Description: Large river reaches were selected as a conservation priority if they had 1) occurrences of quality community types from all three groups – mussels, macroinvertebrates and fish, and 2) fish or macroinvertebrate metric scores above the 90th percentile for all large river reaches. Alternatively, some reaches of large rivers were selected as a conservation priority as a result of the recommendations from regional experts that were familiar with individual river systems.
Description: Conservation Priority Areas represent watersheds with the highest levels of biological diversity and low levels of human disturbance.
Tier 1. Conservation areas represent the top 10% of the watersheds measured.
Tier 2. Conservation areas represent the watersheds that scored between the top 10% and 20%.
The methodology used to classify the Conservation Areas is explained in Chapter 10 of the ACC report.
Description: Watershed Enhancement Areas are watersheds that do not qualify as "Conservation" or "Restoration" priorities. These Enhancement watersheds reflect conditions that are likely not in pristine condition, but are prime candidates for light restoration action because they are not as severly degraded as the Restoration watersheds.
Tier 1. Enhancement watersheds represent areas that are in the top half of this middle category; they are likely to be in good condition, but face some threats to water quality.
Tier 2. Enhancement watersheds are in the bottom half of this category, and represent watersheds that have significant water quality issues and could benefit greatly from restoration action.
The methodology used to classify the Enhancement Areas is explained in Chapter 12 of the ACC report.
Description: The Priority Restoration Watershed analysis indicates which watersheds are in the worst condition and are a priority for habitat restoration. Tier 1. Restoration areas represents the most
disturbed watersheds that exist in Pennsylvania. There is much physical alteration in these watersheds, and the in-stream habitat supports only the most pollution-tolerant organisms.
Tier 2. Restoration areas category are also impaired, but their
need for restoration action may not be as immediate as those with Tier 1 status.
The methodology used to classify the Restoration Areas is explained in Chapter 11 of the ACC report.
Description: The ACC study area includes the entire Delaware, Susquehanna, Allegheny and Monongahela River Basins and parts of the Erie, Genessee, Potomac and Ohio River Basins.
Description: Watersheds are based on the USGS Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUC) 8. Click on the Download GIS Files button to download aquatic GIS layers associated with the watershed. All of the ACC GIS files are available for download at the ACC website.
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