Abstract
The Saline River is one of two significant river systems in Arkansas that does not have a major impoundment. In the interest of continuing this status, this project was conducted. Thirty-five sites on the four major and six minor tributaries of the upper saline River, Saline and Garland Counties, Arkansas, were visited a total of 58 times between 24 January 1985 and 21 November 1986. Habitat quality was assessed by measuring twelve physicochemical features and flow parameters, analyzing substrate composition and describing stream morphometry. Physicochemical measurements were within the limits of good quality habitat, and most of the readings were quite low. Representative sites on the four major tributaries had pool/riffle ratios between 1.1 and 2.9, whereas a comparison site on the Saline main stem downstream from Benton had a ratio of 4.1. Lower ratios represent an early equal length of pool vs. riffle thus offering in optimum number of niches for occupation by a stable ratio of forage to predatory fish species. There was a wide variety of refugia within the habitat for the temporary escape and protection of forage species, but some sites lacked such refugia for the Ouachita madtom because sand and silt had settled into the substrate interstices. Substrate composition was highly variable. Riffles contained pieces of many sizes from sand to large rock (up to 30 cm dia.). Average percent in each size group were >1 7mm = 58% (range 0-90), 6.3-1 6mm = 24% (range 0-60), 1.0-6.2mm = 9.4% (range 0-50), 0.5-0.9mm =3.5% (range 0-10),
Recommended Citation
Rickett, John D.
(1987)
"Physiography and Hydrology of the Upper Saline River, Saline and Garland Counties, Arkansas,"
Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 41, Article 20.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol41/iss1/20
