River Health and Environmental Flows in

China – Study Tour Introduction

Robert Speed, Team Leader

罗伯特·斯皮德 项目主管

Study tour themes

• River health

– Monitoring, assessment and reporting on river condition

– Biological monitoring, in addition to traditional water quality and

hydrology monitoring

What to monitor?

How to build a monitoring system?

How to use the information in management?

Reporting?

Study tour themes

• Environmental flows

– Flows required to sustain important ecosystem assets and

values

– More than just minimum flows: the size, frequency, duration,

timing, and variability of the flow regime

What assets/services are important?

How to decide which flows are important?

How to provide them?

Australian Water Institutions

• State Government Water Agencies

– Primary responsibility for water resources management:

– water allocation plans;

– licensing: abstraction and pollution discharge

– monitoring

Example: Queensland Department of Environment and Resource

Management (DERM)

Australian Water Institutions

• National Government Water Agencies

– Department of Environment, Sustainability, Water, Population

and Communities: coordinate national water reform agenda;

responsibilities for major water programs (water buyback;

infrastructure upgrades)

– Murray Darling Basin Authority: prepare whole-of-basin plan;

define sustainable diversion limits

– National Water Commission: monitor and audit implementation

of the National Water Initiative; Framework for assessment of

river and wetland health

– Commonwealth Scientific and Industry Research Organisation

Project objective 项目目标

• Trial international approaches to river health

assessment and environmental flows

assessment 采用国际通用的评估方法评估河流健康与环境流量

• Consider application to national-level policies

将改方法在全国范围内推广

Liao River

Basin

- River health

Yellow River

Basin

-E-flows

-River health

Pearl River Basin

- River health

assessment

Presentation Heading

August

2009

December

2009

July

2011

December

2010

Inception

phase项目启动阶段

Pilot study phase 项目工作阶段

Project wrap

up项目收尾阶段

Agreement

on scope and

objectives

Capacity

building

Fieldwork

and data

collection

Data analysis

Presentation

of pilot results

Distil

lessons

Final workshop

and final report

Further

work???

Project timeline

River health assessment methodology河流

健康评估方法

Underlying philosophy 基本原理 1. River health is important河流健康很重要

2. River health is much more than the quality of the water河流健康不仅仅包括水质达标

3. Biological indicators can be more sensitive to changes in

river condition生物指标更易于反映河流健康状况

4. Biological monitoring programs can provide valuable

support to management生物监测可以为流域管理者提供有价值的帮助

5. Monitoring should focus on assets of importance监测范围应该集中在重要的河流资产

River health assessment methodology

河流健康评估方法

Objective 目标 • Ability to compare sites against each over 不同评估地点之间存在可比性

• Understand likely cause of changes in river health 理解影响河流健康的因素

• Assess effectiveness of management responses评估管理效率

• Report on river health提供河流健康报告

River health assessment methodology

河流健康评估方法

Key issues 主要问题 • What to measure? 需要评估的内容

– Many indicators available: which are relevant? 有许多不同的指标可供评估，应当选取哪种？

• What do the results mean? 评估结果的意义

– What is a good score, what is a bad score? 何为优良的评估结果？何为不达标的评估结果？

• How to use the results? 如何应用评估结果

1 Identify the objectives of the program 确定项目目标

2 Identify suitable measures (indicators) of drivers, stressors and response

确认合适的驱使因素，压力源和反应的指标

3 Develop conceptual models linking range of drivers to potential impacts

联系驱使因素和潜在影响开发概念模型

4 River Classification to identify homogenous „river types‟

河流分类从而确认相同的河流类型

5 Trial sampling program and refinement of indicators 采样试验，完善指标

6 Selection of suitable benchmarks for ecological indicators

选取合适的生态指标的基准

7 Reporting & Communication 报告和交流

8 Implement management actions to address priority areas/threats

执行管理行动，明确地区/威胁的优先顺序

Important steps 项目发展的重要步骤

1 Identify the objectives of the program 确定项目目标

2 Identify suitable measures (indicators) of drivers, stressors and response

确认合适的驱使因素，压力源和反应的指标

3 Develop conceptual models linking range of drivers to potential impacts

联系驱使因素和潜在影响开发概念模型

4 River Classification to identify homogenous „river types‟

河流分类从而确认相同的河流类型

5 Trial sampling program and refinement of indicators 采样试验，完善指标

6 Selection of suitable benchmarks for ecological indicators

选取合适的生态指标的基准

7 Reporting & Communication 报告和交流

8 Implement management actions to address priority areas/threats

执行管理行动，明确地区/威胁的优先顺序

Building a river health monitoring program构

建河流健康评估项目

Proof of concept概念论证

Pilot studies试点研究

Routine monitoring例行监测

Objectives of the pilot study 试点研究目标

• Demonstrate a method for developing a river

monitoring program阐述开展一个河流健康监测项目的方法

• Undertake a preliminary assessment of the condition of

the pilot site 开展试点河流健康初步评估

• Only a demonstration: limits on the results

Preliminary steps 评

估步骤

• Agree on approach to pilot

确定评估方法

• Agree on objectives –

sensitive indicators due to

high conservation value 确定评估目标

• Identify sites确定评估试点

• Determine data to be

collected确定采集数据类型

Fieldwork to collect samples

fish

diatom

Macroinvert Channel condition

Macrophytes

Phylum Arthropoda Mollusca Mollusca Mollusca Mollusca Mollusca Mollusca Mollusca

Class Crustacea Bivalvia Gastropoda Gastropoda Bivalvia Gastropoda Gastropoda Gastropoda

编号 Order Decapoda Mytiloida

编号 Family

Atyidae Mytilidae Viviparidae Lymnaeidae Corbiculidae Lymnaeidae Valvatidae Melaniidae

编号 Genera Caridina Limnoperna Bellamya Radix corbicula physa Valvata Semisulcospira

编号 Species lacustris aeruginosa Radixswinboei fluminea

编号 Species name_Chinese

米虾属 淡水壳菜 铜锈 椭圆 河蚬 膀胱螺 盘螺 短沟卷

No.1 平度村 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

No.2 龙江 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0

No.3 富罗 71 1 1 27 7 1 4 38

No.4 黄姚 110 0 4 0 12 0 0 0

No.5 下福水电站 0 0 0 4 1 0 6 11

No.6 siqinjiang2 7 23 0 0 43 0 6 57

No.7

红花镇siqinjiang1 0 0 0 3 5 32 0 0

No.8 昭平水电站 2 216 1 1 0 0 0 2

No.9 恭城水文站 0 0 5 25 0 0 0 31

No.10 龙岭 10 0 3 6 4 0 52 28

No.11 荔浦水文站 138 0 0 0 0 11 0 0

No.12 念村 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

No.13 阳朔水文站 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

No.14 遇龙河 32 0 1 0 0 0 0 17

No.15 冠岩 10 0 1 1 11 1 4 7

No.16 潮田河 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0

No.17 新寨 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

No.18 桂林水文站 47 0 3 8 1 3 0 0

No.19 兰田 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

No.20 东江 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0

No.21 灵渠 37 0 9 8 6 2 7 1

No.22 大榕江 10 0 6 9 1 0 0 0

No.23

杉木河（猫儿山） 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

No.24 六洞河 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 8

No.25 乌龟江 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Collation of data

Testing indicators against a disturbance

gradient 测试指标与干扰变化

Disturbance gradient 干扰变化

Low低 High高

Ecolo

gic

al health indic

ato

r

生态健康参数指标

Reference values 参数值

Classification 河流分类

Different types of

river will:

不同的河流将

• Require different

indicators

要求不同的指示物

• Have different targets

有不同的目标

Presentation Heading

Weighting indicator scores

Concentration，浓度

Freq.

(# obs.)，监测频率 All sites – all years，所有点，所有年

95th %’ile 50th %’ile

Single site，

– report year，单点，报告年

80th %’ile

Reference sites

– all years，参考点，所有年

0

(worst case)，最差

1

(reference)，参考点

Standard to achieve values

Convert all values to common scale to allow comparison转化所有结果使其成具有可比性

Compare values against:结果比较

- other sites in study; other studies 与其他点进行比较，与其他研究结果进行比较

- national standards; international standards国家标准，国际标准

Reporting on river health

Mengjin

wetlands

Zhengzhou

wetlands Kaifeng

wetlands

Dongping

Lake

Delta

wetlands

River channel Reaches and Assets

1

2

3

4

Start with objectives (from YRCC) • 1 × Ultimate target

– “Keeping the Yellow River Healthy”

• 4 × Criteria (“the 4-nos”)

– No embankment breaching

– No river running dry

– No water pollution beyond standard

– No riverbed rising further

Establish a framework (from YRCC)

“Healthy Indicators of the Yellow River”

• Flow continuity

• Channel configuration for water and

sediment transportation

• Water quality standard

• River ecosystem

• Water supply capacity

Hydrology

Geomorphology

Water quality

Ecology

Social-economic

Indicator groups

Presentation Heading Presentation Heading

River Health Index

Social/Economic

Fish

Physical form Hydrology Water quality Ecology

Environmental

Indicators…

Invertebrates

Vegetation

Wetland vegetation

(remote sensing)

Primary productivity

Hydraulic habitat

Survey and modelling

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

Exceed

ed

5%

of

tim

e -

wate

r-sed

imen

t re

gu

lati

on

seaso

n d

ail

y

dis

ch

arg

e (

m3/s

)

Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep

Huayuankou

Sunkou

Huayuankou

Lijin

Sediment flushing flow

(flow exceeded 5% of the time)

Xiaolangdi Dam

First releases

Target 3,500 m3/s

No drying-up

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Days o

f cease t

o f

low

LijinCumulative annual days of cease to f low

Annual peak cease to f low spell duration

Xiaolangdi Dam

Trend in water quality (Grade III target)

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Annual - Proportion of months target achieved

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

High flow - Proportion of months target achieved

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Low flow - Proportion of months target achieved

Huayuankou

Channel capacity

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Dis

ch

arg

e (

m3/s

)

Huayuankou bankfull capacity (measured)

Lijin bankfull capacity (Ru et al., 2003)

Huayuankou f lood season average discharge

5-year moving average

Target

Additional indicators

• Socio-economic

• Biological

Presentation Heading

Presentation Heading Presentation Heading

River Health Index

Social/Economic

Fish

Physical form Hydrology Water quality Ecology

Environmental

Indicators…

Invertebrates

Vegetation

Wetland vegetation

(remote sensing)

Primary productivity

Hydraulic habitat

Survey and modelling

Environmental flow requirements

• Consolidation of existing studies, together with expert opinion

• Identify flow requirements for the key assets (wetlands, delta),

focussed on:

– Fish

– Vegetation

– Birds

• Hydrological model to assess capacity to achieve recommended

flows

Presentation Heading

Determining important flow components

High flow pulses:

trigger breeding

and migration

Bankfull flows and

overbank floods: channel

forming flows

Low flows:

Maintain

habitat

Step 3: Defining environmental flow requirements

Conclusions 总结 (1)

• Need to distinguish between:需要区分以下工作

– Work to develop a monitoring program 如何设计开展监测工作

– Routine monitoring 例行监测工作

• Small step on path to developing monitoring program 设计开展监测工作的一些步骤

– Limited reference sites/samples 缩小参照点范围

– quality of results will improve over time 评估项目的设计质量将逐步完善

Conclusions 总结(2)

• Many different policy decisions relating to:许多不同政策制定均与以下各因素相关：

– What is an acceptable level of health 河流健康的可接受底线

– How information should be presented 信息的表现方式

– Suitability of different methods and indicators 各种不同方法及评估指标的适用性

• Suitability will depend on: 这些适用性主要由以下各因素决定：

– Objectives 目标

– Resources 资源

– Capacity 能力

Conclusions 总结

• Importance of making informed decisions, that ensure

we get the best possible outcomes from our rivers

– Awareness of what is important in the river

– Understanding the flow requirements of the

ecosystem

– Understanding the health of our river system

– Conscious decisions about what is acceptable and

what is not; and what we will do about it