Evaluation of ecological, stressor and social factors for the prioritization and restoration of Trinity River Basin watershed

Abstract

Public interest in the restoration of impaired water bodies is growing, and as such, it is critical to understand the causes of impairment and the likelihood of successful restoration. Restoration efforts often focus on a specific factor (stressors) of the impaired water body without including equally important but often overlooked societal and ecological factors. In this study, segment-specific indicators such as stressor exposure, ecological capacity, and societal traits were used to perform a screening analysis to evaluate the restoration potential of fifteen impaired segments in the Trinity River Basin. Data obtained for each impaired segment were normalized and compared using simple ranking, three-dimensional bubble plots, and mapping. Results indicate that when individual indices were rank-ordered, water segments that ranked low on the stressor index and high on the ecological and social indices had the best chance of restoration. While the three-dimensional bubble plot analysis of interrelated ecological, stressor, and social indices suggests that watershed segments with high ecological and low stressor indices may not necessarily be prime candidates for restoration. Their ranking on the social index score determines their priority for restoration. The results of the screening analysis show the utility of the recovery potential screening tool in prioritizing the restoration of impaired water bodies.