Development of an ArcGIS-Pro Toolkit for Assessing the Effects of Bridge Construction on Overland Soil Erosion

Abstract

Erosion is a natural process, but it can be accelerated by anthropogenic activities. Two of the predominant types of human-induced erosion are related to agricultural and construction activities. Of the two, construction-induced erosion is more severe because of the simultaneous removal of the land cover, disturbance of the soil, and eventual compaction of the soil by heavy machinery. Eroded materials released from bridge construction sites can alter the sediment regime and geomorphological conditions of receiving streams and may have short- and long-term impacts on aquatic habitats. Several models have been developed to estimate the total amount of soil erosion and sediment yield; however, no predictive model is available to quantify the potential release of sediment during the construction of bridges or to predict the quantity, size fraction, and accumulation depths for the extent of the measurable downstream effect. A GIS-based predictive sediment toolkit is developed to estimate the overland erosion and to determine the potential depositional area and suspended sediment concentration downstream of bridges. The performance of the GIS toolkit in estimating soil erosion was assessed using field data collected from the Wilson Creek bridge construction site in McKenney, Texas, U.S., and it was concluded that it predicted the overland erosion rate and sediment yield within the ranges observed in the field.