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Cited by 25Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecologyHydrology and Sediment Transport ProcessesFish Ecology and Management Studies

Irrigation canals are newly created streams of semi-arid agricultural regions

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Carlson, Erick A., Cooper, David J., Merritt, David M., Kondratieff, Boris C., Waskom, Reagan M.·2019·Science of The Total Environment
DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.246
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Abstract

The natural hydrologic processes that create and maintain the diversity of aquatic and riparian habitats along the World's streams and rivers have been profoundly altered by humans. Diversion of surface water to support production agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions has degraded ecosystems but also created potential habitat along and in canals specifically designed to transport water. The prevalence of canals and the immense amount of water used for agriculture have created these new artificial stream systems. This study demonstrates the potential for irrigation canals to support riparian and aquatic communities similar to natural streams in urban/residential and agricultural landscapes. We examined the hydrological and ecological characteristics of streams and irrigation canals in urban and agricultural landscapes in northeastern Colorado, typical of regions dominated by irrigation-supported agriculture. Flow patterns in canals depended on their size and had a range of patterns with potential ecological consequences such as rapidly rising and falling water stage, intermittent dry periods, and delayed peak and base flows compared to natural streams. Despite these hydrologic differences, the taxonomic and functional composition of riparian plant and aquatic macroinvertebrate communities indicated that ecological similarities exist between streams and canals, but are dependent, in part, on their landscape setting with stronger similarities in agricultural areas. We also tested the influence of characterizing taxa by functional groups using physiology, ecology and life history traits to explore attributes of habitats including woody canopy structure and water quality. We used a Habitat Quality Index (HQI) that combined physical and biological measures into a single index. Streams scored higher on average within agriculture and urban/residential settings compared to canals; however, one third of urban canals scored above the average of agricultural streams. This multidisciplinary study shows that irrigation canals can be valuable riparian and aquatic habitat, especially in regions with severely degraded streams.

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  • As flow regimes in ditches change seasonally following either natural hydrological cycles or human activities, water retention time in ditches can vary dramatically, with consequences for biogeochemical function.

    “As flow regimes in ditches change seasonally following either natural hydrological cycles or human activities 123 , water retention time in ditches can vary dramatically, with consequences for biogeochemical function 11,109,124 .”

    From Lines in the landscape (2025) · cites this paper as [123]

  • In intensively farmed or urbanized landscapes, ditches often represent the only available refugia for aquatic and riparian wildlife and can reflect a range of natural habitat analogues that have been lost due to agricultural intensification, land drainage, and water abstraction.

    “In intensively farmed or urbanized landscapes (Fig. 1A, B, E, F, H, Supplementary Table 1), ditches often represent the only available refugia for aquatic and riparian wildlife and can reflect a range of natural habitat analogues that have been lost due to agricultural intensification, land drainage, and water abstraction 123,204 .”

    From Lines in the landscape (2025) · cites this paper as [123]

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Authors
Carlson, E. A., Cooper, D. J., Merritt, D. M., Kondratieff, B. C., & Waskom, R. M.
Affiliations
  • Colorado State University (US)
  • US Forest Service (US)
Corresponding author
Carlson, Erick A.
ORCID
Venue
Science of The Total Environment
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-01
Volume
646
Pages
770-781
ISSN
0048-9697 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.246
OpenAlex
W2883621798
Cited by
25
References
87
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 4
FWCI
1.88
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • The Science of The Total Environment (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation IGERT, I-WATER: Integrated Water, Atmosphere, Ecosystem Education
  • Research Program at Colorado State University (DGE-0966346)
  • Colorado Water Institute (2014CO296B)
  • Colorado State University
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Hydrology and Sediment Transport Processes
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Fish Ecology and Management Studies
Keywords
irrigation canals, artificial streams, riparian zones, aquatic macroinvertebrates, riparian plant communities, flow patterns, habitat quality index, functional traits, semi-arid agriculture, urban canals, stream degradation, northeastern Colorado

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