Historical land use and streambank erosion : developing a local, process-based streambank restoration strategy

Abstract

This capstone project explored the relationship between historic land use and current land management practices in rural upland watersheds. Specifically, the work analyzes how anthropogenic disturbances affect hydrogeomorphic change and determines how this might inform a process-based restoration plan for sites of local erosion within the watershed. The study area was a 31-acre agricultural property with a low-order stream flowing through it, where a section of the streambank was actively eroding. The goal was to provide the landowner with a restoration plan to stabilize and restore ecological functions of their streamside area, while accomplishing multiple stakeholder goals. The methods included (1) a study of historical imagery of the property to map stream migration and identify possible anthropogenic disturbances, (2) a site survey to obtain cross-section, longitudinal profiles, and a reference-reach condition, and (3) an investigation of nearby land-use, local BMP guidance, and the regulatory framework for streamside work in Virginia. The results of this study showed historic mill-dam presence in the area, and upstream urban development over the last 30 years. The stream was found to be under active lateral migration at the erosion site, with several local, anthropogenically sourced factors identified during the site survey. Survey and historic imagery results informed the development of a process-based restoration strategy, which was then evaluated against stakeholder goals and potential BMP solutions to inform a practical streambank restoration plan to be delivered to the landowner.