Different physical structures may be used in stream restoration in order to provide channel stability and in order to provide habitat and other beneficial functions. Some of the typical structures that are used are revetments made of gabions or riprap and woody debris. Each type of structure has benefits and costs that should be considered before installation and some are more appropriate in certain situations than others.
Gabion revetments are used to control stream bank erosion. Gabions are stone filled wire baskets that are placed along stream banks. The typical size of a basked is 3 feet wide by 3 feet tall and the length can vary. They are effective for protecting submerged portions of stream banks. They can be used when the slope cannot be cut back due to buildings or roads. Gabions are freeze and thaw resistant and may not require heavy equipment for installation but they are susceptible to deterioration and can be labor intensive to install (The Ohio Department of Natural Resources).
Riprap revetments can also be used to stabilize stream banks. A riprap revetment is comprised of rocks of varying size and shape placed to protect a stream bank. The rough surface of the rocks allows them to fit together, protecting the bank. The variance in the size and shape of the rocks allows the revetment to absorb the impact of water instead of deflecting the flow of water, which could cause erosion. Riprap revetments may be expensive to put in place and may require heavy machinery to place the rock. Once in place the revetment will provide long term bank protection with relatively low maintenance (The Ohio Department of Natural Resources).
Live fascines can also be used to stabilize banks. The long bundles of live woody vegetation ...
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The southern parts of Canada rely on water that rivers such as The Bow, Red Deer, and Northern Saskatchewan provided to many sectors of society. The water budget for these particular rivers are based from mountain headwaters; therefore, runoff and snowmelt are vital with respect to preservation among these rivers (Prowse and Conly, 1998). A study conducted in 1951-1993 Hopkinson and Young (1998) concluded ice erosion, not including snow melt, contributed to 1.8% of emission into the Bow River. These results were based on examining volume fluctuations in an upstream lake. Although this sum seems extraneous the benefaction is indispensable. Due to climatic temperature changes, glacier area has decreased and as a result, the Bow River is not receiving
The Colorado River is formed by small streams created by a huge amount of snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains. The ecology and flow of the river varies highly by region. The river is divided into two different regions, the Upper Basin and the Lower Basin. Beginning in the early 1900s, western states began to build dams in the Colorado river, diverting the water flow to fast growing cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, and Phoenix. The river now services over 30 million in the southwestern parts of the United States and Mexico (Patrick 1). Diverting the water of the nation’s seventh-longest river may be seen has a great accomplishment, however to others this is a great crime against nature. Over the past couple years the river has been running significantly low, since a drought has come up the southwest. At the lakes edge, “bathtub rings”, lines in the rock walls, can be seen showing the decrease in water level. It is recorded in some areas of the river that the water has lowered 130 feet since 2000. Some water resource officials say those areas will never be filled back to normal. The surrounding states must adjust to living with less water or further actions need to be taken to save the river’s water. There has been some talk about adding water to the river to replenish the river but nothing has hap...
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