Masters Theses

Date of Award

12-2014

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Biosystems Engineering

Major Professor

Paul D. Ayers

Committee Members

Andrea L. Ludwig, John S. Schwartz

Abstract

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), sediment is one of the most common water pollutants in the nation’s rivers. Consequently, the identification of streambank locations with high erosion potential is important in reducing sediment input via management and monitoring practices. Furthermore, the estimation of erosion rates and sediment loads can assist in the development of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). The objective of this study was to integrate two USEPA-recommended approaches with the Streambank Video Mapping System (SVMS) in order to predict site-specific Total Daily Sediment Loads (TDSLs) and calculate sediment TMDLs for streambank erosion over several river kilometers. The SVMS, a GPS-based watershed-scale data collection method, was incorporated with the USEPA-approved Bank Assessment for Non-point source Consequences of Sediment (BANCS) model to evaluate streambank erodibility using the Bank Erosion Hazard Index (BEHI) and stream erosivity using Near Bank Stress (NBS). The SVMS was implemented to collect georeferenced video footage of streambank condition using three above water cameras mounted on a kayak. In addition, GPS and stream width were concurrently recorded. The video was ocularly evaluated using four parameters of a modified BEHI (mBEHI): bank angle, bank height to bankfull ratio, surface protection, and riparian diversity. The site-specific mBEHI scores and NBS scores were used along with the North Carolina Piedmont region erosion prediction curves to estimate annual Bank Erosion Rates (BERs). Additionally, USGS stream gage discharge data was utilized to estimate TDSLs. Sediment TMDLs for streambank erosion were calculated using TDSL estimates and the Maximum Daily Limit (MDL) equation, a statistically-based long-term average approach devised by the USEPA. This integrated methodology was implemented on a 22.5 kilometer section of the Driftwood River in Indiana and a 20.4 kilometer section of Upatoi Creek in Georgia. The Total Sediment Load (TSL) of Driftwood River was 222 t yr-1 km-1 [tonnes per year per kilometer] and the TMDL was 66 t d-1 [tonnes per day]. The TSL for Upatoi Creek was 109 t yr-1 km-1 and the TMDL was 24 t d-1.

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