An assessment of aquatic macroinvertebrate functional communities from two urban low-head dam restoration sites within Ohio’s Mill Creek Watershed

An assessment of aquatic macroinvertebrate functional communities from two urban low-head dam restoration sites within Ohio’s Mill Creek Watershed

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The Mill Creek Watershed (MCW) is a network of urban streams that flows throughout greater Cincinnati, Ohio. Anthropogenic factors such as industrialization and implementation of low-head dams, have historically and continuously impacted the ecosystem services of the MCW. Biomonitoring using aquatic biota like macroinvertebrates can communicate information about the environments in which the organisms live. The overall objective of this study was to use biomonitoring to assess the impact of low-head dam riffle restoration on functional macroinvertebrate communities across two study years (Sep. 2022 v. Sep. 2023) at two study sites (SCC v. EVEN) from the mainstem Mill Creek. In 2022, SCC was 1-year post-restoration and EVEN was 4-years post-restoration. Whereas in 2023, SCC was 2-years post-restoration and EVEN was 5 years post-restoration. A Surber sampler was used to collect quantitative macroinvertebrate samples from randomly selected benthic riffle habitats (n=5/site). Macroinvertebrates were sorted, counted, and identified to family level, then classified based on functional feeding group (FFG). Total abundance, mean percent FFG, and mean ecosystem parameter ratios were calculated for each year and study site. The total abundance at both sites in 2023 was much higher than in 2022. Preliminary results show a significant difference from 2022 to 2023 in proportion of TFPOM/BFPOM and channel stability. Future data analyses will continue to inform managers on temporal and spatial variations within the restoration sites.