首页|Deriving optimal hydraulic, water quality and habitat quality criteria against a predefined reference state of urban canals via an analytical method: Implications on ecological rehabilitation

Deriving optimal hydraulic, water quality and habitat quality criteria against a predefined reference state of urban canals via an analytical method: Implications on ecological rehabilitation

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The aim of this study was to showcase derivation of numerical ranges of important environmental variables (hydraulics, water quality and habitat quality) for a predefined reference state of canals in an area where ecological rehabilitation is sought. The reference state was defined based on pollution tolerance index (PTI) of macroinvertebrates. From data collected for two years from three canals with varying levels of pollution for different seasons, dettended correspondence and redundancy analysis ordination plots revealed moderate to weak spatiotemporal gradients. Relationships were built via multiple linear regression (MLR) and by linear or quadratic bivariate models. MLR models managed to explain over 70% of the PTI variation and was significant at P < 0.1. Solving single parameter models with co-efficient of determination >0.3 and P < 0.1 with a targeted PTI of 11, gave season dependent feasible solutions and were mostly hydraulic and habitat quality variables. Out of 24 environmental variables, dry and wet seasons gave 15 and eight feasible solutions, respectively. This study validated the importance of certain environmental variables that are debatable in the context of a healthy stream (e.g., mesoscale physical habitats), showed instances where hydraulics became the defining factor of stream health, and also provided pros and cons of a widely discussed method in ecological rehabilitation.

Canal rehabilitationHabitat qualityStream hydraulicsMacroinvertebrate responsesReference conditionsWater quality

Ganegoda K. Dehini、Pattiyage I.A. Gomes

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Department of Civil Engineering, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, New Kandy Road, Malabe 10115, Sri Lanka

2022

Ecological engineering

Ecological engineering

EISCI
ISSN:0925-8574
年,卷(期):2022.182
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