WWRC 97-05e
The Geomorphologist's Toolbox: Analysis Tools for River Management and Restoration
Abstract
During the past several decades, heightened
environmental awareness has led to more
environmentally sensitive river management and
regulation, and in some cases, river restoration. In
this paper, I propose a six-step approach for
undertaking river management and restoration
projects. The six steps are 1) problem
identification, 2) goal setting, 3) situation analysis,
4) planning, design, and permitting, 5) project
implementation, and 6) monitoring. I suggest that
the third step—situation analysis—may be the most
critical, since it not only establishes management or
design parameters, but also may provide
information suggesting reconsideration of project
goals. Situation analysis requires an integrated
appraisal of watershed conditions at a range of
scales. In this paper, I first present some basic
geomorphic concepts—including equilibrium,
complex response, and the significance of spatial
and temporal scale— to illustrate the complexities of
natural river systems. I then describe several
geomorphic analysis methods for assessing river
system condition.
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