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Environmental and Coastal Resources Management |
Sensitivity Mapping of Stream Reaches A scheme for mapping the sensitivity of smaller rivers and streams to oil pollution did not exist prior to a project carried out by Research Planning, Inc. (RPI) (under contract to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA]) for EPA Region 4 that was completed in April 1996. The abstract of a synthesis paper on that project follows. The overall objective of that activity was to assist EPA Region 4 in accomplishing its Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) mandates for the sensitive area mapping component of oil spill contingency planning requirements. |
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Phase 1
The project began with a regional assessment of the rivers and streams of the southeastern USA in order to develop an appropriate sensitivity mapping scheme for the streams in the area. The primary result of Phase 1 was the development of a Reach Sensitivity Index (RSI), which ranked the sensitivity of the reaches of the streams based on two primary criteria:
The degree of difficulty anticipated for the containment and recovery of the spilled oil; and
The sensitivity and vulnerability of the associated wetlands. The RSI for the southeastern USA is presented in Table 1.
Phase 2
The project was completed with the production of a sensitivity atlas of the Leaf River, Mississippi, which, in addition to the RSI, included sensitive biological and human-use resources, and potential access and collection points for spill response.
The scientific research and field mapping for these projects are conducted by RPI's senior geomorphologist, Miles O. Hayes. Mark White supervises the GIS component.
TABLE 1. The reach sensitivity index (RSI) for oil spills devised for the small rivers and streams of the southeastern USA.
REACH SENSITIVITY INDEX (SE USA)
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| Quiet pool with low-sensitive banks | |
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| Currents; low-sensitive banks (non-navigable) | |
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| Currents; low-sensitive banks (navigable) | |
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| Rapids over bedrock (non-navigable) | |
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| Rapids over bedrock (navigable) | |
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| Moderately sensitive/low vulnerable wetlands | |
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| Highly sensitive/moderately vulnerable wetlands | |
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| Straight channel; highly sensitive/highly vulnerable wetlands | |
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| Sinuous channel; highly sensitive/highly vulnerable wetlands | |
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| Multi-channeled; highly sensitive/highly vulnerable wetlands |
THE REACH SENSITIVITY INDEX (RSI) FOR MAPPING RIVERS AND STREAMS
Miles O. Hayes, Jacqueline Michel, and Todd M. Montello
Research Planning, Inc., 1121 Park Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29201
ABSTRACT: Strategies for identifying and protecting sensitive inland areas under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) management have focused on major rivers and have built on the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) approach developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for marine environments. A watershed approach has been refined and applied to smaller rivers and streams in the southeastern United States. Existing standardized river classification schemes did not adequately address oil spill response issues. Thus a new stream reach sensitivity scheme was developed, based on (1) the degree of difficulty anticipated for the containment and recovery of spilled oil; and (2) the sensitivity and vulnerability of associated wetlands. This scheme considered the following factors: navigability, water flow patterns, stream size, occurrence of suitable collection points inherent in the stream type, and channel leakage and bifurcation. A reach sensitivity index (RSI) was prototyped using streams in South Carolina, and then was applied to the Leaf River watershed in Mississippi. The RSI is on a scale of 1 to 10. The final atlas and digital product are maps at a scale of 1:100,000 showing the RSI, sensitive biological and human-use resources, and potential access and collection points.
Published in: Proceedings, 1997 International Oil Spill Conference. American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C., pp. 343-350.
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P.O. Box 328, 1121 Park Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29201 USA
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