Restoration Planning & Design Why Restoration?

1. Goals? • Water quality impairments

2. Constraints? • Habitat loss
• Ecosystem degradation
3. Permitting?
• Land loss
4. Construction? • Safety concerns
5. Monitoring & • Infrastructure damage
Maintenance? • Flooding
6. Funding? • Aesthetics

Stream Insults
• Straightening & dredging
• Floodplain filling
• Watershed manipulation
• Sedimentation & stormwater
• Pollution discharges
• Utilities & culverts
• Buffer removal
• Disdain & neglect

Ecosystem Restoration
 Activities that initiate or accelerate the
recovery of ecosystem health, integrity, and
sustainability (SER, 2004).

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 Standards for ecologically successful river restoration
Outcomes of Ecosystem Restoration
Palmer et al., Journal of Applied Ecology, 2005, 42, 208–217
 Habitats
1. the design of an ecological river restoration project should be  Water quality
based on a specified guiding image of a more dynamic, healthy
river that could exist at the site  Natural flow regimes
2. the river’s ecological condition must be measurably improved
3. the river system must be more self-sustaining and resilient to  Recreation & aesthetics
external perturbations so that only minimal follow-up
maintenance is needed
4. during the construction phase, no lasting harm should be inflicted
on the ecosystem
5. both pre- and post-assessment must be completed and data
made publicly available

Restoration Components 1. Channel Morphology

1. Channel morphology • Dimension (baseflow, bankfull, flood flows)
• Pattern (meandering, straight, braided)
2. Floodplain structure
• Profile (bedform – riffle, run, pool, glide, step)
3. Hydrologic & hydraulic
analysis

4. In-stream structures

5. Habitats & vegetation

6. Site & watershed conditions

Photo Credits: Darrell Westmoreland, North State Environmental, Inc.
7. Monitoring, maintenance,
education 2005 South Fork Mitchell River 2006

2011 South Fork Mitchell River 2011 South Fork Mitchell River

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1. Channel Morphology
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Abkf: Riffle bankfull cross-section area (ft ) matches existing
bankfull indicators, watershed channel-forming hydrology &
hydraulic geometry regional curves
Wbkf / dbkf: Width-to-depth ratio supports sediment transport,
habitats & bank stability during flood flows soon after
construction
dmbkf / dbkf: Max riffle depth ratio supports sed transport &
habitat
dmpool / dbkf: Max pool depth ratio supports sed transport &
habitat
Streambank side slopes supports bank stability & dense
vegetation (depending on soil type & revetments/vanes)
1. Channel Morphology (cont’d)
K = Ltw / Lval: Sinuosity of channel thalweg matches valley
slope & confinement (natural or unnatural)
Lm / Wbkf: Meander length ratio matches valley conditions
Wblt / Wbkf: Meander width ratio matches valley conditions
Rc / Wbkf: Radius of curvature ratio supports bank stability &
habitats
Sav / Sval: Average thalweg slope ratio matches valley slope &
confinement (natural or unnatural)
Srif / Sav: Riffle slope ratio matches bed substrate & applied
shear stress
Spool / Sav: Pool slope ratio minimizes applied shear stress

Bankfull Width, Wbkf = 36 ft; Bankfull Area, Abkf = 112 ft2

High-quality
Mean Depth, dbkf = Abkf / Wbkf = 112 / 36 = 3.1 ft
“reference”
Width to Depth Ratio, W/d = Wbkf / dbkf = 36 / 3.1 = 11.5
streams serve as
design templates

Sinuosity = stream length / valley length Meander Length Ratio = meander length / width = 78/15 = 5.2
Meander Width Ratio = belt width / width = 57/15 = 3.8
K = 1850 / 980 = 1.9 Radius of Curvature Ratio = radius / width = 23/15 = 1.5

Belt
Width

Valley Length Meander

Length

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 2. Floodplain Structure
• Regular (every year) flooding to relieve stress
• Floodwater retention & riparian wetlands
• Stormwater discharge retention & treatment
2. Floodplain Structure
ER = Wbkf / Wfpa: Entrenchment ratio provides wide floodplain
for flood energy dissipation, sediment retention & riparian
habitats
BHR = LBH / dmbkf: Bank height ratio provides floodplain
access at bankfull stage consistently down valley on both banks

Floodplain orientation minimizes flood flow stresses (straight

down valley & consistent width)

Surface topography supports floodwater retention, flow diversity

& riparian habitats

Priority 1: Priority 1: Raise channel to existing valley

lift channel and construct new meandering channel

ER = 15; W/d = 12
Incised
Stream

Priority 2 & 3:
lower floodplain Rain will come during and
immediately following construction!
Stream Corridor Restoration: Principles, Processes, and Practices.
1998. Federal Interagency Stream Restoration Working Group. 2006 Town Creek Tributary 2007

Priority 1: Raise channel to existing valley

and construct new meandering channel

ER = 7; W/d = 14

2008 Town Creek Tributary 2008 Purlear Creek 2009

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 Priority 2: Excavate lower floodplain and
construct new meandering channel

ER = 6; W/d = 11

2009 Purlear Creek 2008 White Slough 2010

Priority 2: Excavate lower floodplain and

construct new meandering channel

ER = 5; W/d = 11

2008 White Slough 2010 2008 Trib to Saugatchee Creek 2008

Entrenchment Ratio = Wfpa / Wbkf = 75/15 = 5

Hewletts Creek Trib:
Wilmington, NC
Golf Course
Priority 2

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 Year 1

Year 3

Priority 2: Excavate lower floodplain and 2006

construct new meandering channel
NCSU Rocky
Branch

2006

2004 NCSU Rocky Branch 2005

Priority 3: Excavate narrow floodplain

benches in confined systems

ER = 2.2; W/d = 12

2008 NCSU Rocky Branch 2005 NCSU Rocky Branch 2006

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 Priority 3: Excavate narrow floodplain
benches in confined systems

ER = 1.6; W/d = 15

2008 NCSU Rocky Branch 2009 Little Shades Creek 2010

Entrenchment Ratio = Wfpa / Wbkf = 60/38 = 1.6

Little Shades Creek 2010

Priority 3. Excavate floodplain benches and NCSU

add structures to maintain straight channel
Rocky Branch

ER = 1.8; W/d = 14 2008

2000 NCSU Rocky Branch 2001

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3. Hydrologic & Hydraulic Analysis
Qbkf: Bankfull discharge (cfs) appropriate for watershed size,
sediment transport & valley conditions
Vav = Qbkf / Abkf: Bankfull average velocity (ft/s) appropriate for
valley, soils, bed material
av: Bankfull average applied shear stress (lb/ft2) & local max
stresses appropriate for sediment transport conditions &
bed/bank restistance

av: Bankfull average stream power (lb/ft/s) appropriate for

sediment transport conditions
Riffle substrate size distribution appropriate for hydraulic
conditions & habitats
Streambank protection to resist erosion (short-term & long-term)