Grantee Research Project Results
2001 Progress Report: Development of an Integrated Scientific and Technological Framework for Stream Naturalization
EPA Grant Number: R827148Title: Development of an Integrated Scientific and Technological Framework for Stream Naturalization
Investigators: Rhoads, Bruce L. , Herricks, Edwin E. , Wilson, David , Garcia, Marcelo
Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: October 1, 1998 through September 30, 2001
Project Period Covered by this Report: October 1, 2000 through September 30, 2001
Project Amount: $881,913
RFA: Water and Watersheds (1998) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Water , Watersheds
Objective:
Specific objectives of this research project are to: (1) develop and test a set of dynamic, process-based, multi-scale analysis and modeling methods that integrate ecological, geomorphological, and engineering information to effectively predict fluvial and habitat dynamics of human-modified stream systems; (2) examine the social processes that define the content of a community=s environmental vision and that influence the effective incorporation of scientific and technical information in community-based decision-making; (3) determine the extent to which specific stream-naturalization strategies that fulfill the environmental objectives of a local community also are sustainable given the fluvial and ecological conditions of the watershed; and (4) explore how community-based environmental preferences shape and, in turn, are shaped by science and technology as preferences emerge and then are translated into specific environmental designs. Fulfillment of these objectives will generate an improved capacity to: detect, explain, and forecast the effects of particular naturalization schemes on the environmental quality of a stream system at multiple spatial and temporal scales; and assess, explain, and anticipate the extent to which scientific-technical information is incorporated into community-based decision-making about stream naturalization.Progress Summary:
Two urban catchments near Chicago, IL, continue to serve as field sites for development of an integrated scientific and technological framework for stream naturalization. The agricultural watershed of the Upper Embarras River near Champaign-Urbana, IL, is the third field site.Site 1: NorthbrookCNorth Branch of the West Fork of the Chicago River. Stream naturalization currently is underway at the Northbrook site. The channel at Northbrook is tightly constrained within a channelized corridor through a heavily urbanized area. There is no scope for planform change here; however, the addition of pool-riffle units has provided a more diverse morphologic, flow, and habitat environment while concurrently increasing the aesthetic value of a stream channel that has been neglected for many years following channelization.
Site 2: Poplar CreekCSituated Near Elgin, IL. The Poplar Creek site
skirts the southern portion of an urban area; however, much of the catchment is
contained within land owned by the Illinois Nature Preserve. Project
investigators have been collaborating with the Illinois Nature Preserve
Commission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE), the Nature Conservancy,
and the Kane County Forest Preserve District to achieve re-meandering of a
section of Poplar Creek that was channelized prior to 1930. Aspirations for the
naturalization of this site involve a return to wet-sedge prairie and/or
bottomland forest. Historical analysis of aerial photographs to ascertain
previous channel locations and macro-vegetation characteristics has been
completed. Acquisition of the floodplain has been finalized, thereby allowing
realignment of channel planform. The USACOE currently is tendering the contract
for project planning and design specifications of the re-meandering work. The
project team has evaluated several alternative scenarios for the new channel
planform at Poplar Creek. To assess long-term planform stability of these
alternatives, a two-dimensional numerical model, MEANDER, was used to simulate
channel evolution over time. The model developed here includes a new graphical
user interface (GUI).
Site 3: Upper Embarras River. During 2001, pool-riffle structures were excavated along a section of the Embarras River near Champaign, IL. Excavation was carried out by the local drainage district under a Section 404 drainage-maintenance permit. The pool-riffle structures were excavated into underlying compacted glacial sediments with no placement of rock on the riffle crests. Limited finances were available for excavation and materials for this project. Repeated cross-sectional surveys prior to excavationCand on multiple occasions sinceChave been carried out. Analyses of these survey results reveal morphological changes in the bedform at critical locations in each pool riffle unit through time. Measurements that have been obtained along various reaches of the Upper Embarras River over the past 3 years continue to be vital in the calibration and verification of numerical modeling procedures that are being used for design purposes for the Chicago sites. Additional measurements designed to document the occurrence of bank erosion using photo electronic erosion pin (PEEP) sensors also are underway.
Social analysis is revealing the relation between the local community and its environment. Integration of the project components is accomplished through regular communication and effective feedback of information between technical and non-technical researchers. Also, the social analysis seeks to define the extent to which technical members of the project communicate with local stakeholders who are invested in, and affected by, the naturalization efforts at each site. A key outcome of this communication has been the evolution of project design. Local officials and representatives involved in the project development at all three sites see the value of the proposed naturalization objectives. The research team also has incorporated aesthetic elements into the designs, such as the introduction of coarse rock on riffles at Northbrook to produce water aeration and audible effects (Ababbling brook@) that were desired by local officials and the Friends of the Chicago River.
Future Activities:
Our efforts to develop a numerical model for the prediction of geomorphological changes in rivers will continue. The model integrates a depth-averaged hydrodynamic submodel, a two-dimensional submodel of bed evolution, and a three-dimensional submodel of bank erosion.At the Northbrook site, post-construction velocity measurements will be performed, and channel surveys will be used to evaluate model predictions and assess the overall stability of the pool-riffle structures.
For the Poplar Creek site, the two-dimensional hydrodynamic model will be enhanced with the incorporation of a GUI. The model will be applied to the design of a stable channel path in the Poplar Creek site. Project planning and development of design specifications for re-meandering will continue.
For the Embarras site, a numerical model for the prediction of geomorphological changes in rivers will be developed. The model integrates a depth-averaged hydrodynamic submodel, a two-dimensional submodel of bed evolution, and a three-dimensional submodel of bank erosion.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 43 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
aquatic ecology, ecosystems, restoration, watersheds, integrated assessment, Midwest, social science, community?based, decision making, Illinois, IL, Embarras River, Chicago, Chicago River., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Water, Geographic Area, Water & Watershed, Hydrology, State, Civil/Environmental Engineering, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Engineering, Watersheds, anthropogenic processes, alternative urbanization scenarios, biodiversity, stream naturalization, suburban watersheds, valuation of watersheds, decision making, human-dominated systems, stream ecosystems, conservation, stable fluvial systems, Illinois (IL), aquatic ecosystems, geomorphic, ecology assessment models, aquatic habitat protectionProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.