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Citation
| M.A. Harris, B.C. Scudder, F.A. Fitzpatrick, and T.L. Arnold, 2005, Physical, Chemical, and Biological Responses to Urbanization in the Fox and Des Plaines River Basins of Northeastern Illinois and Southeastern Wisconsin, U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5218. |
Abstract
| Physical, chemical, and biological responses to urbanization were examined along an agricultural to urban watershed land-cover gradient of 45 stream sites in the Fox and Des Plaines River Basins in northeastern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin, including the Chicago metropolitan area. The study was conducted during 2000–01 as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality Assessment Program, upper Illinois River Basin study. Correlation, nonparametric analysis of variance, and multivariate analyses were used to assess interactions among the watershed characteristics. Physical characteristics of stream sites were affected by landscape characteristics and land-use practices, as well as by urbanization. Bankfull-channel area was smaller and less variable for stream sites with 10 percent or less watershed urban land, than for stream sites with more watershed urban land. Concentrations of chloride and sodium in water increased, whereas concentrations of calcium and magnesium decreased with increasing percent watershed urban land. Concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel and zinc in streambed sediment increased with increasing percent watershed urban land. Indices representing benthic algal, macroinvertebrate, and fish biological communities declined as urban land cover increased. Indices of macroinvertebrate and fish communities initially declined sharply from 0 to 30 percent urban land cover. Urban indicator variables and variables correlated with urban land cover were important on the first axis of all indirect and direct ordinations of all three biological communities. Environmental variables that were correlated to biological communities included urban land-use indicators, concentrations of trace elements in streambed sediment, and dissolved ions in water. Other important environmental variables were related to stream slope, stream power and the transport index, percent fines in the substrate, canopy cover and nutrients. |
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