2014 CLEAN RIVERS, CLEAN LAKE CONFERENCE - MILWAUKEE, WI
Marty Melchior Regional Director THE MANY FACETS OF RIVER RESTORATION Modern river restoration encompasses (or will encompass) many disciplines
Geomorphology Stream ecology Hydraulic engineering Hydrology Botany Social sciences Cultural resources Civil engineering Geology Sediment transport DOMINANT GEOMORPHIC PROCESSES IN URBAN RIVERS Lateral migration Base level change Valley modification floodplain encroachment Local scour associated with infrastructure Sediment starvation Sediment deposition/aggradation Dams Major changes/damage from large floods
DOMINANT GEOMORPHIC PROCESSES IN URBAN RIVERS Lateral migration Base level change Valley modification floodplain encroachment Local hydraulics associated with infrastructure Sediment starvation Sediment transport/movement Sediment deposition/aggradation Dams Major changes/damage from large floods
Stream stability Cross-section remains constant, only the location changes Equilibrium with incoming sediment and water Floodplain formation = erosion + deposition From Thorne et al. 1997 Understanding our place Floodplains are flat and an easy place to build roads, cities and farms Humans cant perceive geologic time This leads to problems Water likes to meander Why do rivers meander? Sinuosity From L. Leopold Why do rivers meander? Sinuosity and the dissipation of energy
Skiing 101: How to dissipate energy evenly Translation of meanders PLANFORM GEOMETRY
Meander wavelength ()
Sheboygan River, WI R c Radius of curvature (R c )
BW Belt width (BW) = amplitude of meanders, roughly equal to the floodplain width
Riffles and pools also dissipate energy CHANNEL EVOLUTION MODEL Schumm (1977) Simon Pattern of channel processes
LIMITED GEOMORPHIC ACTIVITY Channelized ditches, even if not dredged, can remain static for hundreds of years If left alone, both of these systems would return to their potential meandering plan and profile
CHANNEL EVOLUTION Stage II Active headcutting Unstable riffles Base level changes Aggradation Degradation
CHANNEL EVOLUTION Stage II Outfalls Suspended infrastructure CHANNEL EVOLUTION Grade control Road crossings have concrete or stone bases that often arrest incision These perched crossings may be fish passage barriers at certain times of the year CHANNEL STABILITY Stage III Stable bed Active widening (different from meandering) Stage IV Incipient floodplain formation Floodplain expansion may continue for decades Kinnickinnic River Regulated flow Its important to be aware of dam releases or other influencing regulated discharges Example channel forming discharge Turkey River, IA DEFORMABILITY Alaska Lincoln Creek Most urban rivers have their belt width defined already How much migration is acceptable? DEFORMABILITY Whats a normal rate of bank erosion? Sometimes, lateral erosion is perceived as being worse than it is DEFORMABILITY Actual erosion is easily measured. The Impact of erosion is scale dependent and personal. 30 feet may not seem like much on the aerial photo, but if you live next to the river, it is a big deal 1999 (yellow) bank against 2010 aerial Bank erosion Major modes of soil loss From Thorne 1993 BANK MORPHOLOGY Erosion rates are influenced by: Bank soil type Stratigraphy Vegetation Bank height Soil moisture
Soil moisture Pore pressure can increase soil loss Water pore pressure Matric suction Gravity vs veg Greater root density = soil protection Gravity weighs heavily
Soil loss vs. Root Density (RD) EROSION RESISTANCE Grasses Generally good to 2 ft bank height Reed canary grass dominates EROSION RESISTANCE Tree roots Generally good to 4 ft of bank height Many evolved for river or floodplain life: Flood tolerant Plastic root systems Vegetative reproduction Wood and local scour vs. global erosion EROSION RESISTANCE Willow/Cottonwood Riverine species Black willow 40-60 ft root mass Low stem density = low roughness Bluff erosion processes Bluff Bank Bluff erosion is when the bank is actually an older terrace wall
OTHER EXAMPLES OF EROSION RESISTANCE CHANGING TIMES Conveyance was almost always the primary goal of urban channel stabilization from 1940-1990 Economic decisions of the past did not always include consideration of environmental costs
Are there natural analogs for non-deformable streams? Yes! Geomorphic control Many natural streams have limited deformability/migration These typically flow over steeper slopes with larger bed material
Massachusetts Wildcat Creek, Milwaukee Limited lateral migration Self armoring of toe (launched stone)
GEOMORPHIC CONTROL IN URBAN RIVERS We can build in artificial geomorphic control (immobile sediment) Grade control can be designed to form drops, riffles and pools (vertical complexity) Residual pools are better than no pools at all
Photo Interfluve Jordan, MN Show several examples and discuss Geologic Control Some river stability is controlled by bedrock geology Amnicon Falls SP, WI This bed is not entirely immobile, but deformability is limited by large material (glacial lag deposits)
Duluth, MN GEOLOGIC CONTROL IN URBAN RIVERS We can impose artificial geologic control (grade control, boundary control)
Minneapolis Milwaukee Plymouth, MA ARTIFICIAL GEOLOGIC CONTROL ALREADY EXISTS IN URBAN RIVERS Bridges, walls and other structures act as geologic controls These controls can influence local hydraulics which in turn affect shear, sediment and stability
Milwaukee USGS CONCLUSION Streambank geomorphology is just one aspect of a many faceted world. A complex world awaits you!
Dont be too hard on the engineers and planners. They are trying to do the best they can given some pretty tough conditions.
Thorough understanding of the geomorphic processes at work on your project will make you a happier person. Thank you! mmelchior@interfluve.com 920-354-8260