MONITORING THE RESTORATION OF RED BROOK, A SMALL COASTAL STREAM IN SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS

The removal of flow barriers has increased greatly over recent years as a form of stream restoration. Often there is little effort, money or guidance available for the long term post-removal monitoring, hence it is difficult to assess the overall success of these projects. If monitoring is done, it is typically on an annual basis following restoration activities. We are monitoring the restoration of Red Brook, a 4.5 mile long, spring-fed, coastal stream which is currently on the priority projects list of the Massachusetts Riverways Program. The long-term goal of the Red Brook Restoration project is to naturalize the stream and restore its function by removing man-made flumes, eliminating sources of unnatural sedimentation, and enhancing habitat for sea-run brook trout. We are using a combination of in-situ measurements (for channel geometry and bedload sampling), geophysical techniques (ground penetrating radar) and a remotely-accessed environmental sensor network to monitor flow and sediment movement in the Brook before and after the flume removal. We have based our monitoring approach on the Stream Barrier Removal Monitoring Guide, recently published by The Gulf of Maine Council (GoMC) on the Marine Environment. During the summer of 2008, we quantified the extent of sediment deposits that had built up behind the three existing flumes. The upper flume was removed in September 2008 and we are currently in the process of monitoring changes in the channel geomorphology in response to this removal. By using multiple techniques and sub-annual sampling intervals we will be able to compare monitoring methods and assess the effectiveness of aquatic habitat restoration within the first year after flume removal. To our knowledge, we are the first to implement the monitoring strategy outlined in the GoMC guidance document, hence we will be able to make recommendations with respect to this approach.