Subtask 1.3 Aquatic Life and Habitat Inventory
Traditionally, water quality monitoring has focused on minerals, metals, and contaminants. Recently, biological monitoring has often been utilized to assess the overall ecological integrity of water bodies. Biological monitoring is particularly useful in assessing the effects of nonpoint sources of pollution such as nutrient enrichment and sedimentation. Biological monitoring conducted during this project will provide baseline data that will allow researchers to compare different sites both within and outside the Pecos Basin. Monitoring efforts will provide baseline data for sites throughout the Pecos Basin that can be used to assess future trends.
Information about the biology and ecology of the Pecos Basin will aid work to maintain and increase populations of endangered species in the region. A healthy, natural watershed and riparian zone are critical to aquatic life, especially in semi-arid and desert regions. A listing of those endangered species is attached as Appendix B.
The United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) and the Clean Rivers Program (CRP) will coordinate the biological assessment with assistance from other participating entities. Ten sites will be selected along the Pecos River in Texas where data about benthic organisms, fish, and physical habitat characteristics of the river will be collected and catalogued according to protocols established by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Riparian vegetation and habitat will also be described.
Deliverables for this Subtask
Biological data (and other information) will be incorporated into a Pecos River Basin water quality assessment database.
Reports
- TR-305: Aquatic Life and Habitat Inventory Assessment
