Provision, transport and deposition of debris in urban waterways

Abstract

The transport of woody debris from urban surfaces, through local urban waterways, to constriction and blockage risk locations is not well understood. Flume trials have identified debris and watercourse dimensions as influential factors on debris movement, and large woody debris movement has been traced in the natural rural environment using time series photography, active transponders, and field surveys. Using novel passive transponder technology, small woody debris has been traced through an urban case study watercourse to establish key influential factors on urban debris transport. Through incorporating urban debris transport detail into the source and deposition process, a complete picture of urban debris transport can be created, supporting effective culvert and trash screen design, watercourse maintenance and blockage risk assessment. This case study highlights that factors beyond watercourse depth and velocity are influential in debris movement within an urban watercourse. Debris dimension and source location upstream are shown to significantly affect the potential for debris to reach a downstream constriction, illustrating a possible distance limitation in nuisance flow debris blockage risk.