Assessing Best Management Practices for Reducing Impacts of Natural Gas Development Using Stream Algal Biomass and Metabolism

Development of natural gas (NG) infrastructure is occurring throughout most of north-central Arkansas and may have detrimental impacts on the surrounding landscape and streams.  Best management practices (BMPs) are often implemented, but their effectiveness is unknown.  Algal biomass and gross primary production (GPP) have been found to increase across a gradient of well activity and could be good indicators of impacts due to NG development.  We are using a before-after control-impact (BACI) study design to assess the effectiveness of the BMPs used within Scott Henderson Gulf Mountain Wildlife Management Area (WMA) that is being developed for natural gas production.  Six stream reaches within the WMA were sampled for algal biomass and GPP from 2010-2012 prior to NG infrastructure development.  Springtime mean (±1SE) chlorophyll a and GPP were 1.00 ± 0.20 µg/cm² and 1.20 ± 0.43 gC/m²/d, respectively.  We hypothesize that NG infrastructure development in stream catchments in the WMA will increase algal biomass and GPP due to elevated nutrient inputs associated with sediments if BMPs were not effective.