Ecological Uplift on Four Mitigation Banks in Kentucky

Ecosystem Investment Partners (EIP) and Beaver Creek Hydrology (BCH) have collected biological and water quality data on four mitigation banks in Kentucky throughout a 5-year monitoring period to document the effects of stream restoration on ecological function. Fish, macroinvertebrate, and water quality data exhibit a clear progression of recovery on the mitigation banks from the as-built phase through the monitoring period and the final release. Water quality improvements are almost immediate while the macroinvertebrates demonstrate a gradual increase in diversity and abundance over the first few years. By the end of the monitoring period, the fish and macroinvertebrate communities resemble nearby reference reach assemblages.
EIP and BCH have seen tremendous success in the recovery of a federally threatened fish species, the Kentucky arrow darter (Etheostoma spilotum), on an 800 linear foot reach within the North Fork of the Kentucky River Stream Mitigation Bank. Presence of the fish was documented prior to restoration which created a unique opportunity to incorporate design elements specifically targeting the species. Post-construction surveys have shown a proliferation of the Kentucky arrow darter population and an expansion of its range into upstream portions of the mitigation bank.
The ecological uplift that has been documented on these four mitigation banks is a direct result of stream restoration and demonstrates the role and potential of mitigation banking as an ecological restoration tool within our watersheds.