CE 59700 – Physical Aspects of Stream Restoration

Credits and contact hours:

  • 3 credits
  • Lecture meets 3 times per week for 50 minutes per meeting for 15 weeks

Specific course information:

  • Catalog description: As this course is still considered experimental, there is no description as yet in the catalog. It however discusses basic hydrological, hydraulic, sediment-transport, and fluvial geomorphical aspects related to stream restoration, including concepts of bankfull quantities, regional curves, scaling, water and sediment conveyance, stream classification, and channel stability.
  • Prerequisites: CE 34000 or equivalent with minimum Grade of C-
  • Course status: Elective course

Specific Goals for the course:

  • Student learning outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course the student shall be able to understand and apply the basic physical concepts arising in stream restoration problems, including:
    • estimating design discharges for gaged and ungaged streams
    • applying regional curves for hydrology and hydraulic geometry
    • analysis of streambank stabilization, and designing riprap as well as other bio-engineering and flow-redirection approaches
    • the application of the analytic approach to the design of stable channels
  •  Relationship of course to program outcomes
    • Outcome 1: An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science and mathematics.

Topics:

  • Introduction to stream restoration aims, objectives, and controversies
  • Hydrological aspects
    • recurrence intervals and flood frequency analysis
    • scaling and regional regression approaches to hydrologic characterization for ungaged streams
    • design discharge, bankfull discharge
    • flow duration curves
  • Open channel hydraulics
    • Review of basic conservation equations
    • Flow resistance modeling and uniform flows
      • fixed-bed and gravel-bed flow resistance models
      • variable roughness: two-stage channels and non-constant roughness in a main channel
    • Best hydraulic section: classical and computational approaches
  • Sediment transport
    • sediment characteristics
    • incipient motion, the Shields parameter, and the Shields diagram
    • streambank stabilization and riprap design
    • flow resistance models for alluvial channels
    • sediment-transport models for alluvial channels: Meyer-Peter-Muller model and Brownlie model
  • Fluvial geomorphology and role in stream restoration
    • hydraulic geometry
      • regional regression relationships
    • Lane geomorphic relationship: application and limitations
    • stream classification: stream order and Rosgen scheme
    • qualitative channel evolution models
  • Channel design
    • Approaches to channel design: analytic and analog approaches
    • Analytic approach
      • Design of threshold channels
      • Design of alluvial channels – the Copeland method
    • Analog approach – elements of the Rosgen approach