Stream Health Workgroup

The Stream Health Workgroup is dedicated to creating positive impacts on streams within the Chesapeake Bay watershed by improving the health and the ecological integrity of at least an additional 4,340 (approximately 3%) nontidal stream miles every six years.

Meetings

‍View all meetings‍ View group calendar

About

Streams are the lifeline of the watershed, connecting each of us to the symbiotic reality of its watershed. Streams provide unique habitat for fish, waterbirds, amphibians, mammals and a place for us to recreate and appreciate nature. However, human-induced and natural stressors often threaten the health of these places, risking the well-being of the watershed many call home.

The Chesapeake Bay Program’s Stream Health Workgroup aims to affect overall positive change on streams in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by coordinating expert input on restoration techniques, determining the biological health of streams throughout the watershed, providing a venue for sharing new scientific findings and tracking progress toward the Stream Health Outcome of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. Over the past 15 years the Stream Health Workgroup has taken on the quest to research how stream restoration practices and water quality improvement best management practices (BMPs) can best maximize biological uplift.

What Makes a Stream Healthy?

Stream health is defined by the biological health of the stream measured by the Chesapeake Benthic Index of Biological Integrity (Chessie BIBI). The Chessie BIBI is a measure of benthic invertebrates within streams, which serve as the base of the food chain and determine the likelihood of being able to support higher level wildlife such as fish, waterbirds and amphibians.

Explore the most recent Chessie BIBI data release from our partner, the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin.

Limitations of the Chessie BIBI

While the Chessie BIBI is an excellent indicator of the biotic community, it does not necessarily capture local improvements in hydraulics, geomorphology or physicochemical qualities that drive ecological uplift of stream restoration projects and other watershed BMPs. It is derived from comprehensive data collected over six-year increments and as such, benefits or negative impacts from management interventions take a long time to be observed in the data. Additionally, the Chessie BIBI alone cannot identify the cause of stream biotic communities impairments that may be addressed with targeted management actions.

Due to these limitations, the workgroup is exploring including other non-biological metrics and their data availability throughout the watershed to complement the Chessie BIBI.

Get Involved

If you would like to join the workgroup as a member or an interested party, please reach out to the workgroup chairs and/or staffer.

Projects

Non-Biotic Stream Health Indicators

In Progress

The Stream Health Workgroup is exploring additional stream corridor metrics to allow analysis at a whole watershed-scale, a more rapid reporting timeframe and the ability to attribute causes of biological impairment to inform management interventions.

Publications

The State of the Science and Practice of Stream Restoration in the Chesapeake: Lessons Learned to Inform Better Implementation, Assessment, and Outcomes

Publication date:

This report summarizes the proceedings of a workshop that reviewed and distilled lessons learned from past stream corridor restoration projects to improve future restoration outcomes.

View document [PDF, 2.6 MB] The State of the Science and Practice of Stream Restoration in the Chesapeake: Lessons Learned to Inform Better Implementation, Assessment, and Outcomes

Our Watershed Agreement Goals & Outcomes

Thriving Habitat, Fisheries & Wildlife Goal

Our Members