scholarly journals Defining Recovery Potential in River Restoration: A Biological Data-Driven Approach

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 3339
Author(s):  
Martin A. Wilkes ◽  
Morwenna Mckenzie ◽  
Marc Naura ◽  
Laura Allen ◽  
Mike Morris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
River Restoration ◽  
Reference Conditions ◽  
River System ◽  
Biological Data ◽  
Nutrient Inputs ◽  
Management Scenarios ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Restoration Planning ◽  
Recovery Potential ◽  
Restoration Measures

Scientists and practitioners working on river restoration have made progress on understanding the recovery potential of rivers from geomorphological and engineering perspectives. We now need to build on this work to gain a better understanding of the biological processes involved in river restoration. Environmental policy agendas are focusing on nature recovery, reigniting debates about the use of “natural” reference conditions as benchmarks for ecosystem restoration. We argue that the search for natural or semi-natural analogues to guide restoration planning is inappropriate due to the absence of contemporary reference conditions. With a catchment-scale case study on the invertebrate communities of the Warwickshire Avon, a fifth-order river system in England, we demonstrate an alternative to the reference condition approach. Under our model, recovery potential is quantified based on the gap between observed biodiversity at a site and the biodiversity predicted to occur in that location under alternative management scenarios. We predict that commonly applied restoration measures such as reduced nutrient inputs and the removal of channel resectioning could be detrimental to invertebrate diversity, if applied indiscriminately and without other complementary measures. Instead, our results suggest considerable potential for increases in biodiversity when restoration measures are combined in a way that maximises biodiversity within each water body.

scholarly journals Improvement in physical river habitat quality in response to river restoration measures

Geografie ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-78
Author(s):  
Kateřina Kujanová ◽  
Milada Matoušková
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Quality ◽  
River Restoration ◽  
Field Survey ◽  
Reference Conditions ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
River Habitat ◽  
Restoration Measures ◽  
Hydromorphological Quality

The main goal of this paper is to verify the hypothesis that application of appropriate restoration measures can lead to an improvement in river habitat quality and to achieve good hydromorphological conditions within the ecological status under the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/ES. The study includes an analysis of river network modifications founded on comparing historical and present-day maps, a determination of regional hydromorphological reference conditions based on a field survey and measurements, an assessment of hydromorphological quality of the studied water body and a proposal of appropriate restoration measures. The effects on improvement in hydromorphological status were predicted on the basis of a simulation of hydromorphological conditions after the application of proposed restoration measures. Overall, at least a good hydromorphological status would be achieved. The study proved that it is essential to carry out a hydromorphological survey including a determination of reference conditions as it provides some outputs necessary for a proposal and application of efficient restoration.

scholarly journals Creating a catchment scale perspective for river restoration

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 2995-3015 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Benda ◽  
D. Miller ◽  
J. Barquín
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
River Restoration ◽  
Valley Floor ◽  
River Channels ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
River Catchment ◽  
Restoration Planning ◽  
Fluvial Landscape ◽  
River Control ◽  
Geomorphic Processes

Abstract. One of the major challenges in river restoration is to identify the natural fluvial landscape in catchments with a long history of river control. Intensive land use on valley floors often predates the earliest remote sensing: levees, dikes, dams, and other structures alter valley-floor morphology, river channels and flow regimes. Consequently, morphological patterns indicative of the fluvial landscape including multiple channels, extensive floodplains, wetlands, and fluvial-riparian and tributary-confluence dynamics can be obscured, and information to develop appropriate and cost effective river restoration strategies can be unavailable. This is the case in the Pas River catchment in northern Spain (650 km2), in which land use and development have obscured the natural fluvial landscape in many parts of the basin. To address this issue we used computer tools to examine the spatial patterns of fluvial landscapes that are associated with five domains of hydro-geomorphic processes and landforms. Using a 5-m digital elevation model, valley-floor surfaces were mapped according to elevation above the channel and proximity to key geomorphic processes. The predicted fluvial landscape is patchily distributed according to hillslope and valley topography, river network structure, and channel elevation profiles. The vast majority of the fluvial landscape in the main segments of the Pas River catchment is presently masked by human infrastructure, with only 15% not impacted by river control structures and development. The reconstructed fluvial landscape provides a catchment scale context to support restoration planning, in which areas of potential ecological productivity and diversity could be targeted for in-channel, floodplain and riparian restoration projects.

scholarly journals Application of the Mesohabitat Simulation System (MesoHABSIM) for Assessing Impact of River Maintenance and Restoration Measures

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3356
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Suska ◽  
Piotr Parasiewicz
Keyword(s):  
River Restoration ◽  
Fish Habitat ◽  
Reference Conditions ◽  
Habitat Requirements ◽  
Habitat Availability ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Suitable Habitats ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Fish Habitats ◽  
Restoration Measures

Maintenance and restoration activities alter the river morphology and hydrology, and in consequence, alter fish habitats. The aim of this research was to investigate the change of habitat availability for fish guilds after carrying out maintenance works, commonly used river restoration measures and a restoration derived from fish habitat requirements. The selected study site is located at a close to natural condition section of Swider River in central Poland. The MesoHABSIM model was used to assess the area of suitable habitats in this site and predict habitat distribution at all planning scenarios. The affinity index which is a measure of similarity of two distributions showed that the likely distribution of habitats for fish resulting from simulated maintenance is 76.5% similar to that under measured conditions. The distribution of habitats caused by river restoration is also similar to that of the baseline in 73.2%. The resemblance between the restoration scenario focusing on fish habitat requirements and the reference conditions is 93.1%. It is beneficial to define the river restoration measures based on habitat availability for fish community. Modelling is a useful tool to simulate the changes and predict which guilds there is abundance of suitable habitats, and for which there are too few. It allows for more effective use of resources according to quantitative target states.

scholarly journals Creating a catchment perspective for river restoration

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 2929-2973 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Benda ◽  
D. Miller ◽  
J. Barquín
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
River Restoration ◽  
Valley Floor ◽  
River Channels ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
River Catchment ◽  
Restoration Planning ◽  
Fluvial Landscape ◽  
River Control ◽  
Geomorphic Processes

Abstract. One of the major challenges in river restoration is to identify the natural fluvial landscape in catchments with a long history of river control. Intensive land use on valley floors often predates the earliest remote sensing: levees, dikes, dams, and other structures alter valley-floor morphology, river channels and flow regimes. Consequently, morphological patterns indicative of the fluvial landscape including multiple channels, extensive floodplains, wetlands, and fluvial-riparian and tributary-confluence dynamics can be obscured, and information to develop appropriate and cost effective river restoration strategies can be unavailable. This is the case in the Pas River catchment in northern Spain (650 km2), in which land use and development have obscured the natural fluvial landscape in many parts of the basin. To address this issue we coupled general principles of hydro-geomorphic processes with computer tools to characterize the fluvial landscape. Using a 5-m digital elevation model, valley-floor surfaces were mapped according to elevation above the channel and proximity to key geomorphic processes. The predicted fluvial landscape is patchily distributed according to topography, valley morphology, river network structure, and fan and terrace landforms. The vast majority of the fluvial landscape in the main segments of the Pas River catchment is presently masked by human infrastructure, with only 15% not impacted by river control structures and development. The reconstructed fluvial landscape provides a catchment scale context to support restoration planning, in which areas of potential ecological productivity and diversity could be targeted for in-channel, floodplain and riparian restoration projects.

A method for applying fluvial geomorphology in support of catchment-scale river restoration planning

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 506-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Sear ◽  
Malcolm Newson ◽  
Christopher Hill ◽  
Jo Old ◽  
Julia Branson
Keyword(s):  
River Restoration ◽  
Fluvial Geomorphology ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Restoration Planning

River Quality Models for Consent Setting in England and Wales

1989 ◽  
Vol 21 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 1015-1024 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. P. Crockett ◽  
R. W. Crabtree ◽  
I. D. Cluckie
Keyword(s):  
River System ◽  
Quality Model ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Quality Models ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Future Developments ◽  
Statistical Framework ◽  
River Quality ◽  
National Approach

In England and Wales the placing of effluent discharge consents within a statistical framework has led to the development of a new hybrid type of river quality model. Such catchment scale consent models have a stochastic component for the generation of model inputs and a deterministic component to route them through the river system. This paper reviews and compares the existing approaches for consent modelling used by various Water Authorities. A number of possible future developments are suggested including the potential need for a national approach to the review and setting of long term consents.

scholarly journals How effective is river restoration in re-establishing groundwater–surface water interactions? – A case study

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 2663-2672 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.-M. Kurth ◽  
C. Weber ◽  
M. Schirmer
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
River Restoration ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Urban Stream ◽  
Distributed Temperature Sensing ◽  
River Bed ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Restoration Measures

Abstract. In this study, we investigated whether river restoration was successful in re-establishing groundwater–surface water interactions in a degraded urban stream. Restoration measures included morphological changes to the river bed, such as the installation of gravel islands and spur dykes, as well as the planting of site-specific riparian vegetation. Standard distributed temperature sensing (DTS) and novel active and passive DTS approaches were employed to study groundwater–surface water interactions in two reference streams and an experimental reach of an urban stream before and after its restoration. Radon-222 analyses were utilized to validate the losing stream conditions of the urban stream in the experimental reach. Our results indicated that river restoration at the study site was indeed successful in increasing groundwater–surface water interactions. Increased surface water downwelling occurred locally at the tip of a gravel island created during river restoration. Hence, the installation of in-stream structures increased the vertical connectivity and thus groundwater–surface water interactions. With the methods presented in this publication, it would be possible to routinely investigate the success of river restorations in re-establishing vertical connectivity, thereby gaining insight into the effectiveness of specific restoration measures. This, in turn, would enable the optimization of future river restoration projects, rendering them more cost-effective and successful.

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