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2. Following full urban buildout, do urban streams reach a geomorphic "dynamic equilibrium"? Can we predict the extent of channel physical degradation resulting from urbanization?

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3. How common are reduced baseflows in urban streams?

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4. How do temperatures and dissolved oxygen levels differ in urban streams from reference streams? (what is the evidence that they are at problem levels?)

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How does the urban stream hydrogeomorphic response differ:

5. For spring-fed urban streams vs. runoff-dominated streams?

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6. For low-gradient vs. high-gradient streams?

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7. In response to other climatic and soil differences, and in response to climate change?

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8. For different spatial arrangements, age and drainage infrastructure of urban land?

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B. Characterizing Structure and Function of Urban Stream Ecosystems

9. How does urbanization affect microbial aspects of the stream ecosystem?

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10. How nutrient-retentive are urban streams? How does this vary spatially?

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11. How important is alteration of the trophic basis of production-the rapid loss of leaves in some urban streams? How common? If the leaves were there, would higher trophic levels still be there?

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12. Can invasive species functionally replace native species?

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13. How do the biotic endpoints in urban streams vary depending on the pre-urban land use (forested vs. agricultural)?

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C. Effects of Stressors on Urban Stream Ecosystems

Stressor-Specific Questions:

14. What are the linkages between altered hydrology and the biochemical, microbial, and trophic aspects of the stream ecosystem? Are the effects direct or mediated via intermediate mechanisms (e.g., channel erosion)? Or are perceived effects actually mostly due to contaminants carried in runoff?

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15. How does riparian vegetation affect biogeochemical and microbial aspects of the stream ecosystem? And do these effects vary with different urban drainage management actions?

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To what degree are the following stressors significant in affecting urban stream ecosystems? Which ecosystem components do they most affect, to what extent and under what circumstances?

16. toxins

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17. suspended sediment

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18. bed sediment

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19. ionic strength

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20. nutrient levels

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21. temperature

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22. interactions and synergisms among these and other stressors

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General/ Synthetic Questions:

23. What stressors impact streams most during development and 5/10/20/50 years later? Can we develop a timeline for the relative importance of various stressors? Does rate of buildout matter?

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24. To what extent can we apply stressor-response relationships derived from studies in agricultural, mining or forest streams to urban streams?

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25. What is most important stressor altering the trophic basis of production (e.g., canopy cover, nutrients, flow)?

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26. Can we develop a tool to identify the most important stressors and manage streams accordingly (triage approach)?

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D. Sources of Stressors and their Management

Sources

27. Are high instream nutrient concentrations the result of higher nutrient loading to urban streams or reduced ecosystem storage and processing?

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28. How important are urban roadways as a source of contaminants?

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29. Are specific attributes of road crossings (extent of floodplain blockage, limited channel migration, flow acceleration, etc.) linked to channel alteration?

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Stormwater Management

30. Is there a way to maintain natural baseflow levels when infiltration is impractical?

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How effective are the following stormwater management methods in reducing stormwater-related stressors:

31. Dispersed retention of small, frequent events?

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32. Stormwater harvesting?

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33. Extended detention?

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34. Large regional ponds?

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35. Stormwater stenciling programs (on water quality)?

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36. Full-watershed implementation of LID and infiltration?

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37. Disconnecting existing impervious cover (i.e., retrofitting)?

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Other Management Tools

How effective are the following management tools in restoring pre-impact structure and function:

38. reach-scale restoration?

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39. wetland restoration?

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40. forest restoration?

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41. erosion and sedimentation control practices?

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42. wide "no-development" buffers? (e.g., MA's 1996 Rivers Protection Act, which restricts development in the 200-foot zone on either side of perennial waterways).

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General

43. How do we balance greater water withdrawals with the needs of urban streams?

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44. Are some management actions relatively easy and cheap, and therefore should be generally implemented even in the face of uncertain effectiveness?

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45. What is an appropriate endpoint (i.e., best attainable condition) for urban streams of draining watersheds of different levels of imperviousness and different degrees of stressor management? I.e., how pristine can urban streams be?

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E. Additional Broad Questions:

46. How do human decisions, socioeconomics, and cultural perceptions influence urban ecosystems?

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47. How are terrestrial functions altered by urbanization, and how does this indirectly affect streams in the long-term?

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F. Contributed questions and comments

48. Additional questions (note: questions should rank "important" or "vitally important"):

49. Comments:

G. Personal information

50. Name: (optional)

51. Title/affiliation: (optional)

52. Urban stream research experience:

Minimal: < little research experience, no publications
Significant: 2- 6 years or at least 1 publication
Extensive: 7+ years / 3+ publications

53. Urban stream management/consulting experience:

Minimal: < little research experience, no publications
Significant: 2- 6 years or at least 1 publication
Extensive: 7+ years / 3+ publications