Guidelines for Successful River Restoration Projects

1. Standards for Ecologically Successful River RestorationPalmer et al., 2005, Standards for Ecologically Successful River Restoration Dylan Castle

2. Overview • What is Successful Restoration • 5 criteria for River Restoration Standards • Examples of Restoration • Conclusion

3. What is Successful Restoration? • Main focus: Improving environmental conditions • Ideally successful restoration • Cost-effective • Outcome satisfying to shareholders • Aesthetically pleasing • Provided knowledge for future restorations • Ecologically successful • Currently, no accepted set of restoration standards • Most projects never monitored post-restoration

4. Five Criteria for Measuring Successful Restoration Projects • Guiding Image • Improved Ecosystem • Increased Resilience • Harmless • Availability of pre- and post- project assessment

5. 1. Guiding Image • Establishment of ecological endpoint to guide restoration • There is no universal standard for all rivers • Image needs to be realistic and site specific • Considers biologic, hydrologic, and geomorphologic aspects • E.g. Reconfiguring a braided channel to a meandering channel may not fit geomorphology

6. Establishing an Image • Aerial photographs, maps, ground photography, and land records • Example: U.S. Government land surveys from 1800’s were used as a reference for contemporary restoration projects on the upper Mississippi • Using undisturbed or previously restored sites as reference. • Taking into consideration geomorphology, hydrology, climate, geology, and zoogeography. • Example: Using steep, mountainous streams as a guide to restore meandering valley rivers.

7. Establishing an Image Cont. • Employing empirical models • Knowledge of channel, sediment, and hydraulic relationships to form design parameters. • Useful if no reference conditions present • Stream classifications • Ordering into groups based on common characteristics. • Factors: channel pattern, gradient, bed material size, and sediment load. • Common sense • Areas with no riparian vegetation may simple need planting of new riparian vegetation.

8. 2. Improved Ecosystems • Ecological conditions of a river need to be measurable enhanced • Fish populations • Improved water clarity and quality • Seasonal meadows and floodplains • Improvements take time • Different ecological variables take different amounts of time to recover. • Variability can actually be a signal of successful restoration as natural systems are themselves variable

9. Improved Ecosystems Cont. • Clear understanding of scale and severity of constraints needs to be established. • Level of Restoration depends on many factors • Funding, infrastructure limits, and stakeholder needs • Restoration improvement limits lie at the point where ecological and stakeholder outcomes are met and future efforts benefit from acquired knowledge.

10. 3. Increased Resilience • River ecosystem is more self-sustaining then before restoration • Successful restorations have characteristics that can recover from rapid changes and stresses • Being able to recover from floods • Without restoring resilience: • Need ongoing repair • Constant management

11. Increased Resilience Cont. • Hard engineering structures should be avoided • Some situations may require hard engineering • Facilities that prevent incision but encourage lateral movement • Establishing culverts or pathways for access to fish spawning areas

12. 4. Harmless • Implementing restoration does not permanently harm the system • Minimize loss of native vegetation • Construction during non-spawning seasons • Not removing an riparian vegetation • Restoration does not inflict harm somewhere else • Example: Restoration efforts that lead to permanent increases in downstream sedimentation

13. 5. Assessment • Assesses pre- and post- restoration information • Established positive and negative affects • Information is readily available for other projects. • Some projects are easily assessable • Checking to make sure replanted riparian vegetation is still alive • Water quality/temperature has improved

14. Restoration Example 1 • Problem: Increase of peak runoff in urban areas due to runoff of impervious surfaces • Solution 1: Creating floodplain wetlands to intercept runoff and increase infiltration • Solution 2: Construct rock walls or rip-rap. Solution 1 is better. Uses abilities to moderate flow. Also does not need long-term maintenance or repair. Therefore, more self-sustaining.

15. Example 2 • Problem: Channel disconnected from floodplain in large lowland rivers • Solution 1: Levee breaching or widening. • Solution 2: Periodic Dredging Solution 1 restores a natural periodic process benefits propagation of native species and natural flood retention. Solution 2 is costly and significantly disrupts ecology. Also requires regular maintenance.

16. Conclusion • Ideally successful restoration • Cost-effective • Outcome satisfiable to shareholders • Aesthetically pleasing • Provided knowledge for future restorations • Ecologically successful • 5 Criteria for Measuring Restoration Success • Guiding Image • Improved Ecosystem • Increased Resilience • Harmless • Availability of pre- and post- project assessment • Two Perspective for Ecological Goals • Moving away from a degraded state • Approach a desired improved condition