Trainings completed to support release of tools for assessing stream flow duration

SCCWRP and its partners have completed a pair of field trainings to support the upcoming release of final versions of stream flow classification tools designed to help watershed managers determine which streams the federal government has jurisdiction to regulate under the Clean Water Act.

The trainings for the Streamflow Duration Assessment Methods (SDAMs) – which were completed in September and October in Oakland and Denver, respectively – were attended by staff from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Attendees are expected to provide additional training to other end users.

The tools are designed to help managers across five regions of the U.S. rapidly distinguish among intermittent, ephemeral and perennial streams using easily observable indicators, such as wetland vegetation and aquatic invertebrates.

Beta versions of the tools were released for different regions between 2021 and 2023. The final versions of the tools for the Western Mountains, Great Plains, and Arid West, which includes Southern California, are expected to be released this winter, followed by final versions for the Northeast and Southeast regions.