The need for complementary hydraulic analysis in post-restoration monitoring of river restoration projects

Abstract. River restoration design methods are incrementally improved by studying and learning from monitoring data in previous projects. In this paper, we report post-restoration monitoring data for a Natural Channel Design (NCD) restoration project along 1600 m (10 channel wavelengths) of the Batavia Kill in the Catskill Mountains, NY, implemented in 2001 and 2002. The NCD project used a reference-reach to determine channel form, empirical relations between the project site and reference site bankfull dimensions to size channel geometry, and hydraulic and sediment computations to test channel capacity and sediment stability. In addition 12 cross-vanes and 48 j-hook vanes used in NCD for river training were installed to protect against bank erosion and maintain scour pools for fish habitat. Changes in pool depths were monitored with surveys from 2002–2004, and then after the channel-altering April 2005 flood. Aggradation in pools was attributed to cross-vane arms not concentrating flow in the center of the channel, which subsequently caused flow splitting and 4 partial point bar avulsions during the 2005 flood. Hydrodynamic simulation at the 18 m3s−1 bankfull flow suggested avulsions occurred where vanes allowed erosive bank scour to initiate the avulsion cut, and once the flow was split, the diminished in-channel flow caused more aggradation in the pools. In this project post-restoration monitoring had detected aggradation and considered it a problem. The lesson for the larger river restoration community is monitoring protocol should include complementary hydraulic and sediment analysis to comprehend potential consequences and develop preventative maintenance. River restoration and monitoring teams should be trained in robust hydraulic and sediment analytical methods that help them extend project restoration goals.

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Hydraulic analysis of river training cross-vanes as part of post-restoration monitoring

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-15-2119-2011 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 15 (7) ◽

pp. 2119-2126 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

T. A. Endreny ◽

M. M. Soulman

Keyword(s):

River Restoration ◽

Bank Erosion ◽

Monitoring Data ◽

Catskill Mountains ◽

Hydraulic Analysis ◽

Restoration Project ◽

Return Interval ◽

River Training ◽

Restoration Monitoring ◽

Meander Bends

Abstract. River restoration design methods are incrementally improved by studying and learning from monitoring data in previous projects. In this paper we report post-restoration monitoring data and simulation analysis for a Natural Channel Design (NCD) restoration project along 1600 m of the Batavia Kill (14 km2 watershed) in the Catskill Mountains, NY. The restoration project was completed in 2002 with goals to reduce bank erosion and determine the efficacy of NCD approaches for restoring headwater streams in the Catskill Mountains, NY. The NCD approach used a reference-reach to determine channel form, empirical relations between the project site and reference site bankfull dimensions to size channel geometry, and hydraulic and sediment computations based on a bankfull (1.3 yr return interval) discharge to test channel capacity and sediment stability. The NCD project included 12 cross-vanes and 48 j-hook vanes as river training structures along 19 meander bends to protect against bank erosion and maintain scour pools for fish habitat. Monitoring data collected from 2002 to 2004 were used to identify aggradation of pools in meander bends and below some structures. Aggradation in pools was attributed to the meandering riffle-pool channel trending toward step-pool morphology and cross-vane arms not concentrating flow in the center of the channel. The aggradation subsequently caused flow splitting and 4 partial point bar avulsions during a spring 2005 flood with a 25-yr return interval. Processing the pre-flood monitoring data with hydraulic analysis software provided clues the reach was unstable and preventative maintenance was needed. River restoration and monitoring teams should be trained in robust hydraulic analytical methods that help them extend project restoration goals and structure stability.

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Natural Channel Design for River Restoration

Encyclopedia of Water ◽

10.1002/9781119300762.wsts0100 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Dave Rosgen

Keyword(s):

River Restoration ◽

Channel Design ◽

Natural Channel Design ◽

Natural Channel

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Authorized net losses of fish habitat demonstrate need for improved habitat protection in Canada

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/cjfas-2016-0480 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 74 (3) ◽

pp. 285-291 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Brett Favaro ◽

Martin Olszynski

Keyword(s):

Fish Habitat ◽

Monitoring Data ◽

Access To Information ◽

Habitat Protection ◽

Information Processes ◽

The Stability ◽

Fisheries Act

Fish habitat is essential to the stability and productivity of fisheries. In Canada, the primary legal tool for protecting fish habitat is the federal Fisheries Act. In 2012, this law was changed to narrow the scope of habitat protection. The government’s position was that the previous regime went beyond what was necessary to protect fish and fish habitat. Here, we tested that assertion by examining Fisheries Act authorizations to harmfully alter, disrupt, or destroy fish habitat issued by Fisheries and Oceans Canada during a 6-month period in 2012, obtained using access to information processes. We found the majority of projects (67%) were authorized to impact more habitat than proponents were required to compensate for, likely resulting in a net loss of fish habitat. Our analysis show an aggregate net loss — defined as authorized impact minus required compensation — of 2 919 143 m2 authorized across 78 projects. Drawing from these results, we present four recommendations for an improved habitat protection regime under a renewed Fisheries Act, emphasizing the need to establish a public registry for authorizations and monitoring data.

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Integrating regional and local monitoring data and assessment tools to evaluate habitat conditions and inform river restoration

Ecological Indicators ◽

10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108213 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 131 ◽

pp. 108213

Author(s):

Francine H. Mejia ◽

Jason M. Connor ◽

Philip R. Kaufmann ◽

Christian E. Torgersen ◽

Eric K. Berntsen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

River Restoration ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Monitoring Data ◽

Habitat Conditions ◽

Local Monitoring

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Resolving complex issues with large scale river restoration; a case study: the San Joaquin River in California

Water Practice & Technology ◽

10.2166/wpt.2011.0074 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

P.E. William ◽

R. Swanson ◽

Jill C. Chomycia

Keyword(s):

Channel Capacity ◽

River Restoration ◽

Large Scale ◽

Fish Habitat ◽

The United States ◽

Project Planning ◽

Water Recovery ◽

Private Lands ◽

Water Users ◽

San Joaquin River

One of the largest river restoration efforts in the United States is now under way in the Central Valley of California. The San Joaquin River Restoration Program (SJRRP) was triggered by a 2006 Settlement, following over 18 years of litigation, between numerous environmental interest groups, water users, and the Federal government. Since the 1940s, Friant Dam on the San Joaquin River has provided water to approximately 1 million acres of agricultural lands, but also let to the extirpation of salmon runs. The Settlement has two primary goals: establish naturally producing and self-sustaining salmon in a 150-mile reach of the river, and reduce or avoid adverse water supply effects to the water users. The Settlement specifies flow requirements, and numerous actions to provide adequate channel capacity, establish fish habitat, introduce salmon, recover water supplies, and address adverse effects to third parties. Limited flows were initiated in October 2009 to support experimentation and data collection, while the implementing agencies continue to address long-term issues regarding environmental effects, flood protection, water recovery, development of channel capacity and fish habitat, and reintroduction of salmon. This paper describes some of the major issues that are being addressed to implement the restoration program, including program structure, project planning and permitting, protection of private lands, coordination of restoration actions with ongoing water delivery and flood management systems, financing challenges, and public participation and education.

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An Integrated Review of River Bars for Engineering, Management and Transdisciplinary Research

Water ◽

10.3390/w12020596 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 596 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Alessandra Crosato ◽

Erik Mosselman

Keyword(s):

River Restoration ◽

Laboratory Experiments ◽

Field Work ◽

Field Studies ◽

Engineering Management ◽

Scientific Publications ◽

Design Engineers ◽

River Training ◽

And Behavior ◽

Theoretical Analyses

River training and river restoration often imply modifying the patterns and dimensions of bars, channels, and pools. Research since the 1980s has greatly advanced and matured our knowledge on the formation and behavior of river bars, thanks to field work, laboratory experiments, theoretical analyses, and numerical modelling by several research groups. However, this knowledge is not easily accessible to design engineers, river managers, and ecologists who need to apply it. This is mainly due to confusing differences in terminology as well as to difficult mathematical theories. Moreover, existing scientific publications generally focus on specific aspects, so an overall review of the findings and their applications is still lacking. In many cases, the knowledge achieved so far would allow minimizing hard engineering interventions and thus obtaining more natural rivers. We present an integrated review of the major findings of river bar studies. Our aim is to provide accessible state-of-the-art knowledge for nature-based bar management and successful river training and river restoration. To this end we review the results from analytical, numerical, experimental, and field studies, explain the background of bar theories, and discuss applications in river engineering and river restoration.

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