Restoration Components

1. Channel morphology & floodplain connection

2. In-stream structures

3. Streambank bioengineering

4. Riparian buffers & habitat enhancements

5. Stream crossings

6. Stormwater/watershed management

7. Monitoring & maintenance

8. Public access & education

2. In-Stream Structures (Logs & Rocks)• Streambank protection• Habitat enhancement (pools, aeration, cover)• Grade control• Sediment transport

J-Hook Boulder Vane

Runaway Truck Ramp

J-Hook

Boulder Vane

J-Hook Boulder Vane (scour pool)

J-Hook Log Vane

J-Hook Log Vane

Multiple Log Vanes

Saugahatchee Creek

2007

2008

Multiple Log Vanes

Saugahatchee Creek

2009 January

2009 JulyPhoto Credit: Dan Ballard, Town of Auburn

Boulder Cross Vane

Double-Drop Boulder Cross Vane

Double-Drop Offset Boulder Cross Vane

Photo Credit: CAWACO RC&D

Double-Drop Offset Boulder Cross Vane

Offset Boulder Cross Vane at a Bridge

Boulder Double Wing Deflector

Constructed Riffle

Z - Vane

Constructed Step-Pool

Constructed Step-Pool

Habitat Enhancements

• Food sources• Cover• Scour pools• Flow diversity

Pool Maintenance

Successful Structures

• Properly designed and located• Low profile• Constructed to withstand stress• Excellent vegetation

• Temporary matting• Root wads• Bioengineering (living brush mattress)• Armoring

3. Streambank Stabilization

• Biodegradable (coir, jute, excelsior)• Seed and straw UNDER mat• Keep matting relaxed• Key in at top• Stakes: wood or biodegradable plastic

Temporary Matting

Root Wads

10-15 ft tree trunk attached

Streambank Bioengineering:

2007 NCSU Rocky Branch 2008

Integrating living woody and herbaceous materials to increase strength and structure of the soil (i.e. increase critical shear stress)

Brush Mattress

live cuttings of silky willow in dormant season

2007 October

2009 August

Successful Matting• Biodegradable (coir, jute, excelsior)• Seed and mulch under matting• Wooden stakes (long stakes at toe)• Key at top of bank• Keep matting relaxed

No Plastic!

Seed & mulch UNDER matting

Problems:Poor stakingHigh shearOverland flow

Root Wads

Temporary Non-living Revetment

Root Wads• Temporary streambank

protection

• Absorb streamflow energy

• Enhance habitat

• Use with transplants or adjacent to mature vegetation

• Placement should be at the toe of the bank and facing into stream velocity vectors

• May result in eddy scour

Root Wads with Brush

Layer

Brush Mattress

Bank armoring where hand labor makes sense

Live cuttings in dormant

season

Cover with soil, straw, and wire

Kentucky CreekNewland, NC

April, 2004

VegetativeGeolifts

2006

Cane CreekFletcher, NC

2007

Successful Streambank Stabilization

• Low streambanks• Dense vegetation• Temporary biodegradable matting• Bioengineering in high-stress areas• Proper channel morphology

4. Riparian Buffer (Streamside Forest)• Temporary ground covers• Permanent grasses• Wetland plants• Shrubs and trees

Mulch> 75% cover

2 tons/ac

Wheat or MilletTemporary Nurse Crop

Permanent Grass Cover

Root depth matters

Live Stakes

2007

Transplants

1996

20052005

Bare Root Seedlings

Container Plants

Successful Vegetation• Natives only• Quality plants• Installed correctly• Watered and fertilized if needed

5. Stormwater Management

• Energy dissipation• Floodplain retention• Channel protection• Water quality treatment

Floodplain stormwater retention and treatment

Pollution Prevention

• Cattle exclusion• Illicit discharge removal• Runoff treatment

Agricultural best management practices ( BMPs)

“Passive Restoration”

6. Stream Crossings

• Aquatic organism passage• Minimize geomorphic impacts• Pass flood flows

Rocky BranchArch Culvert

7. Monitoring & Maintenance• Projects are most vulnerable early• Natural adjustments to hydrologic &

habitat conditions

Restoration?

Mission accomplished?

Jumping Run Creek, Payne Dairy, Alexander Co, NC

2001 - 2009

Questions:1. Water quality

improved?2. Habitat improved?3. Restoration achieved?

After 8 years: • Cattle excluded• Vegetation

established• Bank erosion halted• Bed form enhanced• Aesthetics improved

Jumping Run Creek, Payne Dairy, Alexander Co, NC

Annual Geomorphic Surveys, 2001 - 2009

Jumping Run Creek, Payne Dairy, Alexander Co, NC

Annual Macroinvertebrate Sampling, 2000 - 2009

Streambank erosion is minimal

Sediment transport is in equilibrium

Water quality and habitats are improving

Downstream water quality improved

Was this Restoration Effective?

• Need more focus on macro- and micro-habitats:

• Riffles, pools, glides

• Fine roots

• Wood

• Cover and food sources

• Hyporheic connections

• Reduce large steps with inappropriately large boulders

• Provide floodplain connection

• Expect beavers

Lessons Learned:

8. Public Access & Education• Greenways & paths• Signs• Tours

Charlotte-Mecklenburg: Little Sugar Creekwww.charmeck.org/Departments/StormWater/Projects

Successful Ecosystem Restoration Achieve ecological goals

Self-sustaining

Serve as model for future projects

Accepted by the public