8.3 Waterfalls and Cascades
Waterfalls and cascades are often affected by changes in flow, and changes can be perceived by constituents as either aesthetically negative or beneficial. Information on constituents’ attitudes, values, desires, and preferences regarding a project area can be collected to examine the significance of features, including waterfalls or cascades. The standard approach to assessing aesthetic significance is constituent surveys, which can be conducted on-site or off-site (e.g., telephone surveys). Surveys often consistent of constituents witnessing features either in person or in photographs, and often under a varity of flow conditions, while answering a set of standard questions that address scenic “value.” Methods are similar as those described for recreation surveys for instream flows (Section 7.2.1), where constituents rate their viewing experience, and the relative importance of the feature to them personally. Aesthetic studies considering waterfalls and cascades have been conducted at the Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2242), on the McKenzie River, Oregon; and at the Spokane Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2545), on the Spokane River, Washington.
8.3.1 Selected references
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