Kassen, Melinda; Williams, Jack E. --- "Energy, Water and the Natural Environment" [2011] ELECD 1021; in Kenney, S. Douglas; Wilkinson, Robert (eds), "The Water–Energy Nexus in the American West" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2011)

Book Title: The Water–Energy Nexus in the American West

Editor(s): Kenney, S. Douglas; Wilkinson, Robert

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781849809368

Section: Chapter 2

Section Title: Energy, Water and the Natural Environment

Author(s): Kassen, Melinda; Williams, Jack E.

Number of pages: 13

Extract:

2. Energy, water and the natural
environment
Melinda Kassen and Jack E. Williams

2.1. INTRODUCTION: THE IMPORTANCE OF
RIVERINE HABITATS TO THE NATURAL
ENVIRONMENT

Flowing water shapes the world we live in. Rivers and streams carve
canyons and build valleys. They provide us with sustenance and a place
to recreate. They are a source of aesthetic pleasure and can even serve
as a source of spiritual inspiration. However, most of the products and
services that we realize from rivers and streams are largely taken for
granted.
When viewed in context with their riparian habitats, floodplains and
watersheds, the benefits provided by river systems substantially increase.
These systems not only provide drinking water, they purify it. They can
moderate the impact of floods and lessen the severity of droughts. They
slow runoff and erosion, recharge aquifers and maintain at least minimal
baseflows in rivers, even during dry summers. Additionally, rivers and
streams in North America support a wealth and diversity of living things,
including over 1000 native, freshwater fish species (Williams and Miller,
1990), and more than 600 mayfly species (Hafele and Hughes, 2004).
The ability of rivers and streams to provide these benefits is influenced
profoundly by their health. The health of flowing waters can be deter-
mined by examining them for increases in rates of erosion, changes in
flow regimes, resistance and resilience to disturbances such as floods and
droughts, the loss of native species and the presence of invasive, non-
native species. In degraded or highly modified ...