Design for Stream Restoration

Abstract

Stream restoration, or more properly rehabilitation, is the return of a degraded stream ecosystem to a close approximation of its remaining natural potential. Many types of practices (dam removal, levee breaching, modified flow control, vegetative methods for streambank erosion control, etc.) are useful, but this paper focuses on channel reconstruction. A tension exists between restoring natural fluvial processes and ensuring stability of the completed project. Sedimentation analyses are a key aspect of design since many projects fail due to erosion or sedimentation. Existing design approaches range from relatively simple ones based on stream classification and regional hydraulic geometry relations to more complex two- and three-dimensional numerical models. Herein an intermediate approach featuring application of hydraulic engineering tools for assessment of watershed geomorphology, channel-forming discharge analysis, and hydraulic analysis in the form of one-dimensional flow and sediment transport computations is described.