Evaluation of river basin restoration options by the application of the Water Framework Directive Explorer in the Zwalm River basin (Flanders,Belgium)

Water managers and researchers strive towards the same objective: the improvement of the quality status of water bodies. However, there is still a gap between the results of academic studies on water systems and the information currently used in water management. The Water Framework Directive (WFD)‐Explorer, a modular toolbox which supports integrated water management in a river basin, attempts to bridge this gap. The toolbox analyses the impact of different restoration measures on river ecology based on expert rules embedded in this simulation environment. The strengths and weaknesses of the toolbox have been tested on the Zwalm River basin in Flanders, Belgium. The ecological status of streams in the basin spans the whole range of nearly pristine headwaters to severely impacted river stretches further downstream. Considering the key bottlenecks in the Zwalm basin and the user‐driven ecological status objectives, several water quality and physical habitat restoration options have been proposed to meet the European Water Framework Directive goals. The positive impact of restoration measures on the ecological quality ratio (EQR) for macroinvertebrates appeared to be the highest for measures affecting the nutrient inflows and thus chemical water body characteristics. However, the spatial scale on which the WFD‐Explorer modelled the impact of physical habitat restoration may have been too coarse to generate reliable results concerning such restoration measures. Hence, the combination of the WFD‐Explorer results with those of more detailed studies on physical habitat restoration impacts might be a promising approach to reliably support decision‐making implementation of the WFD. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Proposed fluvial island classification scheme and its use for river restoration

Fluvial islands are present in nearly all natural and regulated rivers. They are important from hydrological, biological, geopolitical and socio‐economic points of view. As ubiquitous as islands are, consideration of islands is relatively absent in most river restoration concepts. The natural river processes that allow for island formation can easily be integrated into typical river classifications. To begin, an island classification scheme is proposed that can become a tool for improved river classifications and restoration projects. In developing an island classification scheme, the objectives are similar to those of previous river classification methods. By observing island characteristics, inductive generalizations may be made about the river's hydrologic and ecologic potential. In river hierarchies, the distinguishing variables used to describe streams were characteristics that could easily be discerned from their appearances, i.e. field‐determinable features. A similar approach is sought for island classification. The distinguishing characteristics of any island may be sorted into three basic categories: those that can be measured from a topographic map or an aerial photograph; those that can be measured in situ at the island and those that can be inferred from either a known history of the island or from the other characteristics of the island. Once all the suitable characteristics were identified, a matrix for island classification was created which can be used to classify island origin and type. The better that the inter‐relationship between island formation, channel processes and watershed processes are understood, the better the natural bio‐physical regime of the river corridor can be identified and incorporated into restoration plans. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A process‐based approach to restoring depositional river valleys to Stage 0, an anastomosing channel network

Stream restoration approaches most often quantify habitat degradation, and therefore recovery objectives, on aquatic habitat metrics based on a narrow range of species needs (e.g., salmon and trout), as well as channel evolution models and channel design tools biased toward single‐threaded, and “sediment‐balanced” channel patterns. Although this strategy enhances perceived habitat needs, it often fails to properly identify the underlying geomorphological and ecological processes limiting species recovery and ecosystem restoration. In this paper, a unique process‐based approach to restoration that strives to restore degraded stream, river, or meadow systems to the premanipulated condition is presented. The proposed relatively simple Geomorphic Grade Line (GGL) design method is based on Geographic Information System (GIS) and field‐based analyses and the development of design maps using relative elevation models that expose the relic predisturbance valley surface. Several case studies are presented to both describe the development of the GGL method and to illustrate how the GGL method of evaluating valley surfaces has been applied to Stage 0 restoration design. The paper also summarizes the wide applicability of the GGL method, the advantages and limitations of the method, and key considerations for future designers of Stage 0 systems anywhere in the world. By presenting this ongoing Stage 0 restoration work, the authors hope to inspire other practitioners to embrace the restoration of dynamism and diversity through restoring the processes that create multifaceted river systems that provide long‐term resiliency, meta‐stability, larger and more complex and diverse habitats, and optimal ecosystem benefits.     

Geomorphic diversity as a river management tool and its application to the Ganga River,India

Understanding of geomorphic processes and the determination of geomorphic diversity in catchments are prerequisites for the sustainable rehabilitation of river systems and for reach‐scale assessment of river health. The Ganga River system in India is a large, complex system consisting of several long tributaries, some >1,000 km, originating from 2 distinct hinterlands—the Himalaya to the north and the cratons to the south. Traversing through a diverse climatic regime across the Plain and through precipitation zones ranging from 600 mm/year near Delhi to 1,200 mm/year in the eastern plains, the Ganga River system has formed very diverse landform assemblages in 3 major geomorphic domains. We have recognized 10 different river classes for the trunk river from Gangotri (source) to Farakka (upstream of its confluence with the Brahmaputra) based on (a) landscape setting, (b) channel and active floodplain properties, and (c) channel planform parameters. The mountainous stretch is characterized by steep valleys and bedrock channels and is dominated by large‐scale sediment production and transport through hill slope processes. The alluvial part of the river is characterized by 8 different river classes of varying reach lengths (60–300 km) many of which show sharp transitions in landscape setting. We have highlighted the application of this approach for the assessment of habitat suitability, environmental flows, and flood risk all of which have been significantly modified during the last few decades due to large‐scale anthropogenic disturbances. We suggest that the diversity embedded in this geomorphic framework can be useful for developing a sustainable river management programme to “work with” the contemporary character and behaviour of rivers.     

A geomorphic monitoring and adaptive assessment framework to assess the effect of lowland floodplain river restoration on channel–floodplain sediment continuity

The state of the science of lowland river floodplain restoration reflects the relatively new and experimental nature of large river floodplain rehabilitation efforts. Based on results of a case study of floodplain restoration at the lowland Cosumnes River, California, we present a geomorphic monitoring and adaptive assessment framework that addresses the need to inform and utilize scientific knowledge in lowland floodplain river restoration activities. Highlighting hydrogeomorphic processes that lead to habitat creation, we identify a discharge threshold for connectivity and sediment transfer from the channel to the floodplain and integrate discharge magnitude and duration to quantify a threshold to aid determination of when geomorphic monitoring is warranted. Using floodplain sand deposition volume in splay complexes as one indicator of dynamic floodplain habitat, we develop a model to aid prediction of the sand deposition volume as an assessment tool to use to analyze future monitoring data. Because geomorphic processes that form the physical structure of a habitat are dynamic, and because the most successful restoration projects accommodate this fundamental characteristic of ecosystems, monitoring designs must both identify trends and be adapted iteratively so that relevant features continue to be measured. Thus, in this paper, adaptive assessment is defined as the modification of monitoring and analysis methods as a dynamic system evolves following restoration activities. The adaptive monitoring and assessment methods proposed facilitate long‐term measurements of channel–floodplain sediment transfer, and changes in sediment storage and morphology unique to lowland river–floodplain interactions and the habitat that these physical processes support. The adaptive assessment framework should be integrated with biological and chemical elements of an interdisciplinary ecosystem monitoring program to answer research hypotheses and to advance restoration science in lowland floodplain river systems. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

河流泥沙研究进展

泥沙研究主要是认识水流中的泥沙运动规律、河床演变规律,进而解决水利工程中的泥沙问题。泥沙学科体系始建于20世纪,侧重河流泥沙研究。河流泥沙运动力学基本理论包括：泥沙的沉降特性、泥沙的起动特性、悬移质运动规律、推移质运动规律、水流挟沙力、非平衡输沙、泥沙运动统计理论、异重流运动理论、波流作用下的泥沙运动理论等。在长期的治河实践中,我国的泥沙科学发展迅速,主要进展包括：泥沙运动力学基本理论,高含沙水流的运动机理与理论,河流模拟的理论与技术,水库泥沙的对策与管理,河道演变规律的认识及治河工程技术等。本文对河流泥沙研究的主要进展进行简要综述。     

山区城市河流综合治理模式及案例探讨

山区城市河流面临洪水急涨急落、水量丰枯变化明显和亲水空间有限等问题,已成为城市河流治理中普遍面对的难点。本文提出山区城市河流近自然综合治理的可行模式。按照安全、自然、亲水和文明的理念,从水安全、水资源、水环境、水生态、水景观和水文化等方面实施综合治理。强化洪水风险和应急管理能力,维持河道自然形态和枯水期基流量,加强点源和面源污染的拦截净化,保护河道生态多样性,塑造自然型水流和亲水景观,保留河道深潭浅滩结构,河道子槽以蜿蜒型水流和跌水为主,利用滩地为市民提供安全、舒适的滨水空间,保护少数民族水文化和历史文化。以云南楚雄龙川江和重庆酉阳龙潭河为案例,分别探讨了现有城市拓展地区和新建城区的河流治理方案,对我国类似流域城市河流治理具有参考意义。     

Benchmarking Fluvial Dynamics for Process‐Based River Restoration: the Upper Rhine River (1816–2014)

Multi‐temporal analysis of river‐floodplain processes is a key tool for the identification of reference conditions or benchmarks and for the evaluation of deviations or deficits as a basis for process‐based river restoration in large modified rivers. This study developed a methodology for benchmarking fluvial processes at river segment level, focusing on those interrelations between morphodynamics (aggradation, erosion, channel shift) and vegetation succession (initial, colonization, transition) that condition habitat structure. Habitat maps of the free‐flowing Upper Rhine River downstream from Iffezheim dam (France–Germany border) were intersected with a geographic information system‐based approach. Patches showing trajectories of anthropization, changeless, progression and regression allowed for the identification of natural and human‐induced processes over almost 200 years. Before channelization, the riverine system was characterized by a shifting habitat mosaic with natural heterogeneity, high degree of surface water connectivity and equilibrium between progression and regression processes. On the other hand, the following 175 years of human interventions led to severe biogeomorphologic deficits evidenced by loss of natural processes and habitat heterogeneity, hydrological disconnection between the river and its floodplain and imbalance of progression versus regression dynamics. The main driving forces of change are found in hydromorphological impacts (channelization, regulation and hydropower plant construction). Regression processes are now almost absent and have to be the objective of process‐based river restoration measures for the studied river‐floodplain system. A sustainable view on water management and river restoration should aim at a more resilient riverine system by balancing the recovery of natural processes with societal needs. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling physical characteristics of river habitats

The physical characteristics of river habitats constitute the setting in which fluvial biota dwell and thrive. Determining the spatial and temporal patterns of physical habitat characteristics and the main factors that control them is extremely important to increase the efficiency of river management, conservation, and restoration. This study determined spatial patterns of physical habitat characteristics for Atlantic and Mediterranean rivers in northern Spain and developed a river classification based on hydromorphological characteristics. Data gathered from almost 600 sites following a modified version of the River Habitat Survey methodology were used. In addition to the usual River Habitat Survey variables, the sequence of hydromorphologic units (i.e., areas exhibiting similar hydraulic characteristics, in terms of water velocity and depth), water depths, and widths were recorded. Unmodified reaches were selected computing the Habitat Modification Score. Multiple Linear Regression models were employed to test relationships between Principal Component Analyses that summarized physical river habitat characteristics with ecological relevance and environmental variables (i.e., climate, topography, land cover, and geology) at different spatial scales and used to predict physical habitat attributes for all river reaches. The density of hydromorphologic units, flow turbulence, substrate size, and channel dimensions were able to discriminate river classes within the river network, with topography being the main environmental driver of habitat characteristics (although climate, geology, and land cover were also relevant). This classification scheme could constitute a useful tool to restore physical habitat conditions in modified river reaches.     

Analysis and evaluation of large‐scale river restoration planning in Germany to better link river research and management

In December 2008, the draft programmes of measures (PoM) have been published in the EU member states, which list the measures that will be taken to enhance the ecological status of surface and groundwater bodies, and to reach the environmental objectives of the EU‐Water Framework Directive (WFD). We have analysed the German PoM to identify the main pressures and the restoration measures water managers planned to implement in streams and rivers. The objective was to evaluate the PoM and to identify the main, practically relevant knowledge gaps in river management on which applied river research should focus on. In general, the selection of measures in the PoM was reasonable. In accordance with the analysis of pressures and impacts in Germany, the PoM focussed on measures addressing morphological alterations and river continuity, and the results indicated that diffuse source pollution and fine sediment input were additional main pressures in Central European streams and rivers. Although point source pollution was not a main pressure in most rivers, respective point source measures have been selected for many water bodies. Apparently, these were so‐called basic measures that have to be taken due to other EU‐Directives or national laws. Therefore, although in line with the WFD, it seemed doubtful if the point source measures would help to substantially enhance the ecological status. Furthermore, the results indicated that there was a general lack of knowledge on the effect of restoration measures and a specific knowledge gap in how to enhance the ecological state of heavily modified water bodies (HMWB) in the lowland region with a high land‐use pressure, which was reflected by the high share of water bodies for which conceptual measures have been selected (e.g. developing management plans). Based on the analysis of the PoM and a literature review, we identified the following, practically relevant knowledge gaps in river management: (i) the morphodynamics of river reaches where natural channel dynamics have been restored, (ii) the combined effect of measures addressing diffuse nutrient and fine sediment input at different spatial scales (e.g. riparian buffer strips and land‐use changes), (iii) methods to identify suitable and efficient measures and to define environmental objectives for HMWB and (iv) the effect of measures on less well‐studied biological groups like macrophytes and phytoplankton. There is a strong need to summarize recent research results on these issues, to identify the knowledge gaps and research needs in detail, and to make the results of such a comprehensive literature review or meta‐analysis available for the next 6‐year management cycle and second WFD management plans. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Innovative approaches in river management and restoration

How research interacts with applications in river management and restoration is a critical question within the Anthropocene era. Improved knowledge regarding the socioecological effects of river management and restoration is therefore needed to establish compromises between water uses and riverine ecosystem requirements. This special issue tackles how river management and restoration activities have recently evolved to target cost‐efficient and more integrated measures. Some of the contributions showed monitoring feedbacks provide lessons to improve river status and assess success of restoration activities. The range of success indicators considered is continually widening, including more social factors in addition to existing ecological ones. Moreover, win‐win and adaptative strategies are also explored to make restoration projects successful and more appreciated by people. Upscaling approaches are also feeding into a growing research field to provide more robust diagnosis for evaluating river status, targeting improvement actions and considering integrative ecological issues in addition to chemical and morphological factors and even fluvial risk assessment.     

Application of physical habitat simulation (PHABSIM) modelling to modified urban river channels

Prediction of changes to in‐stream ecology are highly desirable if decisions on river management, such as those relating to water abstractions, effluent discharges or modifications to the river channel, are to be justified to stakeholders. The physical habitat simulation (PHABSIM) system is a well‐established hydro‐ecological model that provides a suite of tools for the numerical modelling of hydraulic habitat suitability for fish and invertebrate species. In the UK, the most high‐profile PHABSIM studies have focused on rural, groundwater‐dominated rivers and have related to low flow issues. Conversely, there have been few studies of urban rivers. This paper focuses on the application of PHABSIM to urban rivers and demonstrates how sensitivity analyses can be used to assess uncertainty in PHABSIM applications. Results show that physical habitat predictions are sensitive to changes in habitat suitability indices, hydraulic model calibration and the temporal resolution of flow time‐series. Results show that there is greater suitable physical habitat over a wider range of flows in a less engineered river channel when compared to a more engineered channel. The work emphasizes the need for accurate information relating to the response of fish and other organisms to high velocities. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Trends and issues in delivery of integrated catchment scale river restoration: Lessons learned from a national river restoration survey within Scotland

This paper provides data on the changing character of river restoration within one country within a single policy and legislative framework. The information gathered was based on web searches, meetings and questionnaire responses with organizations and individuals working as environmental policy developers, stakeholders and practitioners of catchment management and river restoration. The paper utilizes this information to explore generic issues promoting and constraining a move to integrated catchment scale river restoration. Catchment scale river restoration was defined as ‘any river restoration activity that singly, or in combination, restores natural catchment processes and a naturally functioning ecosystem and brings benefit or environmental services to the whole catchment and not just to the site of restoration’. The river restoration project data compiled showed that the number of projects in Scotland is on a strong upward trajectory, but the number of catchment scale projects is still limited. The data also showed a trend towards a range of underpinning reasons for river restoration. Traditionally the reasons for river restoration in Scotland have been strongly fisheries focussed, with another key driver being biodiversity conservation. Sustainable flood management and climate change adaptation are seen as emerging drivers of river restoration. In terms of the individuals interviewed, most appreciated that river restoration can bring about multiple benefits and should be underpinned by a good understanding of catchment processes. Our overall assertion based on our study is that unless there is a fundamental paradigm shift, a change in the nature and level of funding for river restoration and a single organization is given overall authority to direct river restoration. ‘business as usual’ will continue and the benefits of catchment scale river restoration will be limited. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The contribution of citizen science volunteers to river monitoring and management: International and national perspectives and the example of the MoRPh survey

The contribution of citizen scientists to worldwide environmental monitoring has increased rapidly, particularly over the last two decades, as initiatives have become increasingly wide ranging in scope and style. River monitoring and assessment faces many challenges, especially over the longer‐term. Difficult decisions are being made over what can be measured and where. Citizen scientists are helping address these challenges by providing information on properties of river ecosystems, in particular biotic and water quality indicators, at lower cost and higher spatial and temporal coverage than would otherwise be possible and by contributing to data interpretation especially through their local knowledge. A notable deficit, however, has been the monitoring of physical characteristics and outcomes of physical interventions. Furthermore, the development of frameworks, such as the catchment partnership approach in the United Kingdom, within which volunteers, non‐governmental organisations, charities, and statutory bodies collaborate to improve understanding of river environments and decision making, is facilitating the engagement needed to support a new generation of integrated citizen science surveys. Within the United Kingdom, citizen scientists use the Modular River Survey to record river habitat data at a range of spatial scales to monitor physical changes and complement biological monitoring, notably the Riverfly Monitoring Initiative and associated “Riverfly Plus” surveys. They also collect geomorphological data and provide data for restoration appraisal. We present and analyse Modular River Survey data to illustrate how such new generation, multiscale, multipurpose monitoring methods can extract maximum value from the ever‐increasing citizen river science approach.     

嫩江下游尼尔基—三岔河口段河流健康评价

从水文水资源、物理结构、水质、生物和社会服务功能等5个准则层和14个指标层对2011年的嫩江下游尼尔基—三岔河口段河流健康状况进行评价。结果表明,受人类开发活动影响,嫩江下游河流健康评价指数赋分为59分,河流处于亚健康状态;农业开发、水利工程建设、过度捕捞等人类干扰是造成下游河流生境变化的主要因素。提出了水利工程生态调度、河岸带修复与管理、水质修复、栖息地修复、湿地生态系统恢复等河流健康管理措施。     

河流生态修复的适应性管理方法

适应性管理方法是保证河流生态修复工程成功的关键环节。文中对适应性管理方法的主要内容、关键环节进行了论述,对河流生态修复适应性管理的特征和面临的挑战进行了分析,指出了为加强适应性管理所应采取的对策措施。     

河流地貌特征多样性的保护

河流作为一个有机的生态整体与生物多样性共存,构成了一种相互耦合的生态系统.河流丰富的地貌形态为流域生物多样性创造了很好的条件,是生物群落多样性的基础.现代水利工程应该克服对河流形态的多样化重视不足和忽略生态环境的缺陷,在治河过程中,尊重河流流域的自然状况,尊重各类生物的生存权利;认识并遵循河流地貌演变的客观规律,逐步完善河流生态工程建设措施;保护河流地貌形态特征多样性,为生物的生长、繁殖、栖息提供条件,达到保护河流生态系统多样性,维持河流系统健康的目的.     

The Selwyn River of New Zealand: a benchmark system for alluvial plain rivers

Most of the world's alluvial plain rivers have undergone hydrological and geomorphical modifications due to water abstraction, dam and levee construction, gravel mining and other human activities. Some of these rivers function as benchmark systems for identifying and quantifying the ecological responses to hydrological and geomorphological changes. Benchmark systems are critical for understanding these responses, for predicting the effects of future changes, and for trialling restoration and mitigation measures. The Selwyn River of New Zealand is a benchmark system for undammed alluvial rivers that are under intense pressure for water abstraction, and are subject to large flow fluctuations. The Selwyn is a remarkably complex river, and increased understanding of this system will provide insight for understanding and managing other rivers in its class. Hydrological properties that characterize the Selwyn include strong surface water–groundwater interactions, contiguous ephemeral, intermittent, perennial‐losing and perennial‐gaining reaches and an expanding and contracting dry segment that persists for most of the year. The dry segment, in combination with broad spatial variation in aquifer structure and rainfall, cause the upstream (runoff‐fed) and downstream (groundwater‐fed) river sections to function very differently. These sections are also dissimilar in channel morphology; the upstream section has a braided planform, with mobile bars, and abundant islands and remnant channels, and the downstream section has a single, meandering channel, stable bars and no islands. As in many alluvial plain rivers, large floods drive reach‐scale channel evolution. This paper introduces a long‐term research program that is underway at the Selwyn River, and explores the hydrological and morphological dynamics that characterize the river. We focus on groundwater–surface water interactions, flow‐permanence patterns and flood‐dependent geomorphology. Hydrological and meteorological data are summarized in a conceptual model of relationships between prevailing weather systems, runoff, aquifer recharge and river flow. The physical template described in this paper governs ecological processes such as dispersal, succession and nutrient cycling. A conceptual model is proposed to organize predictions about dispersal in response to changes in hydrological connectivity. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterizing aquatic habitats for long‐term monitoring of a fourth‐order,regulated river in the Pacific Northwest,USA

A pragmatic approach to the long‐term monitoring of rivers leverages available information with targeted field investigations to address key uncertainties relevant to management decisions. An over‐arching management issue for many rivers is how reservoir operation affects the amount and location of in‐channel sediment and the resulting distribution of aquatic habitats. We integrate remotely acquired and field‐survey morphologic data for the Cedar River, Washington, to constitute the current status of aquatic habitats and benchmarks for long‐term monitoring that will inform streamflow management. Four key habitats (river edge, side channels, riffles, and pools) are feasible to monitor with high‐resolution aerial imagery, a longitudinal profile of the river, and a side channel inventory, but full characterization of the functional differences within these habitats requires additional information. Habitat use information such as redd surveys will continue to be important for long‐term monitoring where it cannot be inferred reliably from physical habitat characteristics.     

Regulated Rivers: Research & Management,Volume 17 Issue 4/5 ‘Understanding natural patterns and processes in river corridors as the basis for effective river restoration’ by J.V. Ward,K. Tockner,U. Uehlinger and F. Malard.

The incorrect version of this article was published previously. Please find the correct version, which retains the original pagination, on the next page. The publisher wishes to apologise for this mistake Running water ecology is a young science, the conceptual foundations of which were derived largely from research conducted in Europe and North America. However, virtually all European river corridors were substantially regulated well before the science of river ecology developed. While regulation of North American river systems occurred later than in European systems, river ecology also developed later. Therefore, there is a general impression of rivers as being much less heterogeneous and much more stable than they actually are in the natural state. The thesis of this paper is that established research and management concepts may fail to fully recognize the crucial roles of habitat heterogeneity and fluvial dynamics owing to a lack of fundamental knowledge of the structural and functional features of morphologically intact river corridors. Until quite recently, most concepts in river ecology were based on the implicit assumption that rivers are stable, single‐thread channels isolated from adjacent floodplains. Unfortunately, many rivers are in just such a state, but it should be recognized that this is not the natural condition. This incomplete understanding constrains scientific advances in river ecology and renders management and restoration initiatives less effective. Examples are given of the high level of spatio‐temporal heterogeneity that may be attained in rivers where natural processes still operate on a large scale. The objective of this paper is to promulgate a broader and more integrative understanding of natural processes in river corridors as a necessary prelude to effective river conservation and management. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.