DERR Biocriteria/QHEI Training

On May 25 and 26 I attended an Ohio EPA, Department of Emergency and Remedial Response sponsored Biocriteria/Stream Habitat training. The training was geared toward environmental professionals working in the Voluntary Action Program (VAP) who may not be completing Biocriteria/Stream Habitat assessments on a regular basis, but need to know the basics because these types of assessments may be included in No Further Action (NFA) letters for VAP sites. During the training we were provided with an overview of the three components of Biocriteria/Stream Habitat assessments, including:

Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI, fish evaluation),
Invertebrate Community Index (ICI), and
Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI).

On day one, all the participants were given the opportunity to electro-fish and set out invertebrate samplers (Hester-Dendy) in Blacklick Creek, which flows behind the Ohio EPA Field Office. Day two was set aside for QHEI field work, which was completed in Blacklick Creek and a small recovering drainage swale near Brice Road.

Throughout the training, a general theme emerged - the biology of a stream is a better indicator of a VAP site's impact on that water body than chemical parameters monitored through surface water and sediment grab samples. Often, even if chemical standards are not met, biological/habitat assessment activities are able to demonstrate that the stream meets it Ohio EPA use designation, and that additional assessment or remedial activities are not needed. Interestingly, the instructors indicated that the stream and riparian habitat, or lack thereof, is more often the cause of stream impairment at VAP sites, not the release of chemicals of concern to the stream. The take home message was that chemical analysis alone may not give a CP the complete picture of how a VAP site affected the stream; rather a biological/habitat assessment including an IBI, ICI, and QHEI provides a better representation.