The Ecological Limits of Hydrologic Alteration (ELOHA): A New Framework (Poff et al. 2010)

Framework for developing regional environmental flow standards that scales the IHA approach from individual sites to entire regions. ELOHA consists of four steps: (1) hydrological foundation — establishing baseline hydrology for all stream segments using models or statistical methods, (2) river classification — grouping rivers by flow regime type (perennial stable, perennial flashy, seasonal, intermittent), (3) flow-ecology relationships — quantifying how biological indicators respond to different levels of flow alteration within each river type, and (4) social process — engaging stakeholders to negotiate acceptable levels of alteration based on ecological, social, and economic trade-offs. Published in Freshwater Biology 55(1): 147-170. Particularly relevant for the Incomati Basin where multiple river types exist across a transboundary system.