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EVALUATION OF STREAMBANK RESTORATION ON IN-STREAM WATER QUALITY IN AN URBAN WATERSHED
Citation:
SELVAKUMAR, A., S. D. STRUCK, AND T. OCONNOR. EVALUATION OF STREAMBANK RESTORATION ON IN-STREAM WATER QUALITY IN AN URBAN WATERSHED. Presented at AWRA 2007 CONFERENCE, ALBUQUERQUE, NM, November 12 - 15, 2007.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public
Description:
The objectives of this on-going project are to: investigate the effectiveness of streambank restoration techniques on increasing available biological habitat and improving in-stream water quality in an impaired stream; and, demonstrate the utility of continuous water-quality monitoring as an innovative, cost-effective tool for detecting water-quality improvements following BMP implementation activities. Accotink Creek in Fairfax City, Virginia was selected as the study location. Accotink Creek and its tributaries are important natural sources that provide recreational and aesthetic values that enhance the quality of life in the Fairfax City. The headwaters of Accotink Creek originate within the City of Fairfax and flow southeast through Fairfax County to its confluence with the Potomac River, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The Accotink Creek headwater watershed has uncontrolled urban runoff that has resulted in erosive forces causing channel deepening, widening, and bank and bed sediment transport downstream. This project involves monitoring before and after restoration of 1,800 linear feet of degraded stream channel in the North Fork of Accotink Creek from Lee Highway to Old Lee Highway in the City of Fairfax, Virginia. Restoration, which was completed in June 2006, included installation of native plant materials along the stream and bioengineering stabilization structures along the stream channel and bank. These actions were intended to restore the stream channel to a stable condition and reduce stream bank erosion, thereby reducing sediment loads in the stream. In-stream samples were collected before and after restoration and analyzed for physical, chemical, and biological (macroinvertebrates) parameters to document the changes in stream quality as a result of the restoration. Area-velocity flow meters, installed at two selected locations, recorded flow depth and velocity at 15-min intervals. In addition, Yellow Stone International (YSI) probes were used to measure temperature, specific conductivity, and pH. Results from approximately ten sampling events will be summarized in the paper.