greg jennings, phd, pe professor, biological & agricultural engineering north carolina state...
TRANSCRIPT
Greg Jennings, PhD, PEProfessor, Biological & Agricultural EngineeringNorth Carolina State [email protected]
BAE 579: Stream RestorationLesson 3: Stream Stability Assessment
What is a “Stable” Stream?“Graded” Stream: Condition of “balance between erosion and
deposition attained by mature rivers” (Davis, 1902)
“Dynamic Equilibrium”: Stream form & character unchanged while continuous inflow of water/sediment (Strahler, 1957)
“Equilibrium Controlling Factors”: Width, depth, velocity, slope, discharge, sediment size, sediment concentration, channel roughness (Leopold, 1964)
“Regime Channels”: Some erosion and deposition but no net change in dimension, pattern, and profile (Hey, 1997)
“Stream Channel Stability”: ability of a stream, over time, in the present climate, to transport the sediment and flows produced by its watershed in such a manner that the stream maintains its dimension, pattern, and profile without either aggrading or degrading (Rosgen, 1996)
Causes of Instability
• Increase runoff • Increase slope • Changes in sediment load• Loss of riparian buffer• Floodplain filling• Instream modification
Impervious Surfaces Across the Landscape
Roads
Parking
Buildings
Sidewalks
Driveways
Center for Watershed Protection
Hydrologic Responses to Urbanization
1. Increased discharge
2. Increased peak discharge
3. Increased velocities
4. Shorter time to peak flow
5. More frequent bankfull events
6. Increased flooding
7. Lower baseflow
8. Less ground water recharge
Impoundments
Upstream:• Decrease
velocities• Deposition of fine
material• Loss of habitat
Downstream:• “Hungry water”• Change in flow
Values of Vegetation
• Habitats• Water Quality• Bank Stability• Shade & Food
Stream Corridor Restoration: Principles, Processes, and Practices, 10/98, by the Federal Interagency Stream Restoration Working Group (FISRWG)."
Streamside Forests (also known as riparian buffers)
• Trees, shrubs, herbs, and grasses are critical to the health of streams
• Buffers are the first line of defense against the impacts of polluted runoff
• natural vegetation buffers are especially critical in urban areas
Stream Channel Succession (WARSSS)
http://www.epa.gov/WARSSS/sedsource/successn.htm
Meander Width Ratio
Wbkf Wblt
MWR = Wblt / Wbkf
Wbkf = Bankfull Width of Riffle Cross-Section
Wblt = Belt Width
Bank ErosionMonitoring
Harris Reach, South Fork Mitchell River X-Sec 7+65
0
2
4
6
8
10
0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36
Distance from Toe Pin (ft)
Ht
ab
ov
e T
oe
Pin
(ft
)
1/8/97
1/8/97
6/18/97
8/15/97
7/9/98
Bankfull Stage: Water fills the active channel and begins to spread onto the floodplain
Stream Corridor Restoration: Principles, Processes, and Practices. 1998. Federal Interagency Stream Restoration Working Group.