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URBAN RIVER RESTORATION: BRINGING NATURE BACK to CITIES Roderick W

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URBAN RIVER RESTORATION: BRINGING NATURE BACK to CITIES Roderick W URBAN RIVER RESTORATION: BRINGING NATURE BACK TO CITIES Roderick W. Lammers, PhD & Colin Day, MLA ABSTRACT Rivers are common – but often neglected – resources in cities. Decades of development and pollution have degraded and damaged these vital ecosystems. Many cities are turning their attention back to their rivers, hoping to restore these resources. This paper provides an overview of urban river restoration and its benefits, exploring these concepts in detail by analyzing a planned urban river restoration project on the South Platte River in Denver, Colorado. Redevelopment of the site includes plans for a restored floodplain and discharging recycled wastewater to a stretch of the river that is nearly dry for much of the year. This analysis suggests that floodplain restoration could significantly reduce flood risk for surrounding neighborhoods. Additionally, adding water to the river during dry periods can increase fish habitat and improve water quality. This case study is one example but illustrates many of the potential benefits, and limitations, of urban river restoration. While river restoration can improve water quality, reduce flood risk, increase wildlife habitat, and create popular natural amenities for local residents, it is important to recognize that restoring short sections of rivers cannot alone repair the damage from watershed level impairments. Roderick W. Lammers, PhD Colin Day, MLA [email protected] [email protected] AUTHORS Senior Fellow | Department of Civil & Manager | Community Vitality Environmental Engineering Institute for the Built Environment at Institute for the Built Environment at Colorado State University, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO Fort Collins, CO We wish to thank the Urban Drainage Joshua Robinson, MS, PE AKNOWLEDGEMENTS and Flood Control District for Robinson Design Engineers SECTION 1: providing modeling data for the South Mark Reiner, PhD, PE Platte River. We are also CEO, Co-Founder, WISRD, LLC thankful to the following individuals for providing a critical review of this Josie Plaut, MS INTRODUCTION paper: Associate Director, Institute for the Built Environment Rivers are everywhere. Most cities have at least one their waterways, recognizing the significant social, ABOUT IBE The Institute for the Built Environment is based at Colorado State University. We major river – in fact, cities were intentionally built economic, and environmental benefits of healthy river form interdisciplinary teams of faculty, students, and off-campus professionals near waterways to ensure access to drinking water, ecosystems. This paper outlines the threats that urban to take research to practice. At our heart, we develop and educate sustainability provide a navigation route, and transport away sewage. rivers face and describes how river restoration can be leaders at CSU. Our mission is to advance the development of healthy, While larger rivers may be the most visible waterways, used to improve water quality, reduce flood risk, and thriving built environments. We work with building owners, organizations, and cities usually also have a variety of creeks. While less provide an important community amenity. To provide a communities to develop strategic programs that increase alignment, build team conspicuous, they make up the vast majority of the total more concrete illustration of these benefits, this paper capacity, and meet sustainability goals. length of the channel network, and are vitally important describes a proposed urban river restoration project on sources of clean water and habitat for plants and the South Platte River in Denver, Colorado, and quantifies animals. Waterways often suffer the consequences of the potential for this restoration to reduce flood risk, Copyright © 2018 by the Institute for the Built Environment, Colorado State University. All urban expansion, including pollution and confinement. improve water quality, and enhance river health. rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced in any form without permission in However, many cities are now looking to revitalize writing from The Institute for the Built Environment. 2 | INSTITUTE FOR THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AT COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY URBAN RIVER RESTORATION | 3 ALTERATIONS TO URBAN RIVERS Rivers are common in urban areas, although most are significantly altered from their natural states. The largest impact to urban rivers is modification of natural flows. sick while high levels of nutrients can cause uncontrolled Urbanization involves a significant amount of hardscape. algal growth, which can kill fish and contaminate drinking Road and building construction paves over natural land water. surface, turning spongy soil that naturally soaks up rainfall into impervious pavement that does not allow An additional prominent threat faced by urban rivers is infiltration. This causes more water to reach rivers direct modification to river channels. Historically, rivers faster than is normal – meaning urban rivers see larger have been straightened and enlarged to move water and more frequent high flows than is natural. This can more efficiently and reduce flood risk, which destroys harm local flora and fauna and cause river channels to habitat and can be devastating for river ecosystems and erode as they are overwhelmed with water. This erosion flora and fauna that depend on them. Additionally, rivers degrades habitat, can pollute water with eroded soil face increasing levels of encroachment, as development and contaminants, and can damage bridges, pipes, and often extends to the river’s edge. Building in natural other infrastructure. Preventing rainfall from soaking floodplains requires the construction of levees or other CASE STUDY: into the ground can also affect river flow in other ways. structures to protect the new development, keeping Groundwater levels may be lower in urban areas, more water in the river channel and exacerbating Floodplain Reconnection in Rahway, NJ meaning there is less water supplied to rivers during downstream flooding. Additionally, floodplains are drought or low flow periods, causing rivers to dry up. important habitat for both terrestrial and aquatic The Rahway River flows through a mostly urban area in eastern New Jersey and is prone species; cutting them off from river channels devastates to frequent flooding. In the mid-1990s, the City of Rahway purchased 13 homes in a Another significant threat faced by urban rivers is these organisms. Smaller creeks are often destroyed neighborhood adjacent to the river that experienced repeated flooding up to six feet pollution. Pollution comes in various forms and from a completely by being diverted underground into pipes variety of sources. Some of the most common types of to allow for development in the former channels. This deep. The City and local partners worked together to restore this floodplain site, create pollution are bacteria and pathogens (e.g., E. coli) from demolishes important habitat, degrades water quality, a series of wetlands, and provide a recreational area for local residents. Funding for the pet waste, leaky sewers, or septic tanks, and nutrients and increases flood risk as water is rapidly transported project was provided by a number of sources, including the City of Rahway, the Wetlands (e.g., phosphorus and nitrogen), which come from through the underground pipes to larger rivers. Mitigation Council, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, National wastewater treatment plants, fertilized lawns, and golf Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, and the Fish America Foundation. courses. Bacteria like E. coli can make humans and pets The funders and other project partners all had different goals for the restoration (e.g., flood protection, wetland creation, habitat restoration), but all saw the potential of WHAT IS RIVER RESTORATION? the project to reach their goals. Restoration involved lowering the floodplain elevation, River restoration can address the threats outlined above and restore function to river ecosystems. Restoration has constructing a series of wetlands and stormwater ponds, and planting a variety of grasses, wetland plants, and trees. The site provides flood mitigation, enhanced wildlife habitat, many definitions. In its purest form, river restoration on the specific threat(s) being addressed. Importantly, water quality benefits, and an important community amenity¹. seeks to return a degraded ecosystem to its previous restoration does not only include changes to the natural and undisturbed state. Unfortunately, it can river itself. For example, stormwater controls or low be difficult to determine what the “pre-disturbance” impact development that reduces the magnitude and state was, and can be even more difficult to achieve it. intensity of river flows can be considered restoration. At a more practical level, river restoration attempts to Additionally, reducing or eliminating sources of pollution restore some of the function of river ecosystems. These by encouraging responsible fertilizer use or pet waste functions may include supplying a sufficient amount collection are also forms of restoration. Since two of of clean water for people and the environment and the main causes of urban river degradation are altered providing habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species. flows and pollution, addressing these issues have a greater potential to improve river health than any action In this paper, “river restoration” is used broadly to within the channel itself (e.g., bank stabilization). Still,
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