Publication Date
12-5-2003
Abstract
In April 2003, the Ipswich River was designated as the nation’s third most threatened river by a national organization, American Rivers, due to critically low flows and extended periods of no flow. Under the direction of the Ipswich River Council, a public/private working group, a surface run-off model was adapted and used by the U.S. Geological Survey to simulate the impacts of ground water and surface water withdrawals as well as land use on the river (Zarriello and Ries, 2000). A habitat study (Armstrong et. al., 2001) in combination with the model results provided the scientific basis and quantification for restoration. However, further modeling scenarios (Zarriello, 2001) indicate that due to the high degree of connectivity between the groundwater and surface water systems and the limited extent of the aquifers, restoration can only be achieved through a combination of methods including reduced water use, wastewater discharge and stormwater recharge.