2019 SWCS International Annual Conference July 28-31, 2019 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1. Farm Bill Implementation and Stream
Restoration Practices
by
Dr. W. Barry Southerland
Fluvial Geomorphologist, CPESC#514
Quillayute River,
WA. Streambank
Erosion: 40 feet
recession per year.
22,814 cubic yards in
one year

2. “The river is the carpenter of its own edifice”
Luna B. Leopold

3. Studies today completed in many
sections of the Midwest show 50 to
70% of sediment load comes from
streambanks
i.e. Cheney Lake Watershed
Report 50%
Mississippi drainages: up to 70%
D. Rosgen, 2003
A. Simon, 2007
W.B. Southerland, 2013

4. Streambank Erosion
• Today in many watersheds across the US streambank erosion
is as high as 70% of the total sediment load. Several decades
ago streambank contributions were considerably less.
4
Erosion Pins: East Fork of the Ninnescah, Kansas
After one average runoff season.
Direct Field measurement
calibrating Bank Erodibility
Hazard Index Field Tool.
4.8 feet in one event
470 Dump Trucks

5. In the United States alone, we have
and estimated distance of
approximately 200,000 miles of stream
corridors with accelerated streambank
erosion. This number is likely
conservative.
Source:
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-
03/documents/fact_sheet_draft_variation_march_2016_revision.pdf

6. Types of Stream Load

7. Loss of stream base-grade and floodplain

8. Changing the flow regime? When the
streams incises and the watershed incision
follows, what happens to erosion
contributions and sediment delivery?.
8

9. 9
• Increase concentrated flow and sediment delivery to watershed
incision
* The result? Accelerated streambank erosion, Higher
sediment delivery ratios to
the water courses. More intense, but shorter duration
events have bigger impact on downstream water bodies and
WQ.
• Significant long-term negative economic impacts on large and
small communities.

10. • Repeating the same costly
mistake
• Loss of fish habitat (trout
fishery loss
of aesthetics
• Increase nutrients and higher
water temperatures
• Extremely expensive periodic
dredging and maintenance
• High risk of dam breach failure
at high flood event.
• Paonia Dam was expected to
have a minimum life
expectancy of 100 years.

11. SEVERE

12. Channel Incision Impacts on WQ
Relic Analog
Napeequa River, WA
Current Stable Analog – Chalk Creek, UT
Stage II - G Stream Type
Critical Differences in
hyporheic exchange
have impacts on WQ

13. Attribute Floodplain Floodplain
Disconnectivity
Incision or berms
Roughness “n”
Velocity “u”
Stream Power
Hyporeic exchange
Wood: wood transport & how it affects
bank erosion (bank height ratio)
1. Floodplain Connectivity
w=gRSu/Worw=gQS

14. Floodplain or no floodplain!
The distribution of energy
with a floodplain and the
concentration of energy in
an incised system
Arroyo De La Laguna, CA
Red River, ND.

15. Arroyo De La Laguna, CA

16. 25 feet deep, 30 feet recession (streambank
Erosion) x 900ft=25,000 Cubic Yards (2500-10 cubic
yard dump trucks) How do we know? We measured
it!

17. Incised Stream: Floodplain Restoration
APPROACH to Stream Restoration
1995
3/97

18. Meander Reconstruction
Rebuilding bankfull channel and
floodplain w/i incised system

19. Bankfull channel and floodplains rebuilt.
Late fall 1997 before planting

20. Before and After
Six years and two large floods later
1997
2002
G3
Pages 5-22 and 5-23 in SCRM
B4

21. 1997 and 2016
2015 Qbkf

22. Recommendation #1
Analyze and understand contributions from stream
channels vs uplands. Put priorities on greatest source of
erosion.
Recommendation #2: Maintain a Culture of
Conservation Ethic!!
Readings as part of job: for all FPAC&NRCS
Worst Hard Times: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived The
Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan
Sand County Almanac: The Upshot Part III and the Land
Ethic starting on Page 201 by Aldo Leopold
Recommendation #3
Because 1% of the watershed often, typically contributes between
40 to 70% of the sediment to lakes, and water bodies (Stream
Corridor, banks and bed erosion), act on it!!!

23. Moving forward with rivers and Farm
Bill:
• Continue to use technology and balance it with field
observations as a critical part of your planning
process
• Development of mentoring partnerships
• Cultivate your Intellectual Humility
Dr.Tim Keane

24. The Importance of Stream Observations,
Mentors, and Intellectual Humility
• The river is the ultimate teacher
• The river is the ultimate mentor
• The river is the ultimate judge (of
what is right or wrong)

25. “Protect the best, restore the rest.”
What it is really about!
Thank you for your attendance.
Questions?
“The good thing about science is that it is true
whether or not you believe it.”
Neil Degrasse Tyson