Long-term assessment of floodplain reconnection as a stream restoration approach for managing nitrogen in ground and surface waters

Stream restoration is a popular approach for managing nitrogen (N) in degraded, flashy urban streams. Here, we investigated the long-term effects of stream restoration involving floodplain reconnection on riparian and in-stream N transport and transformation in an urban stream in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. We examined relationships between hydrology, chemistry, and biology using a Before/After-Control/Impact (BACI) study design to determine how hydrologic flashiness, nitrate (NO3−) concentrations (mg/L), and N flux, both NO3− and total N (kg/yr), changed after the restoration and floodplain hydrologic reconnection to its stream channel. We examined two independent surface water and groundwater data sets (EPA and USGS) collected from 2002–2012 at our study sites in the Minebank Run watershed. Restoration was completed during 2004 and 2005. Afterward, the monthly hydrologic flashiness index, based on mean monthly discharge, decreased over time from 2002 and 2008. However, from 2008–2012 hydrologic flashiness returned to pre-restoration levels. Based on the EPA data set, NO3− concentration in groundwater and surface water was significantly less after restoration while the control site showed no change. DOC and NO3− were negatively related before and after restoration suggesting C limitation of N transformations. Long-term trends in surface water NO3− concentrations based on USGS surface water data showed downward trends after restoration at both the restored and control sites, whereas specific conductance showed no trend. Comparisons of NO3− concentrations with Cl− concentrations and specific conductance in both ground and surface waters suggested that NO3− reduction after restoration was not due to dilution or load reductions from the watershed. Modeled NO3− flux decreased post restoration over time but the rate of decrease was reduced likely due to failure of restoration features that facilitated N transformations. Groundwater NO3− concentrations varied among stream features suggesting that some engineered features may be functionally better at creating optimal conditions for N retention. However, some engineered features eroded and failed post restoration thereby reducing efficacy of the stream restoration to reduce flashiness and NO3− flux. N management via stream restoration will be most effective where flashiness can be reduced and DOC made available for denitrifiers. Stream restoration may be an important component of holistic watershed management including stormwater management and nutrient source control if stream restoration and floodplain reconnection can be done in a manner to resist the erosive effects of large storm events that can degrade streams to pre-restoration conditions. Long-term evolution of water quality functions in response to degradation of restored stream channels and floodplains from urban stressors and storms over time warrants further study, however.

Engineered Large Wood Structures in Stream Restoration Projects in Switzerland: Practice-Based Experiences

The effects of large wood (LW) presence in streams on river ecology and morphology are becoming widely researched and nowadays their ecological benefits are undisputed. Yet LW presence in most Swiss plateau streams is poor mainly due to anthropological pressure on river ecosystems. The use of anchored, engineered LW structures under various forms in stream restoration projects is now state of the art. However, binding benchmarks for the equivalent naturally occurring instream LW quantities and complex LW structures do not yet exist. Therefore, hydraulic engineers often find themselves in a conflict between acceptable instream LW quantities for flood protection, quantities desirable from an ecological point of view and, last but not least, quantities accepted by the public based on the current ideologies of landscape design. In the first section, this paper treats the complexity of defining benchmarks for LW quantities in restoration projects. In the second section, we provide a qualitative practical insight into relevant questions when planning engineered LW structures, such as placement, anchoring, naturalness, and effectiveness from a hydraulic engineer’s point of view. The third part presents three examples of restoration projects with different dimensions where various engineered LW structures with different outcomes were built and introduced into active streams. Finally, the conclusion provides further possible measures to retain LW in streams and to restore more natural LW dynamics in rivers.

Long-term Assessment of Floodplain Reconnection as a Stream Restoration Approach for Managing Nitrogen in Groundwater and Surface Water

Stream restoration is a popular approach for managing nitrogen in degraded, flashy urban streams. Here, we investigated the long-term effects of geomorphic stream restoration on riparian and in-stream N transport and transformation in an urban stream in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. We examined relationships between hydrology, chemistry, and biology using a Before/After-Control/Impact (BACI) study design to determine how flashiness and N concentrations and flux changed after the restoration. We examined two independent surface water and groundwater data sets collected from 2002–2012 at our study sites in the Minebank Run watershed, modeled N flux, and compared our data to similar long-term data from the Baltimore Ecosystem Study LTER (BES) that served as reference sites. Restoration was completed during 2004 and 2005. Afterward, the monthly flashiness index, based on mean monthly discharge, decreased over time from 2002 and 2008. Groundwater nitrate (NO3−) concentrations trended slightly downward over time after the restoration at the restored site while dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations trended upward whereas no trends were observed at the control site. Comparisons of NO3− concentrations with Cl− concentrations and specific conductance in both groundwater and surface water suggested that N reductions over time at the restored sites were not due to dilution. Similar patterns at BES sites suggested that declining NO3− was a function of restoration and watershed management, not larger regional factors such as decreased atmospheric inputs. DOC and NO3− were negatively related before and after restoration suggesting C limitation of N transformation. Long-term trends in surface water NO3− based on USGS data showed downward trends after restoration at both the restored and control sites while specific conductance showed no trend, suggesting that load reductions were not responsible for NO3− patterns. Modeled NO3− flux decreased post restoration in both the short and long-terms. Groundwater NO3− concentrations varied among stream features suggesting that some engineered features may be functionally better at creating optimal conditions for N removal. However, some engineered features eroded and failed post restoration thereby reducing efficacy of the restoration to reduce flashiness and NO3− flux. N management via stream restoration will be most effective where flashiness can be reduced, and DOC made available for denitrifiers. Stream restoration may be an important component of holistic watershed management including stormwater management and nutrient source control.