Get reliable science

Since the arrival of European settlers, many Great Basin springs and seeps have been altered to provide water for livestock using a springbox structure. This has resulted in altered natural hydrologic processes that often fail to maintain spring function such as depleted surface water and lowered water tables levels, below that needed to sustain hydrophilic plant species. The purpose of this study is to characterize the impact of springboxes on ecohydrology and assess restoration potential by testing different spring reconstruction techniques. �Twenty-four springbox sites were located within the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, located in northwestern Nevada. �Sites were divided into four groups based on flow rates. Within each group, springboxes were randomly assigned to one of six treatments; 1) capped pipes within the springbox to prevent outflow, 2) removal of the springbox and filled with sand, 3) removal of the springbox and filled with gravel, 4) outer springbox shell remains and is filled with sand, 5) outer springbox shell remains and is filled with gravel, and 6) control. Hydrologic (flow rate, geochemistry, temperature), vegetation structure (composition, cover), and wildlife use data were collected during 2016 and 2017. Intact springboxes filled with sand was most successful in returning surface water flows (3 of 4 sites recovered). �Sites with restored surface flows saw a shift in plant composition away from sagebrush to more riparian species and increased overall biomass in the first year after treatment. The results of this study can be used by managers to assess the potential impacts of future restoration efforts on impaired spring ecohydrology. �Additionally, these data provide understanding of the response of sagebrush-steppe plant communities to reestablishment of natural hydrologic conditions, and may give insight into techniques that could be used to encourage positive recovery in similar ecosystems.