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Browsing by Subject "Miller Creek"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    A Comparison of Macroinvertebrate Communities, Habitat, and Water Chemistry Along the Length of Miller Creek
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 1992) Richards, Carl; Tucker, Paul; Kutka, Frank
    Biological communities in streams can serve as useful monitors of habitat and chemical conditions. Recently, the use of biomonitoring to examine water resource quality has become a popular alternative, or addition to standard water assessment protocols for the purposes of management and planning, problem prioritization, and documentation of recovery following remediation efforts. A general theoretical framework for the development of biosurveys has been discussed by Karr (1991). The advantages of using biosurveys for monitoring and assessment purposes include: 1) biological communities reflect overall ecological integrity and therefore may be the most accurate status of a waterbody, 2) biological communities integrate the effects of different pollutant stressors and thus provide a measure of aggregate impact, 3) biological communities integrate stresses over time and provide an ecological measure of fluctuating environmental conditions 4) routine biological monitoring can be relatively inexpensive compared to the costs of detailed chemical and toxicity testing, 5) biological communities are often of direct interest to the public as an indicator of a pollution free environment. Macroinvertebrate communities in streams are effective biomonitors in streams that are relatively stable in time and reflect subtle differences in environmental conditions (Richards and Minshall 1992). Furthermore, general guidelines towards development and use of these communities for biomonitoring have been published widely (Plafkin et al. 1989, OHIO EPA 1987). These approaches follow the suggestions of Karr (1991) in that they utilize multiple community metrics to evaluate instream biological impairment. This approach consists of analyzing different components of the structure and function of macroinvertebrate communities. Each metric contributes ecological information on the integrity of the community in question. Several studies have reported the use of the metric approach with macroinvertebrates in streams (Barbour et al. 1992). Since many aspects of biological communities are dependant on regional and local characteristics, it is necessary to interpret biomonitoring data in light of unique regional characteristics. The purpose of the present study was to examine macroinvertebrate communities at several locations along Miller Creek to determine if biomonitoring techniques indicate significant problems along the watercourse, to compare various techniques for assessment, and to provide a preliminary database for future comparison.
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    Miller Creek Macroinvertebrate, Habitat, and Temperature Report
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 2010) Brady, Valerie; Breneman, Dan
    We sampled benthic macroinvertebrates and stream habitat at five locations in Miller Creek during late May 2008 as part of a TMDL (total maximum daily load) study on temperature. Data collected included: macroinvertebrate community composition, in-stream habitat for invertebrates and fish, stream bottom substrate types, and sediment particle size distribution. These data were linked with temperature logger data supplied by the South Saint Louis Soil and Water Conservation District (SSL SWCD) at or near these five sites, as well as additional sites (total of 27 stations) along the creek. Miller Creek macroinvertebrate and habitat samples were compared to data from several other streams where samples were collected during the early summer.
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    Miller Creek Stormwater Modeling
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 2000) Schomberg, Jesse; Richards, Carl; Host, George E
    The US EPA’s Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) was used to model stormwater runoff volumes and pollutant concentrations in Miller Creek, located in Duluth, Minnesota. The quantity model was calibrated and validated with two years of hourly gage data for three sites along the creek. The quality model had minimal calibration from pollutant loading data for four subcatchments, and was meant for use as a comparative tool to analyze relative changes in pollutants based on various scenarios. As expected, commercial and industrial areas with high amounts of impervious surfaces had a significant impact on the flow volumes, resulting in higher, flashier peaks than undeveloped portions of the watershed. Of the four pollutants modeled (total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, nitrate-Nitrogen, and total Phosphorus), developed areas contributed the majority of all pollutants.