A stream condition index for watersheds in Northern Kentucky designed for better public understanding of watershed assessments

Numerous indices have been developed to assess aquatic systems and watershed conditions. Water quality indices are common, and have focused on aspects such as the chemical and bacteriological characteristics of waters. Other indices have been developed to characterize and evaluate ecosystem components such as physical habitat, aquatic biota, and/or conditions in the watershed that affect stream health. Multimetric indexes have become an environmental classification standard in the U.S. because they can provide reliable and relevant signals of anthropogenic impacts on ecosystem health and condition.  Sanitation District No. 1 (SD1) is charged with the regional management on sanitary and storm water systems, evaluation of current and potential impacts, planning for future regional needs and the implementation of sanitary and storm water system projects in this area. As an evaluation and planning tool, SD1 has developed a Stream Condition Index (SCI) that examines biological, chemical, physical and flow attributes of Northern Kentucky streams to facilitate better public understanding of the relative conditions and future changes of Northern Kentucky watersheds. This multimetric index serves as a means for summarizing large amounts of complex data into simple terms, primarily for reporting watershed health to a non-technical audience.