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About the Class and Symposium
Restoration of Rivers and Streams (LA 227)
Taught since 1992 (the longest-running course devoted to river restoration at a major research university), this course emphasizes understanding of underlying goals and assumptions of restoration and integration of science into restoration planning and design. Students review restoration plans and evaluate completed projects. In addition to lectures and discussions by the instructor, students, and an extraordinary set of guest lecturers drawn from the active restoration community, the principal course requirement is an independent term project involving original research and a presentation at this Symposium. The term projects are peer-reviewed, revised, and ultimately added to the permanent, web-searchable collection of the UC Water Resources Center Archives. Restoration of Rivers and Streams is taught by Professor Matt Kondolf. Paul Atwood (Water Resources Center Archives) developed the website and on-line access to class research papers.
SCHEDULE
9h Keynote: "The Trinity River, the Peripheral Canal, and the Future of Water in California"
Tom Stokely, Trinity County Planning Department
9h45: Research Presentations:
Impacts of Restoring Road Crossings on Alluvial Channels, Klamath National Forest. Justin Lawrence
Tassajara Creek Restoration Project: Continued Riparian Habitat Monitoring.
Michelle Trinh and Julie Percelay
Floodplain Reconnection, Chorro Flats, Morro Bay: Assessing the Project One Decade Post-Construction. Clare O’Reilly and Josh Pollak
Break
Monitoring Channel Response to the Basin Complex Fire in the Upper Carmel River.
Sarah Richmond
Carneros Creek: Assessing Restoration Implications for a Sinuous Stream Using 1-D and 2-D Simulation Models.
Julie Beagle, Rachel Marison, Mary Matella
Parallel Passageways: An Assessment of Salmon Migration in the San Gregorio Watershed. Chris Alford
Cerrito Creek Step-Pools: An Opportunity for Restoration and Education at Blake Garden.
Nathaniel Behrends
18 Years of Restoration on Codornices Creek
Chris Fullmer
12n Panel Discussion: Stephanie Carlson (Dept Environmental Science, Policy, and Management UCB), HanBin Liang (WRECO Consultants), Manny DaCosta (Alameda County Public Works), Clayton Anderson (FWR Ecoresource Consultants, Vancouver BC/Portland State Univ), and Tom Stokely.
1p adjourn
About the Guest Speakers and Panelists
Tom Stokely (Keynote Speaker)
Tom Stokely is a member of the Board of Directors of the California Water Impact Network working on reducing CVP and SWP Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta exports and improving water quality through retirement of selenium-drainage problem lands in the Western San Joaquin Valley. He recently retired after 23 years as a natural resources planner for Trinity County working on developing, adopting and implementing Bruce Babbitt's Trinity River Record of Decision. He has implemented numerous watershed and fish passage restoration projects. He serves on the California Advisory Committee on Salmon and Steelhead Trout advising the California Legislature's Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, as well as the California Coastal Salmon Recovery Peer Review Advisory Committee advising the Department of Fish and Game. He recently moved to Mt. Shasta to have continual access to winter snow surveys and other local attractions.
Clayton Anderson
Clayton began working on stream restoration projects in 1981 and on urban streams in 1991. Since then he has worked on, designed, constructed and managed hundreds of stream restoration projects throughout the urban area of Vancouver, BC, and elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest. He is a principal instructor on the multi-semester program in stream restoration at Portland
State University.
Stephanie Carlson
Stephanie Carlson is a new Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at U.C. Berkeley. Her research focuses on the ecology and evolution of wild fish populations, particularly those subject to human influence. Current projects include evaluating the evolutionary consequences of habitat degradation on Pacific salmon, harvest-induced evolution in wild fish populations, and the importance of population diversity to long-term sustainability of salmon populations. Stephanie plans to teach courses in Fish Ecology and Aquatic Ecology.
Manny DaCosta
Emmanuel da Costa (Manny) is an environmental consulting specialist with the Alameda County Public Works Agency. Manny has worked for Public Works for the past 10 years developing watershed plans, fisheries assessments, and creek restoration projects throughout unincorporated Alameda County. His most notable project to date is the development of a fish ladder over the infamous "BART Weir" in Alameda Cr. He holds a Master’s degree in Aquatic Toxicology from Oregon State University.
Lisa Hunt
Lisa Hunt is the water quality group director for URS Corporation, an engineering and environmental consulting firm based in San Francisco. Her specialty is ecological risk assessment of pollutants in aquatic habitats, with a focus on the San Joaquin River watershed. Current projects include: preparing the Delta Mendota Canal Recirculation Feasibility Study; evaluating the role of water quality in the pelagic organism decline (POD) in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta; assessing various treatment and management options for selenium-laden agricultural discharges; and studying the feasibility of using recycled water for streamflow augmentation.
Han-Bin Liang
Han-Bin Liang is the founder and president of WRECO, a civil engineering consulting firm with two locations in the Bay Area. Dr. Liang has over 23 years of experience and has been involved in over 300 infrastructure and water resources projects in the State of California. In riverine hydraulics, Dr. Liang's experience includes flood control, floodplain management, storm water management, wetland restoration, sediment transport, bridge hydraulics and scour analysis, and roadway drainage. In coastal and estuarine engineering, his principal areas of interest are wave hydrodynamics, coastal sediment processes, and coastal salt marsh restoration with a strong emphasis on numerical modeling. He obtained his masters and doctoral degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. For his doctoral dissertation, he analyzed wave processes using time series analysis.
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Abstracts
Impacts of Restoring Road Crossings on Alluvial Channels, Klamath National Forest
Justin E. Lawrence
In mountainous terrain, road crossings may impair creeks by impeding fish passage, increasing sediment delivery to stream channels, and altering surface and subsurface flow paths. For example, culverts can completely block the upstream migration of salmonids. The objectives of this project were to quantify the short-term impacts of 6 road crossing reconstruction projects on alluvial creeks in the Klamath National Forest of California. I used a Before-After-Control-Impact study design with 1 set of data pre-construction, 1 set of data immediately following construction, and 2 sets of data over the 2 yr following construction. Data included fine sediment deposition, grain size, longitudinal profiles, cross-sections, and benthic macroinvertebrates. This study found little impact on fine sediment deposition or grain size, a positive result for salmonids. Although the majority of longitudinal profiles and cross-sections tended to incise upstream in response to culvert replacement, the responses were largely site-specific. Furthermore, most morphological changes in slope and bed elevation were minimal. Most of the commonly used biological metrics were not sensitive, but I observed small significant changes (P = 0.005) in the populations of three orders of insects (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera) that are often used as indicators of disturbance in biomonitoring. Lastly, this study upholds Best Management Practices (BMPs) as an effective mitigation technique for salmonid habitat restoration.
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Tassajara Creek Restoration Project: Continued Riparian Habitat Monitoring
Michlle Trinh
Julie Percelay
Tassajara Creek is located in Dublin, California, and drains an area of 23.2 square miles. Alameda County restored a one mile reach of the river in 1999 and 2000 to stop the channel incision and reestablish the riparian vegetation and habitat. Subsequent monitoring by University of California, Berkeley students determined that the restoration efforts successfully halted channel incision. This paper establishes the progress of the riparian habitat restoration through plant transects and photomonitoring. The plant transects and photomonitoring are based on the monitoring surveys established in 2000 and 2001 by Davis Environmental Consulting. The growth of the plant species has increased dramatically since the project construction in 1999. We concluded that a large variety of native species developed successfully on the project with a high survival rate of 75 to 100 percent. Few foreign species were observed in the project reach and mature oak trees are in good health. The downstream reach (Reach 1) has denser vegetation growth than the upstream reaches (Reaches 2 and 3), which may be due to Reach 1 having a lower flood frequency interval and grading level than Reaches 2 and 3. We conclude that the riparian habitat is in good health and successfully met the qualitative goals of the restoration project.
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Floodplain Reconnection, Chorro Flats, Morro Bay: Assessing the Project One Decade Post-Construction
Clare O’Reilly
Josh Pollak
The Chorro Flats Floodplain Reconnection project in Morro Bay, California is frequently referred to as a successful restoration project because of the thorough planning process and consideration of geomorphic processes in the project design. The Chorro Flats project was part of a suite of planning process in the Chorro Creek watershed intended to reduce the sediment load into Morro Bay, a highly productive estuary threatened by an increased rate of infill. In this paper, we present a post-project appraisal one decade after construction. We evaluate the project through several research questions that examine floodplain reconnection, sediment capture, geomorphic changes, and post-project monitoring. Due to a convergence of fortuitous factors and thorough planning, the project achieved sediment capture through floodplain reconnection. In addition, the project achieved its secondary goals to develop in-stream habitat and a healthy riparian zone. We find that monitoring efforts were difficult to replicate, and that continued monitoring of the project is essential to evaluate the lifespan of the project and potential downstream impacts.
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Monitoring Channel Response to the Basin Complex Fire in the Upper Carmel River
Sarah Richmond
Wildfire in steep, chaparral watersheds increases runoff and erosion, which increases sediment transport from the hillslopes to the channel network. This process may cause a flux of fine sediment into streams burying riffles and pools, or might cause a flux of large boulders and woody debris creating new complex fish habitat. The Basin Complex and Indians Fire of June – July, 2008 burned almost the entire upper Carmel River watershed (116 km2) in the Los Padres National Forest, Monterey County, California. Field observations, channel surveys, and grain size analysis in riffles and pools along two study reaches indicate that storm flows as of November 30, 2008 have not been sufficient to mobilize dry ravel deposits in steep, narrow tributaries to the mainstem channel. This baseline geomorphic analysis will allow me to monitor the changes in steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) spawning and rearing habitat during the winter and compare the changes with those observed along the same study reaches following the Marble Cone Fire of August, 1977, which burned the same area with similar intensity. This comparison provides the opportunity to investigate the significance of winter rains and advance more process-based restoration of aquatic habitats affected by fire.
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Carneros Creek: Assessing Restoration Implications for a Sinuous Stream Using 1-D and 2-D Simulation Models
Julie Beagle
Rachel Marison
Mary Matella
Incision in sinuous streams poses challenges for restoration planning and land use management, as seen in Carneros Creek, a western tributary to the Napa River in California. We documented the physical channel morphology of a 150 meter long reach in the Upper Carneros Creek using ground-based Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scans and assessed grain size using pebble counts. These data provide a baseline geomorphic assessment for future restoration projects and allowed us to compare velocities predicted by 1-dimensional (1D) and 2-dimensional (2D) models. For the 1D model, we simulated flows by pulling out cross-sectional points from the LiDAR scans. Using a Manning’s n value of 0.033 for clean, sinuous channels with some pools and riffles, we found 1D velocities at four cross sections had an average mean velocity of 2.73 m/s. For the 2D model, we used FaSTMECH in U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Multi-Dimensional Surface Water Modeling System (MD_SWMS) based on LiDAR data. Our 2D velocity results decreased to an average of 0.85 m/s based on local slope changes from the detailed channel morphology measurements. By adding grain size variable roughness to the 2D model, the average velocity was 0.65 m/s. Our results show that in the sinuous, gravel-bedded Carneros Creek, much higher average velocities are derived by applying mean velocity equations to a 1D model than by using a 2D model. Since 1D modeling of cross sectional data using Manning’s equation does not simulate flow curvature in bends, our 2D model can provide better-defined velocities than a 1D model. Because Carneros Creek is listed as a viable migration passage for steelhead trout, restoration managers concerned about the high levels of flow, incision and the ‘flashy’ nature of the stream should consider how the variability in channel morphology and geomorphology models influence velocity predictions that are important drivers of habitat quality for migrating adult fish and juveniles.
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Parallel Passageways: An Assessment of Salmon Migration in the San Gregorio Watershed
Chris Alford
Populations of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and coho salmon (O.kisutch) within the San Gregorio Watershed and other coastal California watersheds have declined dramatically over the last 100 years due to habitat loss and degradation caused by a variety of land-use practices. Although the San Gregorio watershed is relatively undeveloped compared to most watersheds in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, public roadways in this watershed primarily follow creeks and regularly encroach upon channel banks. The design and proximity of roadway infrastructure impacts both fish passage and habitat quality. A total of fifteen sites along the Highway 84 transportation corridor were inspected to assess the effects of channel encroachment by public roadways on fish passage and fine-grained sediment supply. While most of the sites evaluated do not impede fish passage, two of the sites are partial barriers while a third site is a complete barrier to fish passage. All four bank stabilization sites evaluated show evidence of bank erosion and fine-grained sediment deposition into the active creek channel. While this study did not assess private infrastructure within active creek channels, it identifies locations where future habitat enhancement efforts and road maintenance activities on public roadways may have the greatest impact to salmon populations within the watershed.
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Cerrito Creek Step-Pools: An Opportunity for Restoration and Education at Blake Garden
Nathaniel Behrends
Blake Garden presents a unique opportunity for creek restoration in an urban context. The garden contains a steep headwater section of Cerrito Creek that is relatively unconstrained and publicly accessible. This project presents a proposal for a series of step-pools along this reach to address the restoration objectives of channel stability, creek visibility and physical access to the creek. This new project design builds on a prior student restoration proposal. The design is informed by a review of creek restoration literature, a case study of a similar project, a site survey and interviews with the garden director and manager. The resulting conceptual design summarizes specific recommendations that address the stated project objectives. Channel stability is addressed with a proposal to regrade the banks and to install a series of and stone step-pools. Creek visibility is maintained by limiting dense riparian vegetation to strategic locations. Design features, including a bridge, bank side seating, shallow slopes and stepping-stones, provide physical access to the creek. Finally, recommendations are made for future study. These include, geologic surveys, hydrologic modeling, detailed planting design and research into project funding.
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18 Years of Restoration on Codornices Creek
Chris Fullmer
Codornices Creek is a small creek in the San Francisco Bay area. It has an active history of restoration and community involvement. Early projects beginning in the 1960's consisted of little more than clean up and beautification efforts. Current projects on Codornices Creek involve ecological restoration through engineering, bank stabilization, floodplain management, salmonid habitat restoration, and Riparian corridor management. This paper tracks the progression in the scope, and budget of ten known projects that have occurred on the creek over the last 18 years.
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Final papers for this course and for the course, Hydrology for Planners, can be found at the Water Resources Center Archives and online at http://repositories.cdlib.org/wrca.
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