Beta version of stream geomorphology tool developed to aid in setting environmental flow targets

SCCWRP and its partners have developed a beta version of a tool that can provide information on geomorphic structure for stream sites across coastal California, part of an ongoing effort to help watershed managers better manage environmental flows in streams statewide.

The geomorphology classification tool, which is undergoing review by a California Water Quality Monitoring Council workgroup, is intended to provide insights into how a stream’s geomorphic structure influences its hydrologic flow patterns and overall ecological functioning.

The tool incorporates geomorphic field data from about 240 stream sites, including more than 60 in Southern California.

The geomorphology tool is the latest step in the ongoing development of the California Environmental Flows Framework, a best-practices approach for evaluating environmental flow needs and setting scientifically defensible flow targets that optimally protect the health of coastal streams across California.