The effect of wet weather driven dissolved oxygen sags on fishes in urban stream - A pilot study

One of the leading pollutants affecting urban waterways are oxygen-depleting substances within receiving waters during wet weather events. The effects of these events on aquatic species have been difficult to assess, with the assumption being that these events adversely affect the biota within receiving waters because DO levels are reduced. Studies examining the effect on free-swimming fishes from wet-weather driven DO reductions are lacking.Recent advances in biotelemetry allow researchers to collect real-time, high-resolution data on the behavior and exposure of free-swimming fishes and should be expanded to include wet weather events. This information can provide researchers with information on habitat selection and oxygen exposure and preferences in complex urban-aquatic environments. This information would be valuable for the regulated urban communities and regulators because it could lead to policies that are both attainable and protective of fisheries uses.  Wet weather events within the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) are well documented, but fish responses to those events are not well understood.  This pilot study uses acoustic telemetry technologies to collect field-derived information from free-swimming fishes, leading to advances in wet-weather research. Our research design and their preliminary results will be presented for this Water Environment Research Federation funded project.