Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 4-2003 Stream Bank Erosion and Land Use/Land Cover along the Gun River, Allegan County, Michigan Kenneth James Sexton Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Geography Commons Recommended Citation Sexton, Kenneth James, "Stream Bank Erosion and Land Use/Land Cover along the Gun River, Allegan County, Michigan" (2003). Master's Theses. 4415. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/4415 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STREAM BANK EROSION AND LAND USE/LAND COVER ALONG THEGUN RIVER, ALLEGAN COUNTY, MICHIGAN by Kenneth James Sexton A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of Geography Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan April 2003 Copyrightby Kenneth James Sexton 2003 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I must thank the many individuals who assisted with my field data collection. Without you, my friends, and the many hours you volunteered to help me, this project would never have been possible. Second, I would like to express my gratitude to my thesis advisor, Dr. Rolland Fraser, for his direction and input in helping me to develop and complete my project. I would also like to express my appreciation to my thesis committee members, Dr. Lisa Dechano and Dr. David Lemberg, for their assistance and patience. I am also grateful to Dr. Gregory Veeck for his initial guidance and encouragement. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends for their love and support during my graduate program. Kenneth James Sexton 11 STREAM BANK EROSION AND LAND USE/LANDCOVER ALONG THEGUN RIVER, ALLEGAN COUNTY, MICHIGAN Kenneth James Sexton, M.A. WesternMichigan University, 2003 The Gun River, located in Allegan County, MI, is experiencing profound erosion and sedimentation due to past channel modifications and current land use activity. The Gun River historically has been dredged and straightened to drain water faster and more effectively for agricultural production. Additionally, human land use activities in the watershed influence the current land cover and riparian vegetation. The purpose of this study was to determine if variations in land use (residential, agricultural, and forested) and vegetative cover along the banks of the Gun River influence erosion. Additionally, the study provided a unique opportunity to compare the upper portion of the Gun River, which primarily flows through agricultural land and functions as an inter-county drain, with the lower section of the River that has visible characteristics of a natural river, such as vegetative riparian cover, meanders, and the presence of large woody debris. Using an index based on riparian vegetation and stream bank erosion, as well as channel measurements of the Gun River, data collected from the Gun River and riparian corridor revealed that residential land management results in more bank erosion and sedimentation in the Gun River. Data also revealed that there are differences between the upstream and downstream portions of the Gun River, primarily because most of the residential property along the Gun River is located in the downstream reach. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................... 11 LIST OFTABLES ......................................................................................................... Vll LIST OFFIGURES................................................................................. ....................... Vlll CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................. 1 Problem Statement .. .. ... ... .. ... .. .. ... .. .. ... .. ... .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. 2 II. LITERATURE REVIEW........................................................ .......................... 4 Anthropogenic Impacts on Rivers and Water Quality.............................. 4 Channelization and Bank Stability................................................... 5 Impacts of Anthropogenic Channel Modification and Public Awareness .. .. .. .... .. ... .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7 Importance of Vegetation and River Corridors................................ 13 Assessing Erosion, Water Quality, and River Health ............................... 21 Models for Measuring River Ecosystem Health and Integrity......... 22 Stream Corridor Vegetation .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 24 Channel Erosion and Bank Stability ....................................... 25 Literature Summary.......................................................................... 26 ill. STUDY AREA................................................................................................... 27 Gun River Watershed................................................................................ 27 Historical Changes to the Gun River................................................ 31 Watershed Geology.......................................................................... 34 iii Table of Contents---Continued CHAPTER Hydrology......................................................................................... 35 IV. MATERIALS AND METHODS.. .... .... .... .. .. .... .. .... .. .... .. .... .. ...... .. .. .. .. .. .... .. .... .. 36 Land Use Data ....................................... :................................................... 36 Stream Selection............................................................................... 37 Site Selection.................................................................................... 37 Land Use .......................................................................................... 40 Upstream and Downstream Land Use Characteristics..................... 40 Field Data Collection ................................................................................ 42 Data Analysis . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 4 7 Erosion Index .... .. ... .. .. ... .. ... .. .. .. ... ... .. .. ... ... .. .. .. .. 4 7 Summary Statistics.................................................................................... 51 Chi-squared...................................................................................... 51 ANOVA ........................................................................................... 52 K-means Clustering.......................................................................... 52 Principal Component Analysis......................................................... 53 V. RESULTS .......................................................................................................... 56 Statistical Tests.......................................................................................... 56 Summary Statistics........................................................................... 56 Land Use ................................................................................. 56 Erosion Index . .. ... ... ... ... .. ... .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 56 Canopy Density....................................................................... 57 IV Table of Contents---Continued CHAPTER Riparian Buffer Strips ............................................................. 58 Landscaping ............................................................................ 58 Slope Cover .......................... :.................................................. 58 Upstream and Downstream Differences ...... .. .. .... .... .. ...... .. .. .. 59 Results of Chi-Square....................................................................... 59 Land Use ................................................................................. 61 Slope Cover and Landscaping................................................. 61 Buffer Strips............................................................................ 62 Upstream Versus Downstream................................................ 63 ANOVA .................................................................................. 63 K-Means Clustering................................................................ 64 Principal Component Analysis......................................................... 67 Mapping the Principal Components................................................. 70 VI. DISCUSSION ................................................................................................. 76 Statistical Tests.......................................................................................... 76 Chi-Squared...................................................................................... 76 Limitations of Chi-Squared Test Statistics ............................. 79 ANOV A and K-means Clustering.................................................... 80 Principal Components Analysis ....................................................... 82 Weather Conditions................................................................. 84 Erosion Sites..................................................................................... 87 V