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Monitoring of Immediate and Long-Term Effects of River Restoration Projects

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydrology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2022) | Viewed by 6216

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
Interests: fluvial geomorphology; river restoration; large wood; plastic contamination; mountain rivers

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

During the twentieth century, numerous watercourses across the world underwent a series of negative changes—resulting mainly from channel regulation. The resulting rapid channel incision was the most visible hydromorphological change to such modified rivers and streams. Moreover, engineering structures fragmenting the watercourses were another critical factor of river ecosystems reflected in the deterioration of the hydromorphological quality as well as impoverishment of benthic macroinvertebrate and fish communities. Adverse changes in the structure and functioning of watercourses caused by human activities were widely documented in numerous studies. A selection of appropriate restoration methods should take into account a number of local conditions and be preceded by an in-depth analysis of the river.

An example of cost-effective, “self-restoring” technique is an erodible corridor, in which free migration of the channel is allowed. In this situation, restoring fluvial processes and undisturbed sediment transport effectively recreate the natural channel course during successive floods. However, many rivers flowing through urbanized areas do not have enough space for free migration. Restoring the natural features of narrow, incised channels can be done with the use of large woody debris, the presence of which stabilizes banks and increases the diversity of channel forms. Mountain streams with a relatively large channel slope are often cut by a set of weirs and check dams, which constitute an impassable barrier for sediment transport and fish migration. In this case, a new and innovative method of building "block ramps" has developed and can be used long-term and safely for local infrastructure. Verification of the achieved goals within these and other methods is possible only through monitoring of the tangible effects achieved within the river.

The objective of this Special Issue is to introduce the reader to the world-wide river restoration techniques used to solve various problems with the vertical/longitudinal continuity of the watercourse and its hydromorphological and ecological state. Research comparing the condition of the studied watercourse before and after restoration measures is particularly welcome, as well as case studies, methodological papers, or reviews related to this topic.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Paweł Mikuś
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • river restoration
  • barrier mitigation
  • channel processes
  • lateral and vertical channel connectivity
  • boulder riffles
  • dam lowering
  • long-term monitoring

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3725 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Channelization with Low In-Stream Barriers on Macroinvertebrate Communities of Mountain Rivers
by Ewa Szarek-Gwiazda, Dariusz Ciszewski and Andrzej Kownacki
Water 2023, 15(6), 1059; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15061059 - 10 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2427
Abstract
The effects of channelization with low in-stream barriers in mountain rivers on macroinvertebrate communities are still weakly recognised. We aimed to assess the differences in structure and density of benthic macroinvertebrates between two north Carpathian mountain rivers: one channelized with a cascade of [...] Read more.
The effects of channelization with low in-stream barriers in mountain rivers on macroinvertebrate communities are still weakly recognised. We aimed to assess the differences in structure and density of benthic macroinvertebrates between two north Carpathian mountain rivers: one channelized with a cascade of concrete sills and the other one with block ramps. Water was collected five times for physicochemical analysis. Macroinvertebrate fauna and fine bottom sediments were collected three times (spring, summer, autumn) from different habitat types: glides, runs, pools and riffles of the estimated channel surface. The in-stream barriers altered the channel gradient and flow velocity, reducing the area of pools and riffles as well as extending the area of glides with slow current velocities, associated with the highest rate of fine sediment deposition. Channel modifications induced a general shift of investigated fluvial systems toward lentic habitat conditions. Macroinvertebrate communities characteristic of slow-flowing rivers and pools became dominant, while those characteristic for the riffles of mountain rivers were confined to only small areas. The studied section of the Porębianka River channelized with block ramps exhibited greater diversity in the macroinvertebrate community between habitats and significantly higher macroinvertebrate density than the Mszanka River which was channelized with concrete sills. Full article
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19 pages, 6782 KiB  
Article
Patterns of Recent Changes in Channel Morphology and Flows in the Upper and Middle Odra River
by Ádám Nádudvari, Agnieszka Czajka, Bartłomiej Wyżga, Marcin Zygmunt and Marcin Wdowikowski
Water 2023, 15(2), 370; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15020370 - 16 Jan 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3223
Abstract
Our research introduces the river regulation effects on three sections of the upper and middle Odra River (south-western Poland), with differently channelized parts. In the upper and lower reaches, the river was straightened, narrowed, and trained with groins, whereas in the middle section, [...] Read more.
Our research introduces the river regulation effects on three sections of the upper and middle Odra River (south-western Poland), with differently channelized parts. In the upper and lower reaches, the river was straightened, narrowed, and trained with groins, whereas in the middle section, it was also impounded by numerous barrages. The discharge duration (DD) and water stage duration (WSD) curves for water-gauge stations from these river sections were analyzed to recognize changes in river flows and channel morphology since the mid-20th century. This analysis is supplemented by an examination of repeated surveys of the gauge cross sections of the river, annual precipitation totals in its catchment, and their relationship to the variation of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index. Our findings provide new hydrological insights for the region. The three river sections exhibited different patterns of the adjustment of the channel morphology to the river channelization: upper section was typified by channel incision, middle section by channel stability, and lower section by channel incision in its upper part and vertical stability of the channel bed in the lower part. Barrages in the middle section stabilized water stages in a wide range of hydrological conditions. Annual precipitation totals and river run-off did not change systematically over the study period. The variation in precipitation totals was inversely related to annual values of the NAO index. The study confirms the usefulness of DD/WSD curves to analyze changes in river run-off and the vertical position of the channel bed. Full article
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