Assessing aquatic invertebrate response to reduced flows from run-of-the-RIVER hydropower projects on STREAMS in British Columbia

To reverse a trend of energy dependence on out-of-province sources and become self sufficient by 2016, the government of British Columbia has been aggressively promoting new ‘green’ power project developments.  In response, run-of-the-river independent power projects (IPPs) on small to moderate sized streams and rivers have proliferated in recent years.  Integral to the design of each project is balancing competing objectives to maximize water diversion volume and minimize or avoid adverse ecological effects.  Support for this decision making process is being facilitated through emerging guidelines for biotic response monitoring utilizing a before-after, control-impact (BACI) approach. 

We followed the recommended protocol of drift sampling for the first year of baseline data collection at an IPP in 2008, and augmented it with benthic sampling using the three minute kick technique outlined in the Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network (CABIN) protocol.  Our results enabled us to calculate numerous metrics and statistical analyses, and to make a range of inferences about ecological dynamics in streams.  We present strengths and weaknesses of the new guidelines, which are anticipated to become an industry standard for assessing aquatic invertebrate response within the impacted zone for any water withdrawl application.