PARENT SESSION
Organized Oral Session 44: Linking the practice of stream restoration with the science of stream ecology
Organizer(s): PM Mayer, J Williams, and S Kaushal
Thursday, August 11, 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM, Meeting Room 511 C, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal

Streambank stabilization and riparian restoration in Kansas.

Balch, Phil^*,1, Haag, Dennis^{*,1, 2}, ¹ The Watershed Institute, Inc., Topeka, Kansas, USA² Tetra Tech EM Inc., Lenexa, Kansas, USA

ABSTRACT- Historically, Kansans have utilized the same streambank stabilization methods as many other areas of the United States. These methods included channelization, creating over-widened trapezoidal channels, gabion baskets, or rip-rap and concrete-lined channels. With few exceptions, these methods have failed to provide desirable results. In many instances, these methods have created more problems than they solved. In recent years, several individuals in Kansas have been promoting methods that follow geomorphic principals of river form and function to develop and achieve a more natural approach to streambank stabilization and riparian restoration. This paper will explore the design and construction of these methods along with providing case histories of projects using methods that work with the natural stream system.

Key words: streambank stabilization, riparian restoration, sediment reduction, habitat restoration