Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Sagebrush and grass or conifers may grow here
Deciduous trees
Grass and
shrubs
Sedges and rushes
Aquatic plants
Water
Water table
and
storage area
Aquatic
zone
Riparian
zone
Upland
zone
FIGURE 2.21 Riparian zone. (From U.S. Department of the Interior, The Impact of Federal Programs on
Wetlands , Vol. 2, Report to Congress, 1994. Available at http://www.doi.gov/oepc/wetlands2/. With permission.)
upland areas, it does have the regulatory authority over riparian zones as part of Section 404 permit
decisions (ERDC 2002). As such, the COE may require vegetated buffer strips as part of the mitigation
for illing wetlands. Other efforts to protect riparian zones often come from state and local programs.
Riparian zones are a critical component of river management, by protecting the water quality and
providing wildlife habitats. They are “a critical element of the overall aquatic ecosystem in virtually
all watersheds” (Federal Register 2002).
Among the beneits of healthy riparian buffer zones (Figure 2.22) are the dissipation of the
stream energy for overbank lows, the reduction of erosion and bank maintenance, increased lood
storage and groundwater recharge, and the provision of habitats and organic matter, and wildlife
travel corridors.
2.2.2.2.2 Landforms and Deposits
As a result of the lateral migration of a channel, a variety of structures form on the loodplain
(FISRWG 1998). These structures include (Figure 2.23):
Chute: a new channel formed across the base of a meander. As it grows in size, it carries
more of the low.
Oxbow : a term used to describe the severed meander after a chute is formed.
Clay plug: a soil deposit developed at the intersection of the oxbow and the new main
channel.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search