Defining ecosystem flow requirements for the Bill Williams River, Arizona

Product Type: Open-file Report

Year: 2006

Author(s): Shafroth, P.B., and V.B. Beauchamp, (eds.)

Pages: 135

Suggested Citation: Shafroth, P.B., and V.B. Beauchamp, (eds.). 2006. Defining ecosystem flow requirements for the Bill Williams River, Arizona: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2006-1314. 135 p.

Abstract

Alteration of natural river flows resulting from the construction and operation of dams can result in substantial changes to downstream aquatic and bottomland ecosystems and undermine the long-term health of native species and communities (for general review, cf. Ward and Stanford, 1995; Baron and others, 2002; Nilsson and Svedmark, 2002). Increasingly, land and water managers are seeking ways to manage reservoir releases to produce flow regimes that simultaneously meet human needs and maintain the health and sustainability of downstream biota…