Upland Watershed Considerations for Comprehensive River Restoration

The source of water, sediment and many water quality constituents for large rivers and wetlands is typically found in upland contributing watersheds. This is particularly evident for the topographically complex landscapes of the interior Pacific Northwest and Great Basin regions, where meltwater from high-elevation snowpacks is the primary water source for rivers traversing extensive semiarid lowlands. These conditions are demonstrated for a rangeland watershed system in which hydrologic regime of headwaters and mid-elevation sectors is intimately linked to streamflow and channel processes in low-elevation, higher-order stream reaches. Adequately understanding hydrologic and ecosystem characteristics of the source watershed is requisite to comprehensive, successful river or wetland restoration and management.