Evaluating the Ecological Effects of Water Reuse for Urban Stream Restoration (2013)

Undergraduates: Elyse Will, Janet Hsiao Dr. Vincent Resh, Dr. Justin Lawrence

Faculty Advisor: Justin Lawrence
Department: Environmental Science

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Recycled water can be used to augment streamflow in urban stream restoration efforts, improving water quality and potentially providing ecosystem benefits. To assess how recycled water may impact the ecological community in an urban stream, we examined the benthic macroinvertebrate communities upstream and downstream of the recycled water discharge point at Calera Creek, a small stream in Northern California that was part of an urban stream restoration project. Benthic macroinvertebrates are useful tools in biomonitoring because they are ubiquitous, show responses over a short timeframe, and give a ¿moving picture¿ of both past and current conditions of the stream ecosystem.