Urban Stream Channels Research Articles

Evaluating Urban Stream Flooding with Machine Learning, LiDAR, and 3D Modeling

Flooding in urban streams can occur suddenly and cause major environmental and infrastructure destruction. Due to the high amounts of impervious surfaces in urban watersheds, runoff from precipitation events can cause a rapid increase in stream water levels, leading to flooding. With increasing urbanization, it is critical to understand how urban stream channels will respond to precipitation events to prevent catastrophic flooding. This study uses the Prophet time series machine learning algorithm to forecast hourly changes in water level in an urban stream, Hunnicutt Creek, Clemson, South Carolina (SC), USA. Machine learning was highly accurate in predicting changes in water level for five locations along the stream with R2 values greater than 0.9. Yet, it can be challenging to understand how these water level prediction values will translate to water volume in the stream channel. Therefore, this study collected terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data for Hunnicutt Creek to model these areas in 3D to illustrate how the predicted changes in water levels correspond to changes in water levels in the stream channel. The predicted water levels were also used to calculate upstream flood volumes to provide further context for how small changes in the water level correspond to changes in the stream channel. Overall, the methodology determined that the areas of Hunnicutt Creek with more urban impacts experience larger rises in stream levels and greater volumes of upstream water during storm events. Together, this innovative methodology combining machine learning, terrestrial LiDAR, 3D modeling, and volume calculations provides new techniques to understand flood-prone areas in urban stream environments.

Spatial asynchrony in environmental and economic benefits of stream restoration

Stream restoration is widely used to mitigate the degradation of urban stream channels, protect infrastructure, and reduce sediment and nutrient loadings to receiving waterbodies. Stabilizing and revegetating riparian areas can also provide recreational opportunities and amenities, and improve quality of life for nearby residents. In this project, we developed indices of an environmental benefit (potential nitrate load reduction, a priority in the Chesapeake Bay watershed) and economic benefit (household willingness to pay, WTP) of stream restoration for all low order stream reaches in three main watersheds in the Baltimore metro region. We found spatial asynchrony of these benefits such that their spatial patterns were negatively correlated. Stream restoration in denser urban, less wealthy neighborhoods have high WTP, but low potential nitrate load reduction, while suburban and exurban, wealthy neighborhoods have the reverse trend. The spatial asynchrony raises challenges for decision makers to balance economic efficiency, social equity, and specific environmental goals of stream restoration programs.

Measurement of Water Level in Urban Streams under Bad Weather Conditions.

Flood control and water resources management require monitoring the water level in rivers and streams. Water level measurement techniques increasingly consider image processing procedures. Most of the systems use a staff gauge to support the waterline detection. However, these techniques can fail when applied to urban stream channels due to water undulation, debris on the water surface, and traces of rain captured by the camera, and other adverse effects on images can be quite dramatic on the results. The importance of considering these effects is that they are usually associated with the variation in the water level with the occurrence of rain. The technique proposed in this work uses a larger detection zone to minimize the effects that tend to obstruct the waterline. The developed system uses an infrared camera to operate during the day and night. Images acquired in different weather conditions helped to evaluate the proposed technique. The water level measurement accuracy was about 1.8 cm for images taken during the day and 2.8 cm for images taken at night. During short periods of heavy rain, the accuracy was 2.6 cm for the daytime and 3.4 cm for the nighttime. Infrared lighting can improve detection accuracy at night. The developed technique provides good accuracy under different weather conditions by combining information from various detection positions to deal with waterline detection issues.

Cameroonian Urban Floodwater Retaliations on Human Activity and Infrastructural Developments in Channel Flood Ways of Kumba

In Cameroonian cities, floods from solid pollutant barriers constitute environmental hazards of new distinct dimension, nature and characteristics. This study examines geographical settings provoking floods in cities and the way it affects the population. It suggests appropriate policy mitigation options. Primary and secondary data collected through fieldwork and documentary sources were treated. Findings show that national and local rules and legislation are weakly applied exposing urban natural floodway to varied forms of human colonisation activities. These urban stream flood ways that ought to be downstream water evacuation role players reversed into inhabited neighbourhoods of diverted water. Human activities and infrastructural urban inputs that unconsciously imposed directional dictates unto urban stream flow have become self-made victims of wicked egocentrism over urban stream channels. As nature is permanently in a state of dynamic re-equilibration the urban stream waters have in retaliation taught its trouble givers a disproportionately unequal negative response in enormous fatalities for the humans who dare to resist its floods and abandonment for those who have been repeatedly humbled by its floods. The response from this no man’s land of aborted human conquest requires comprehensive and multidimensional environmental management in stream-bordered urban built.

Estimating channel‐forming discharge in urban watercourses

AbstractSeveral methods of estimating channel‐forming discharge were conducted on 12 quasi‐stable urban stream channels ranging from 9 to 99% urban land use to test their applicability in the urban condition. Bankfull stage was identified at a series of locations along each study reach and it was found that the most consistent observations of bankfull discharge occurred during flood conditions where bankfull stage was identified at the top of point bars along the convex arc of bends. The largest errors in estimation occurred at gauge stations where cross‐sectional geometry had been altered to conform to bridges or culverts rather than the channel morphology. Independent evaluations of channel forming discharge were conducted by 11 practitioners ranging from 10 years to 43 years of experience with similar findings and errors.Various methods of relating frequency return periods were evaluated using annual peak series discharge observations and continuous 15‐min systematic discharge records using partial duration series analysis. Bankfull discharge was observed to occur more than once a year in all of the urban streams studied and often averaged from 4 to 8 bankfull discharge or larger events per year. In one particular case in a single given year 18 events exceeding bankfull discharge were observed. No specific correlations were identified between frequency return periods and land use change. However, based upon the findings of this study, the applicability of employing annual series peak discharge data to evaluate bankfull frequency return in urban stream channels is highly discouraged. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

LARGE WOODY DEBRIS IN URBAN STREAM CHANNELS: REDEFINING THE PROBLEM

ABSTRACTLarge woody debris (LWD) is an important ecological element in rivers and streams. Despite its importance, LWD is often removed from urban stream channels for flood control or road maintenance purposes, an approach with high economic and ecological costs and one that is largely unsuccessful. We propose an approach to conserve LWD in channels by modifying infrastructure (culverts and bridges) to allow LWD passage, maintaining aquatic habitat and reducing flooding and road maintenance costs. In Soquel Creek (California, USA), which has a history of LWD‐related flooding, we compared long‐term LWD management costs of historical, current and a LWD‐passing approach whereby infrastructure is enlarged to accommodate LWD passage downstream. We estimated costs of infrastructure replacement, programmatic flood control (LWD removal), LWD‐related flood damage and lost aquatic habitat. The amount of lost aquatic habitat was determined by comparing LWD loading (pieces m−1) in Soquel Creek (0.007 pieces m−1) to nearby unmanaged streams (0.054 to 0.106 pieces m−1). Estimated costs of infrastructure able to pass LWD were nearly double that of historical costs but comparable to current costs. The LWD‐passing approach was comparable to removal approaches in the short term (1 to 50 years) but much less in the long term (51 to 100 years), as expenditures in infrastructure replacement to accommodate LWD yielded reductions in flooding costs and habitat loss. Given the urgency to maintain and restore aquatic habitat, the proposed approach may be broadly applicable. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quasi‐equilibrium conditions of urban gravel‐bed stream channels in southern Ontario, Canada

ABSTRACTUrban gravel‐bed stream channels in southern Ontario, Canada identified to be in a state of quasi‐equilibrium have been studied over the past 15 years and compared against rural gravel bed stream channels of the same hydrophysiographic region. Bankfull width and depth versus bankfull discharge were not found to increase as a function of increasing urbanization as has been found in many other studies. The observed annual frequency of bankfull discharge was typically less than a 1‐year return period with many sites ranging between 2 and 18 bankfull events per year with higher intensity and shorter duration urban flood responses, which further identified significant limitations in using annual peak discharge methods for predicting morphological forming flows in urban watersheds.The cumulative volume of bankfull and larger flood events from the urban stream channels were very similar to the same annual event volumes in the rural comparison study reaches. Bed material supply was found to decrease with increasing urbanization and the reduction in bed material supply appears to be off‐set by the smaller bankfull channel width, depth and access to floodplains during large flood events. Field evidence may also suggest a even greater reduction in channel width trajectory, relative to the rural setting, with expansive floodplains to maintain quasi‐equilibrium conditions as bed material supply continues to decrease with increased anthropogenic activity. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Nitrogen Dynamics at the Groundwater–Surface Water Interface of a Degraded Urban Stream

Few studies have quantified the impact of urbanization on the biogeochemistry of streams at the groundwater-surface water interface, a zone that may be critical for managing nitrogen transformations. We investigated the groundwater ecosystem of Minebank Run, a geomorphically degraded urban stream near Baltimore, Maryland in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Our objectives were to identify the spatial and temporal extent of chemical, microbial, and hydrological factors known to influence denitrification, a microbial process that removes nitrate nitrogen (NO(3)(-)). Measurements of denitrification enzyme activity confirmed that subsurface sediments at Minebank Run, especially those with high concentrations of organic carbon, have the capacity to denitrify NO(3)(-). Levels of NO(3)(-) in groundwater were lower where more dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was available, suggesting that denitrification and removal of NO(3)(-) in groundwater were limited by DOC availability. Groundwater NO(3)(-) was highest when groundwater levels were highest, which, in turn, corresponded to high oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), indicative of high groundwater-surface water exchange. Stream flow patterns controlled stream bank and bed infiltration and, subsequently, dictated groundwater levels. Declines in water levels likely increased subsurface mixing, which led to low ORP conditions that sustained NO(3)(-) removal via denitrification. The groundwater-surface water interface is a zone of active nitrogen transformation. Management efforts that increase DOC availability to denitrifiers, reduce stream-flow velocity and flashiness, and increase groundwater residence time will likely improve the nitrogen removal capacity of urban stream channels.

Urban flood hazard zoning in Tucumán Province, Argentina, using GIS and multicriteria decision analysis

Recently, the cities of Yerba Buena and Tucuman in Tucumán Province, Argentina, have been affected by several storm flood events, causing hundreds of people to be evacuated from their homes . Heavy intensity rainfall, new housing developments covering previously permeable grounds, and old drainage systems are the main causes for this situation. This paper presents a simple approach of urban flood hazard assessment in a region where primary data are scarce. The objectives of this study are to develop a GIS-aided urban flood hazard zoning of the two cities applying multicriteria decision analysis and to evaluate it by means of uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. The research methodology focused on the analysis of those variables that control the water routing when high peak flows exceed the drainage-system capacity. The model incorporates five parameters: distance to the drainage channels, topography (heights and slopes), ground water table depths, and urban land use. A final hazard map for each category is obtained using an algorithm that combines factors in weighted linear combinations. The urban flood hazard map shows that the southeast part of San Miguel de Tucumán has the highest flood hazard over an extended area as a consequence of the conjunction of lowlands with slopes under 0.6% and the presence of urban stream channels with poor maintenance plan. In this area, several neighbourhoods have been flooded. The model was evaluated by the error propagation method and global sensitivity analysis to assess the uncertainty and the relative importance of model input factors. Finally, the influence of criterion weights are analyzed ranging from 25% to 75% of their original values showing a robust behaviour.

ERODIBILITY OF URBAN BEDROCK AND ALLUVIAL CHANNELS, NORTH TEXAS1

ABSTRACT: Major erosion of urban stream channels is found in smaller basins in the North Texas study area with contributing drainage areas of less than ten square miles. Within these basins, four basic channel types are identified based on bed and bank lithologies: alluvial banks and bottoms, alluvial banks and gravel bottoms, alluvial banks with rock bottoms, and rock banks with rock bottoms. Most channels (75 percent) have alluvial banks with gravel or rock bottoms. Channel slopes are steep (.38 to.76 percent). Rock consists predominantly of shale and limestone. Channel cross sections are divided into the following four zones based on weathering, scour and entrainment mechanisms: soil zone, slake zone, rock zone and bed material zone. Erodibility of the channels is determined using multiple techniques including reach hydraulics and stream power computations, submerged jet testing, slab entrainment thresholds, and slake durability rates. Procedures are based on both empirical and modeled time series estimates of channel erosion. Field and modeled results support rates of erosion of up to four inches per year. Rates are tied to flow regime, climate, and type of channel bed and banks.

Urban stream channel hazards

In managing urban stream channels there are pressures to use soft engineering techniques to restore channels wherever possible, to undertake management within a drainage basin context, to produce sustainable solutions and to consider community views. However, specific methods for characterizing the channel network in terms of possible management options have not been developed explicitly for urban areas. A method of characterizing the entire drainage network of urban areas, based upon segmentation of the stream channel network according to the incidence of road crossings and stormwater outfalls, is proposed together with consideration of ways in which the segments can be characterized, including stream channel hazards as a means of providing one basis for urban channel management.

Comparing gravel-bed rivers in paired urban and rural catchments of southeastern Pennsylvania

Surveys in eight paired urban and rural watersheds illustrate how urbanization changes fluvial morphology and processes. Our data also provide quantitative criteria for evaluating streamrestoration projects in urban areas. Bankfull depth, reach-averaged bed slope, and median grain size are similar in urban and rural watersheds. The median width of urban channels is 26% larger than the median width of rural channels. The median sinuosity is 8% lower in urban channels and pools are 31% shallower. The median composite Manning’s n based on median grain diameter, pool depth, and channel sinuosity is 10% lower in urban streams, while the median bankfull discharge per unit drainage basin area is 131% higher in urban channels. Histograms of bed sediment-size distributions in urban channels lack a secondary mode in the size range 2‐64 mm characteristic of rural channels, indicating that these sizes tend to be selectively removed from urban channels. However, bankfull Shields stresses in urban and rural channels exceed typical threshold values at most sites, indicating significant bedload transport at bankfull stage. Apparently, increased peak discharges caused by decades of urbanization have not removed all the transportable sediment from these urban stream channels. We speculate that the supply of sediment to urban channels from hillslope processes and channel erosion remains significant, even though much of the upland surfaces of these urban catchments are covered with nonerodible impervious surfaces.

EVALUATION OF URBAN STREAM CORRIDOR RESTORATION DESIGN ALTERNATIVES USING HEC‐21

ABSTRACT: The rehabilitation of urban stream channels and riparian areas involves a potentially large number of design alternatives. When substantial modifications are planned, water surface profile models (e.g., HEC‐2) provide a means for a thorough and efficient evaluation of many design variations. The rehabilitation of a reach of Paradise Creek, Idaho, utilized the REC‐2 model to verify the appropriateness of a new channel geometry and explore the consequences of variable floodplain geometries and excavation depths. The desirability of habitat diversity, coupled with the constraints of minimized earthwork costs and adequate flow capacity, framed the floodplain design question. The final design geometry was iteratively approached using the HEC‐2 model to mimic the existing channel capacity. This modeling framework produces as output computed water surface elevations for the design channel and floodplain under any discharge. Hence, the method provides the means for demonstrating that rehabilitation designs will (or will not) cause increases in flood elevations, an assessment that is generally required for project approval.

Changes in urban stream channels in Zimbabwe

AbstractAlthough channel change has been documented downstream of urban areas there have been few previous studies which have focused upon the spatial variation of erosion and upon examples of such channel change in tropical areas. In the Avondale stream basin, which includes part of Harare the capital of Zimbabwe the way in which the channel network has evolved from the extensive dambo system in the period 1891 to 1984 is reconstructed showing that drainage density which was initially between 0.35 and 0.80 km km−2 has increased to 3.15 km km−2 including stormwater drains. Characteristics of erosion of the modified urban channels are described and the downstream reaches indicate an average channel widening of 1.7 times involving average rates of bank erosion of 0.33 m per year. Peak discharge is estimated from channel characteristics to be increased to two times former values and it is concluded that channel type and the relationship of channel change to the accommodation of peak discharges requires further research.

BEDROCK CONTROLS ON STREAM CHANNEL ENLARGEMENT WITH URBANIZATION, NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS1

ABSTRACTLoss due to channel erosion in the Dallas, Texas, area is estimated to approach one‐half million dollars in the last several years. Hydrogeomorphic analysis of natural and urban chalk and shale watersheds was performed in the central Texas area on watersheds ranging in size from 0.5 to 10 square miles in an effort to more adequately predict channel enlargement due to urbanization.Chalk watersheds were found to have greater drainage density, greater channel slope, lower sinuosity, and greater discharge per unit area than similar sized shale watersheds under natural conditions. With subsequent urbanization of the watersheds, chalk channel enlargement was from 12 to 67 percent greater than shale channel enlargement for similar sized watersheds. Greater enlargement in chalk channels is attributed to greater channel velocities and unit tractive force. Vegetation seems to play a significant role in influencing channel adjustments to the new flow regimes brought on by urbanization.Channel response to urbanization is documented and specific nonstructural guidelines are proposed which could reduce structural loss along urban stream channels.