Development of an Urban Watershed Rehabilitation Method Using Stakeholder Feedback to Direct Investigation and Restoration
Funder: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Water and Watersheds Program
This interdisciplinary project developed and tested a method for restoring the ecological integrity of urban watersheds that combines ecology, engineering, and social sciences. The following hypotheses were tested: 1) risk-based models developed for agricultural NPS pollution management can be applied to urban watersheds and 2) a) stakeholders’ understanding of NPS pollution issues, b) use of systems thinking, c) ability to use scientific information about TMDLs/rehabilitaiton options, and d) communication competence will increase as a result of the Collaborative Learning (CL) intervention.
Baseline data on the San Antonio population were gathered through a survey of a random sample of that population. Stakeholder council members were recruited using both leads developed from the larger San Antonio survey and from face-to-face interviews with residents of the two watersheds, using a snowball sampling technique. Once councils were formed, the CL intervention used iterative input from stakeholders to guide risk-based research and restoration planning. Two integrated eco-indicators—periphyton and bluegill sunfish—were used to evaluate and communicate risk to the stakeholder groups. The effectiveness of the CL process was evaluated using both pretest and posttest surveys with council members and face-to-face interviews with council members at the conclusion of the CL process.
The project also integrated four modeling activities: a GIS-based riparian zone impact zone model, a BASINS-HSPF watershed model, an Ecophys Fish model, and a STELLA watershed model linking watershed policy and management decisions to watershed hydrologic response. In addition, a simulation of citizen behavior was developed to integrate human behavioral models with watershed models.
Research team members included Dr. Charles D. Samuelson, (psychology), Dr. Marty D. Matlock (biological and agricultural engineering, University of Arkansas), Dr. Tarla Rai Peterson (communication, University of Utah), Dr. Guy D. Whitten (political science), Dr. William H. Neill (wildlife and fisheries sciences), Dr. Ann L. Kenimer (biological and agricultural engineering), Dr. Arnold Vedlitz (ISTPP/political science), Dr. Letitia T. Alston, (ISTPP/sociology), Dr. Susan J. Gilbertz (geography and communication), and Meg Patterson Rogers (ISTPP).
