RESEARCH ARTICLE Rapid Environmental Assessment of a Drainage Canal System to Identify Bioreference Sites for Wetland Permitting Frank J. Dirrigl Jr., Guadalupe Medina Jr., Robert J. Edwards With budget and time constraints in environmental permitting, the collection of baseline water quality data relies on rapid environmental assessments (REAs). In south Texas, we investigated the usefulness of including physicochemical parameters and freshwater benthic macroinvertebrate and fish assemblage data to rapidly assess a drainage canal system. Data were converted to chemical averages and metrics, and sample sites meeting the greatest number of metric criteria for high water quality in south Texas were identified. The REA approach determined bioreference sites that could provide baseline data for wetland permitting, mitigation planning, and future comparisons. We demon- strate that the REA approach for drainage canals was useful and provided the necessary data for US Clean Water Act 401 and 404 environmental permitting and decision making for the Raymondville Drain Outfall Project. Environmental Practice 16: 19–28 (2014) R apid environmental assessment (REA) or rapid bioassessment involves surveying a site during a discrete time frame and context to characterize existing conditions. The goal of this practical approach is to “expend the minimum amount of effort required to get reproducible, scientifically valid results” (Lenat and Barbour, 1994, p. 187). Consulting environmental scientists are not often afforded the same time frame and budgets to conduct bioassessments as are academic-oriented researchers. Furthermore, United States (US) federal and state environmental permitting— the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Water Act sections 401 and 404, for example—often requires bioassessments to gather baseline data useful in environmental decision making (Canton, 2006). This particularly applies to environmental professionals who are involved in wetland permitting and mitigation planning for development activities in freshwater aquatic ecosystems. REAs can include rapid bioassessment protocols for gathering freshwater benthic macroinvertebrate and fish data, which are well established (Barbour et al., 1999; Lenat and Barbour, 1994; Plafkin et al., 1989; Resh, 1995; Rosenberg and Resh, 1993). However, REAs are not intended to substitute for full environmental assessments, which are necessary in environ- mental impact statements (EISs), and REAs have been the subject of criticism (Abate, 1992). Nonetheless, the REA may be useful in permitting when challenged with constrained budgets and time. Unlike traditional rapid bioassessment protocols (Barbour et al., 1999; Plafkin et al., 1989), a typical REA could entail field sampling 3–5 sites in four days and producing a final report by day 5 (Lenat and Barbour, 1994). REA is a useful technique that has been applied to wetland characterization and monitoring (Carletti, De Leo, and Farrari, 2004; Miller and Gunsalus, 1997; Stein and Ambrose, 1998; Sutula et al., 2006). The data generated by REAs can be used to identify high-quality versus impaired biological conditions (i.e., wetland ecosystem health) and used in wetland and watercourse biomarking, mitigation, and enhancement (Chessman, 1995; Greenwood-Smith, 2002; Maloney et al., 2009; Resh, Norris, and Barbour, 1995; Van Dam, Camilleri, and Finlayson, 1998). The water quality of drainage ditches in south Texas is seldom studied (Wells, Jackson, and Rogers, 1988), although it has been the focus of environmental exposure and contamination (Garcia et al., 2001; Robertson and Gamble, 1991). Plans to enlarge and widen the Raymondville Affiliation of authors: Frank J. Dirrigl Jr., Guadalupe Medina Jr., and Robert J. Edwards, Department of Biology, University of Texas–Pan American, Edinburg, Texas. Address correspondence to: Frank J. Dirrigl Jr., Department of Biology, University of Texas–Pan American, 1201 West University Drive, Edinburg, TX 78539-2999; (phone) 956-665-8732; (fax) 956-665-3657; (e-mail) dirriglf@utpa.edu. © National Association of Environmental Professionals 2014 doi:10.1017/S1466046613000562 Rapid Environmental Assessment of a Drainage Canal 19