Current Research

The Freshwater Health Index (FHI) is a tool initiated by Conservation International to assess indicators of freshwater health at the watershed level. The indicators transparently assess the health of freshwater systems, where “health” is defined as the ability to sustainably deliver drinking water, crop irrigation, flood protection, and other water-related ecosystem services sustainably — linking upstream areas (supply) with downstream communities (demand). The outcomes of the FHI include the following:

• Obtaining a 'snapshot' of current conditions in the watershed that can be used in follow-up within-basin assessments and climate change and management scenario analyses

• Identify potential trade-offs and areas of improvement for water managers

Working closely with collaborators at UC Riverside and the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, I am applying the Freshwater Health Index to the Santa Ana River Watershed, the largest watershed in Southern California.

Publications

• Qin, G., Anderson, K.E., Palenscar K., & Regan H.M. (2025). Assessing trade-offs between freshwater ecosystem health and ecosystem service delivery in the Santa Ana River Watershed. Ecological Indicators. (Under review).