Category: Peach Springs

tive Flows Might Mitigate Negative Impacts The decline of aquatic insects downstream from some hydroelectric dams has been linked to a widespread practice known as hydropeaking, whereby river flows are increased during the day when electricity demands are large, according to a new study led by the U.S. Geological Survey, along with researchers from Oregon State University, Utah State University and Idaho State University. Findings show it may be possible to mitigate these negative effects by using alternative hydropower practices.Aquatic insects play an essential role in river food webs and are the main food source for countless species of fish, birds, bats and other wildlife. This study identified how abrupt water level changes affect aquatic insects in every stage of life, which is an important step toward understanding how to potentially improve river health downstream of hydropeaking dams throughout the world. The research was based in part on a large citizen science project with more than 2,500 insect samples taken on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, downstream of Glen Canyon Dam. This dataset was collected almost entirely by river guides, educational groups, and other citizen scientists. Researchers also tested the effects of abrupt water levels changes on river health by comparing insect diversity across 16 large dammed rivers in the western United States that vary in the degree of hydropeaking. The full report is available online in the...