Protection of stream ecosystems from urban stormwater runoff: The multiple benefits of an ecohydrological approach

Abstract

There is now widespread recognition of the degrading influence of urban stormwater runoff on stream ecosystems and of the need to mitigate these impacts using stormwater control measures. Unfortunately, however, understanding of the flow regime requirements to protect urban stream ecosystems remains poor, with a focus typically on only limited aspects of the flow regime. We review recent literature discussing ecohydrological approaches to managing urban stormwater and, building on the natural flow paradigm, identify ecologically relevant flow metrics that can be used to design stormwater control measures to restore more natural magnitude, duration, timing, frequency and variability of both h..