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Environmental Impact Studies for Channelization Projects
Published in Larry Canter, Environmental Impact of Water Resources Projects, 1985
In addition to aquatic ecosystems effects, channelization projects can also cause impacts on terrestrial ecosystems. For example, Frederickson (1979) reported on the floral and faunal changes in low land hardwood forests in Missouri resulting from channelization, drainage, and impoundment. The study was designed to gather data on the effects of decreasing forest cover in the lower Mississippi Valley. The objectives were to identify the effects of channelization, impoundments, and drainage on plant and animal communities, and to develop reliable techniques to monitor and predict changes in these communities as a result of such actions. The Mingo Swamp, along a portion of the St. Francis River in southeastern Missouri, was the study area. Photo interpretation provided overall information on the nature of the tree cover; data on species composition and density were gathered along line transects selected randomly along the river. Among the pertinent conclusions reached from the study were that stream channelization reduced or changed riparian habitat, decreasing the forest area by as much as 78 percent as compared to no more than 7 percent in unchannelized areas; bird populations tended to avoid channelized streams; and channelization does reduce flooding and benefit agriculture.
How does sediment supply influence refugia availability in river widenings?
Published in Journal of Ecohydraulics, 2021
Cristina Rachelly, Kate L. Mathers, Christine Weber, Volker Weitbrecht, Robert M. Boes, David F. Vetsch
However, extensive anthropogenic impact on fluvial environments has destructed or degraded habitats and disrupted ecosystem processes (Dudgeon et al. 2006). Rivers across the globe have become channelized, reducing the available habitat area and homogenizing the remaining habitats (e.g. Hohensinner et al. 2011). Damming, gravel extraction, and protective structures have further disrupted ecosystem processes associated with the flow and sediment regime (Kondolf 1997). At first, the flow regime received most attention (Poff et al. 1997) before it was recognized that other processes, such as sediment and large wood transport, play an equally important role in shaping fluvial ecosystems (Gurnell et al. 2002; Wohl et al. 2015a).