Relatively little scientific research or monitoring has occurred in the Pacific Northwest or elsewhere on the biological effectiveness of restoration efforts in heavily urbanized watersheds. With the overarching goal of improving ecological health of its urban creeks, the City of Seattle is testing innovative approaches to stormwater management. We report here on four years of pre-project monitoring data collected over 2006-2009 for one such technique: Natural Drainage Systems (NDS). This low-impact development approach is designed to modify the quantity, quality, and timing of stormwater delivery to creeks and other water bodies. Seattle Public Utilities has proposed a large-scale NDS within the Pipers Creek basin of North Seattle that will treat approximately 60% of the Venema Creek sub-basin. The focus of NOAAs research effort has been to develop appropriate monitoring parameters and collect baseline data to evaluate the effectiveness of this major restoration action. Our selection of study parameters was guided by specific project goals and includes measures of physical habitat, contaminant loading, and in-stream biota. We found that the biological health of Pipers Creek is poor compared to forested streams in the Puget Sound region, but comparable to other urban streams in the City of Seattle. The fish community is dominated by cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki; scores for the benthic index of biological integrity (B-IBI) range from very poor to poor; and diatom assemblages are composed of a relatively high proportion of species tolerant of high nutrient levels, organic enrichment, and sedimentation. Despite poor stream health, densities of cutthroat trout in three of our five study reaches were higher than many urban streams and approaching densities of cutthroat found in natural streams. This may be due to the migratory nature of cutthroat trout, as about half these fish were detected migrating from our study area to lower Piper Creek or Puget Sound. Results from heavy metal sampling were inconsistent. Zinc concentrations in soil, black fly larvae, and mayfly nymphs collected from Pipers Creek study reaches were significantly higher than for forested streams. We did not detect any differences in copper concentrations between urban and non-urban streams. We hypothesize that in-stream biological health will improve relative to current baseline conditions following Venema NDS implementation, with treated reaches beginning to more closely resemble forested conditions. Based on statistical power analyses, we recommend that post-project monitoring focus on rate and taxonomic composition metrics rather than simple density measurements. Given the City of Seattles considerable investment of restoration funds towards NDSs, it is critical that post-project data be collected so as to explicitly test these hypotheses. Habitat typing, channel geometry, substrate, temperature.

NOAA has designed and is currently implementing a hyporheic monitoring plan for the Thornton Creek watershed in North Seattle. This work is being conducted for Seattle Public Utilities, who in 2015 completed two large-scale floodplain reconnection projects in the Thornton Creek Watershed. This study will evaluate restoration effectiveness by comparing control and treatment study reaches to each other and to forested references streams before and after restoration. NOAAs data collection focuses on hyporheic invertebrates, water temperature, and nutrient concentrations. Taxonomic and density data for aquatic invertebrates collected at project sites.

Relatively little scientific research or monitoring has occurred in the Pacific Northwest or elsewhere on the biological effectiveness of restoration efforts in heavily urbanized watersheds. With the overarching goal of improving ecological health of its urban creeks, the City of Seattle is testing innovative approaches to stormwater management. We report here on four years of pre-project monitoring data collected over 2006-2009 for one such technique: Natural Drainage Systems (NDS). This low-impact development approach is designed to modify the quantity, quality, and timing of stormwater delivery to creeks and other water bodies. Seattle Public Utilities has proposed a large-scale NDS within the Pipers Creek basin of North Seattle that will treat approximately 60% of the Venema Creek sub-basin. The focus of NOAAs research effort has been to develop appropriate monitoring parameters and collect baseline data to evaluate the effectiveness of this major restoration action. Our selection of study parameters was guided by specific project goals and includes measures of physical habitat, contaminant loading, and in-stream biota. We found that the biological health of Pipers Creek is poor compared to forested streams in the Puget Sound region, but comparable to other urban streams in the City of Seattle. The fish community is dominated by cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki; scores for the benthic index of biological integrity (B-IBI) range from very poor to poor; and diatom assemblages are composed of a relatively high proportion of species tolerant of high nutrient levels, organic enrichment, and sedimentation. Despite poor stream health, densities of cutthroat trout in three of our five study reaches were higher than many urban streams and approaching densities of cutthroat found in natural streams. This may be due to the migratory nature of cutthroat trout, as about half these fish were detected migrating from our study area to lower Piper Creek or Puget Sound. Results from heavy metal sampling were inconsistent. Zinc concentrations in soil, black fly larvae, and mayfly nymphs collected from Pipers Creek study reaches were significantly higher than for forested streams. We did not detect any differences in copper concentrations between urban and non-urban streams. We hypothesize that in-stream biological health will improve relative to current baseline conditions following Venema NDS implementation, with treated reaches beginning to more closely resemble forested conditions. Based on statistical power analyses, we recommend that post-project monitoring focus on rate and taxonomic composition metrics rather than simple density measurements. Given the City of Seattles considerable investment of restoration funds towards NDSs, it is critical that post-project data be collected so as to explicitly test these hypotheses. Fish (density, biomass, movement, growth, diet), benthic invertebrates, periphyton.

The goal of CHaMP is to generate and implement a standard set of fish habitat monitoring (status and trend) methods in up to 26 watersheds across the Columbia River basin. The watersheds have been chosen to maximize the contrast in current habitat conditions and also represent a temporal gradient of expected change in condition through planned habitat actions. Surveys will be conducted in watersheds with perceived large juvenile life-stage survival gaps due to habitat impairments or that are home to existing high quality fish monitoring infrastructure. CHaMP implementation will occur on the spatial scale of the Technical Recovery Team (TRT) populations with the intention for inference on habitat quality and quantity at the fish population level. CHaMP is being built around a single habitat monitoring protocol with a program-wide approach to data collection and management. CHaMP metric data set consists of the entire suite of measurements described in the 2012 CHaMP protocol. A three-person crew surveys the topography (both the in-channel bathymetry and out-of-channel topography including the near channel floodplain) at a site and collects auxiliary data at both the channel unit scale (fish cover estimates, large woody debris, ocular estimate of substrate, pebble counts of bed material in riffles, pool tail fines, and undercut banks) and the site level scale (macroinvertebrate drift, discharge, solar input, riparian structure, alkalinity, conductivity, photographs, and water and air temperature loggers). The crews post process the data collected at each of the sites, which entails a QC of the survey point data, importing the survey point data into ArcGIS and converting the points into a TIN, and converting the topographic TIN to a DEM. Additional GIS products are also produced during the post-processing and include a water surface TIN, water surface DEM, and water depth raster.

Relatively little scientific research or monitoring has occurred in the Pacific Northwest or elsewhere on the biological effectiveness of restoration efforts in heavily urbanized watersheds. With the overarching goal of improving ecological health of its urban creeks, the City of Seattle is testing innovative approaches to stormwater management. We report here on four years of pre-project monitoring data collected over 2006-2009 for one such technique: Natural Drainage Systems (NDS). This low-impact development approach is designed to modify the quantity, quality, and timing of stormwater delivery to creeks and other water bodies. Seattle Public Utilities has proposed a large-scale NDS within the Pipers Creek basin of North Seattle that will treat approximately 60% of the Venema Creek sub-basin. The focus of NOAAs research effort has been to develop appropriate monitoring parameters and collect baseline data to evaluate the effectiveness of this major restoration action. Our selection of study parameters was guided by specific project goals and includes measures of physical habitat, contaminant loading, and in-stream biota. We found that the biological health of Pipers Creek is poor compared to forested streams in the Puget Sound region, but comparable to other urban streams in the City of Seattle. The fish community is dominated by cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki; scores for the benthic index of biological integrity (B-IBI) range from very poor to poor; and diatom assemblages are composed of a relatively high proportion of species tolerant of high nutrient levels, organic enrichment, and sedimentation. Despite poor stream health, densities of cutthroat trout in three of our five study reaches were higher than many urban streams and approaching densities of cutthroat found in natural streams. This may be due to the migratory nature of cutthroat trout, as about half these fish were detected migrating from our study area to lower Piper Creek or Puget Sound. Results from heavy metal sampling were inconsistent. Zinc concentrations in soil, black fly larvae, and mayfly nymphs collected from Pipers Creek study reaches were significantly higher than for forested streams. We did not detect any differences in copper concentrations between urban and non-urban streams. We hypothesize that in-stream biological health will improve relative to current baseline conditions following Venema NDS implementation, with treated reaches beginning to more closely resemble forested conditions. Based on statistical power analyses, we recommend that post-project monitoring focus on rate and taxonomic composition metrics rather than simple density measurements. Given the City of Seattles considerable investment of restoration funds towards NDSs, it is critical that post-project data be collected so as to explicitly test these hypotheses. Metal concentrations in soil, periphyton, and benthic invertebrate taxa.

The goal of the tidal-fluvial estuary study is to determine the estuary's contribution to the spatial structure and life history diversity of Columbia River salmon stocks and the implications for estuary restoration. The study targets salmon use of tidal-fresh habitats in the estuary from Rkm 75 to Bonneville Dam, and addresses four primary objectives: 1. Characterize the temporal and spatial distribution of Chinook salmon genetic stock groups throughout the estuary (March 2010 - March 2012). 2. Determine stock-specific habitat use, life histories, and performance of juvenile salmon in key habitat complexes to fill data gaps in the tidal fluvial reaches of the estuary (2012-2016). 3. Monitor juvenile salmon life histories and their contributions to adult returns in selected estuary tributaries, including tributary examples where tidal habitats have been restored (2012-2018). 4. Evaluate estuary restoration needs for recovery of all salmon ESUs and account for projected effects of climate change through application of a salmon life-cycle model (2011-1015). The study, funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, involves a large team of researchers organized by NOAA Fisheries, including researchers from the Oregon Health and Sciences University, University of Washington, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The study addresses critical uncertainties identified in the research, monitoring, and evaluation (RME) program for the Federal Columbia River Estuary Program (FCREP). The Estuary Program is intended to conserve and restore the estuary ecosystem to improve the performance of listed salmonid populations. Products from the tidal-fluvial study will include: 1. Descriptions of stock-specific temporal and spatial distributions of Chinook salmon throughout the estuary. 2. Estimates of variations in Chinook salmon stock composition and stock-specific growth, food habits, consumption rates, and bioenergetic efficiencies within selected tidal-fluvial habitats. 3. Estimated contributions of estuarine life histories among returning adult Chinook salmon from selected populations throughout the Columbia River Basin. 4. A hydrological model quantifying the dynamics of rearing habitat opportunities for juvenile salmon at estuary reach and habitat scales. 5. Improved life-cycle models to account for the estuarine life histories of juvenile salmon and estimating the potential effectiveness of estuary restoration actions on the recovery and viability of selected salmon stocks. These results will directly address information needs to support estuary actions specified in the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) Biological Opinion for the Columbia River. The tidal-fluvial estuary study is part of an ongoing estuary research program initiated in 2002. The current study expands upon earlier research conducted in the lower 100 km of the estuary from 2002 to 2008. Although all objectives will be addressed by 2018 to correspond with a review of progress implementing the FCRPS Biological Opinion, some sampling activities may extend beyond this date to allow brood-year reconstruction of estuary contributions to adult returns in selected streams (Objective 3). PIT detection data (residence time, travel time) in estuary wetland channels from juvenile salmon tagged by this project and other projects.

Comprehensive planning and monitoring of abiotic (hydrology, land forms, energy and nutrients, and chemistry) and biotic (plants, fish, invertebrates, birds, mammals) attributes pre- and post-breach at a 150 hectare site in the Snohomish estuary. RTK GPS point locations at project and reference sites.

Comprehensive planning and monitoring of abiotic (hydrology, land forms, energy and nutrients, and chemistry) and biotic (plants, fish, invertebrates, birds, mammals) attributes pre- and post-breach at a 150 hectare site in the Snohomish estuary. LiDAR and orthophotos from 2009 across whole Snohomish River estuary.

NOAA's NEFSC collects fisheries data from the Penobscot Estuary using several types of fishing gear. The data is used to determine species presence, relative numbers, and migration timing for diadromous and resident fish species.

NOAA's NEFSC collects fisheries data from the Penobscot Estuary using several types of fishing gear. The data is used to determine species presence, relative numbers, and migration timing for diadromous and resident fish species.