base and subsistence
• flows.
• -Acquire highly accurate elevations ( 5 cm)
  using RTK GPS at the 7 USACE x-sections that are
  instrumented and convert all stage data to
  elevations to support HEC modeling of extent of
  inundation of backwater areas.

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Geomorphic/Habitat

• Objectives
• -Determine basic geomorphic characteristics of
  the low-flow channel at selected sites on Big
  Cypress Bayou between Lake O The Pines and the
  confluence of Black Cypress Bayou.
• -Evaluate the accuracy of prescribed flows as
  they relate to geomorphic features, .e.g.,
  bankfull height, connectivity of geomorphic
  channel units such as riffles runs pools.
• -Compare differences in basic geomorphic
  characteristics between a primary reach on Big
  Cypress Bayou (BC01 at Sanders Ranch) and an
  adjacent reach on Black Cypress Bayou.

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Geomorphic/Habitat, cont.

• Tasks Completed
• -Measured and compared
• basis geomorphic and
• characteristics for 4 USGS
• study reaches.
• -Evaluated the accuracy and
• variability in prescribed flows
• as related to basic geomorphic
• features at 4 USGS study sites.

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Geomorphic/Habitat, cont.

• Future Tasks (i.e., planned through Sept 2007)
• -Complete field assessments of primary reach
  on Big Cypress (BC01) and adjacent reach on
  Black Cypress (BLC01).
• -Expand on comparing variability of channel
  features such as bankfull width and height (and
  bankfull discharge) in Big Cypress Bayou between
  LOP and the confluence of Black Cypress Bayou by
  adding USACE x-sections.

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Aquatic Biota

• Objectives
• -Baseline (pre-release of prescribed flows)
  assessment of the fish assemblage in Big Cypress
  Bayou at four USGS study reaches between LOP and
  the confluence of Black Cypress Bayou.
• -Mesohabitat-specific (i.e., riffle-run-pool)
  assessment of fish and benthic macroinvertebrate
  (emphasis on FW mussels) taxa richness and
  relative abundance in a primary reach on Big
  Cypress (BC01) and an adjacent reach on Black
  Cypress (BL01).

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Mesohabitat Assessments

• Complete mesohabitat assessments of fish and
  benthics in conjunction with late summer 07
  releases from LOP.
• Evaluate fish occurrence and distribution in each
  mesohabitat at primary reach during summer high
  base flow (40-100 cfs) vs. summer low
  base/subsistence flow (6-20 cfs).
• Accomplish baseline mesohabitat-specific fish and
  mussel surveys during summer 07 subsistence flows
  in Big Cypress and paired reach on Black Cypress
  Bayou.
• Other opportunities during late summer release?
• - Sediment transport (e.g., bed and
  suspended load)
• - Drift and dispersal of benthic
  macroinvertebrates in relation to flow.
• - Monitor temperature before,
  during , and after period of release.

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Cumulative total of 42 species From Four USGS
reaches in Big Cypress Bayou
Fish from USGS assemblage surveys
Bigmouth buffalo, Blackstripe topminnow,
Blacktail shiner, Bluegill, Bluehead shiner,
Bluntnose darter, Bowfin, Brook silverside,
Bullhead minnow, Chain pickerel, Channel
catfish, Common carp, Dollar sunfish, Dusky
darter, Flathead catfish, Freckled madtom,
Freshwater drum, Gizzard shad, Golden topminnow,
Grass pickerel, Green sunfish, Largemouth bass,
Logperch, Longear sunfish, Pirate perch, Pugnose
minnow, Red shiner, Redbreast sunfish, Redear
sunfish, Redfin shiner, Scaley sand darter,
Smallmouth buffalo, Spotted bass, Spotted gar,
Spotted sucker, Spotted sunfish, Swamp darter,
Threadfin shad, Warmouth, Weed shiner, Western
mosquitofish, White crappie
72 species of fish known historically from Big
Cypress Bayou
Species historically known from Big Cypress but
not collected at USGS reaches
Arkansas darter, Yellow bullhead, Flier, Lake
chubsuckker, Mud darter, Slough darter, Harliquin
darter, Cypress darter, Eastern redfin darter,
Western starhead topminnow, Blackspotted
topminnow, Cypress minnow, Mississippi
silvery minnow, Longnose gar, Orangespotted
sunfish, Spotted sunfish, Common shiner, White
bass, Yellow bass, Golden shiner, Pallid shiner,
Emerald shiner, Blackspot shiner, Ironcolor
shiner, Spottail shiner, Tailight shiner, Mimic
shiner, Tadpole Madtom, Blackside darter, Creek
chubsucker
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Aquatic Biota, cont.

• Tasks Completed

IBI Metric Component BC03 BC02 BC01 BC00
Total fish species 26 29 28 27
of native cyprinid species 4 5 6 6
of benthic invertivore species 17 18 20 15
of sunfish species 6 5 6 6
of intolerant species 2 2 4 2
of indv as tolerant species 15.50 9.28 9.88 19.81
of indv as omnivores 5.25 2.69 0.50 7.74
of indv as invertivores 89.00 94.01 96.82 84.52
of indv as piscivores 4.25 3.29 2.51 7.43
indv/seine haul 0.00 1.75 3.40 0.00
indv/min electrofishing 7.17 5.53 11.71 5.87
of indv as non-native species 0.25 0.30 0.00 0.00
of indv with anomailies 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.31
Regional IBI SCORE 51.00 53.00 55.00 55.00
AQUATIC LIFE USE High Exceptional Exceptional Exceptional
excluding western mosquitofish excluding western mosquitofish
-Baseline fish assemblage Surveys at 4 USGS Study
sites -Post Jan 07 release fish survey of Oxbow
Lake that was connected with over-bank flow
during January release

• Individual component
• metrics and IBI score
• very similar to Black
• Cypress Bayou
• (Black Cypress nr Jefferson
• IBIs 48 56, TCEQ 2005)

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Cluster Analysis Big Cypress vs. Black Cypress
nr Jefferson at Hwy 59
(used fish species presence-absence input file)
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Aquatic Biota, cont.

• Future Tasks (i.e., planned through Sept 2007)
• -Compare recent baseline fish data to
  historical data from Big Cypress and Black
  Cypress Bayou (i.e., source, Bonner et al. _at_
  TSU).
• - Emphasis on addressing species gain/loss, and
  number of obligate riverine obligate vs.
  generalists.
• -Mesohabitat-specific fish and mussel surveys
  comparing habitat utilization between primary Big
  Cypress reach (BC01) and adjacent reach on Black
  Cypress Bayou (BL01).
• -Comparison of mussel and fish diversity
  between primary reaches on Big Cypress and Black
  Cypress Bayou done in conjunction with summer
  low-flow releases from LOP.

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Proposed Schedule May - Sept 2007
Task May June July Aug Sept
Flows-Ecology Meeting in Jefferson 16
Flows-Ecology Meeting in Austin 6
Field trip(s) to establish locate new NGS benchmarks and install temporary benchmarks for USGS/USACE monuments
Acquire elevations using RTK PGS at USGS/USACE X-section monuments, benchmarks and other features Meso-habitat biological surveys of primary reaches on Big Cypress and Black Cypress
Elevation data, ratings, etc .. available to USACE and others
Fy07 project summary, data and PowerPoint presentations to CLI
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BC03 (Thomas Camp)
COE16 (USACE X-section below Jefferson and
just above confluence of Black Cypress Bayou
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