Basinwide Water Use Management Planning for Atlantic Salmon Restoration
Maine State Planning Office
Augusta, ME
Wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) populations, native to only a few river
basins in eastern Maine have declined, as they have on other North American
rivers. The Atlantic Salmon Conservation Plan was prepared by Maine governmental
agencies, conservation organizations, corporations, and interested individuals
as an alternative way to address impacts without the need for federal endangered
species listing. One key issue identifies balancing water withdrawal for
human uses as a significant potential threat to salmon habitat, and calls
for "a Total Water Use Management Plan for each watershed..." to balance
"...needs of both Atlantic salmon and agricultural production." During the
course of this study, these Atlantic salmon populations were designated
as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
Kleinschmidt was selected to conduct the Instream Flow Incremental Methodology studies needed to support each Plan, and to advise the Maine State Planning Office, Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission, U.S.G.S., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Water Use Planning Committee. The IFIM program was the largest such study ever conducted in New England, and encompassed multiple study sites on three river basins located in remote eastern Maine. Kleinschmidt developed the study scope, led the study team, conducted all phases of the field work and PHABSIM modeling, and presented written reports and oral interpretation of the data in public meetings. A habitat frequency time-series was developed to predict the extent of habitat quality attainable under naturally occurring stream discharge scenarios in each reach as defined by hydrologic data.
All three watersheds were unregulated and largely ungaged, and thus significant planning and coordination was required to collect data in a timely manner. Kleinschmidt completed the entire program on budget and six months ahead of the program schedule.
In addition to providing IFIM study services, Kleinschmidt advised the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine State Planning Office, the Governor’s Office, agricultural irrigators in the affected river basins, and Trout Unlimited regarding water withdrawal permitting related to habitat protection in these basins. Kleinschmidt was also retained to assist the State of Maine and stakeholder groups in developing the final Water Use Plan. Kleinschmidt’s role was to combine and assist in analyzing the following elements:
- IFIM models of each stream segment in each basin.
- Groundwater-hydrologic models to project available base flow for each basin.
- Existing and projected water demand.
- A review of the feasibility and environmental impact of alternative sources of consumptive water supply (reservoirs, groundwater pumps, etc.).