Duke Power has begun a fish-instream flow survey in the Tuckasegee River that will provide information used in developing a management plan for the river.

Personnel from Duke Power/Nantahala Area, NC Wildlife Resources, N.C. Division of Water Resources and Duke Engineering and Services are among those participating in the study.

The main portion of the study, underway now, consists of gathering data at 41 sections along the main stem of the Tuckasegee River. Studies will also be conducted in Wolf Creek, Tennessee Creek, and Cedar Cliff. The sections were chosen to be representative of the different habitats along the river.

The objectives of the study are to quantify and evaluate relationships between flow rate and habitat for aquatic communities; to provide a basis for reaching agreement on site-specific, habitat-based, seasonal instream flow; to identify and evaluate a range of specific flow management options that will be analyzed for critical biological periods such as spawning and rearing periods.

Michael Barclay of Duke Engineering and Services used a cataraft outfitted with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) to assist in data gathering. Barclay has been doing stream surveys for more than 15 years. Catarafts are commonly used in the west but relatively new to stream studies in the east, he said. The craft and high-tech equipment deliver accurate data and speed up the process.

The cataraft built on two pontoons has oars and a mount for an outboard motor. The motor is used to hold the craft in place during data collection. An electric trolling motor was all the power needed in the Tuckasegee.

The ADCP is a sophisticated instrument that utilizes the Doppler effect to measure current velocity, read the depth and profile the bottom of the stream. The ADCP is mounted on the bow of the cataraft and the data collected is displayed on a computer screen mounted on the craft. The cataraft and ADCP require a minimum depth of two and a half feet, and can measure depths up to 99 feet and are ideal for surveying pools and deep portions of river.

The sections are surveyed at low flow, median flow and high flow. Barclay said the survey is a tool for measuring habitat responses to changes in current and depth.

The approach for the study consists of describing or quantifying aquatic biota associated with each site, conducting habitat surveys, and modeling habitat responses to changes in flow.

Duke Power/Nantahala Regipon is currently going through relicensing for its Western North Carolina hydro-electric plants. The relicensing will include a new management plan for the rivers that will be issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Streamflow data is important because it affects aquatic life in different ways. What whitewater users of the river want may differ from what fisherman want, and that may differ from what environmentalists want.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News