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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Oxford, Mississippi » National Sedimentation Laboratory » Water Quality and Ecology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #129126
Title: DESIGN FOR STREAM RESTORATION

Author
item Shields Jr, Fletcher
item COPELAND, R - U.S. CORPS OF ENGINEERS
item KLINGEMAN, P - OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
item DOYLE, M - PURDUE UNIVERSITY
item Simon, Andrew

Submitted to: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/19/2003
Publication Date: 8/1/2003
Citation: SHIELDS JR, F.D., COPELAND, R.R., KLINGEMAN, P.C., DOYLE, M.W., SIMON, A. DESIGN FOR STREAM RESTORATION. JOURNAL OF HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING. 2003. v.129(3). p. 575-584.

Interpretive Summary: Past alteration of stream channels and their associated watersheds has degraded habitat quality. Several approaches including management measures and structural modifications are available to address stream degradation, but these can cause even greater problems if not designed properly. This book chapter describes appropriate types of sedimentation engineering analyses and a flow chart for the design process. Channel modifications are the characteristics of the stream bed materials. Guidance is also provided for project implementation and monitoring. This compendium of information will provide a standard of practice for federal, state, and private sedimentation engineers involved in stream corridor restoration projects, leading to more effective and sustainable outcomes.

Technical Abstract: Standard approaches for conducting sedimentation engineering analyses in support of stream rehabilitation projects are summarized. Determination of channel-forming discharge and bed material properties is fundamental to other analyses. Design is preceded by an assessment of geomorphic stability, which is defined as the departure of the fluvial system from a state of dynamic equilibrium. The assessment may be qualitative, or may be based on a suite of quantitative approaches drawn from a group of five that are presented. Channel design may be based on incipient motion principles (for threshold channels) or simultaneous solution of flow resistance and sediment transport relationships to obtain a geometry competent to transport the incoming bed-material load (for active bed channels). Selected designs must be subjected to a range of stability checks, including an assessment of the geotechnical stability of banks. Uncertainty regarding project performance dictates ongoing involvement by the sedimentation engineer in the implementation and post-implementation monitoring phases.