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The Palmiter Method of Stream Restoration, Adapted to Protect Infrastructure, and its Effect on Streams

Viti, Jonathan S.
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5918-1609
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou164976896779499

Abstract Details

2022, Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, Environmental Studies (Voinovich).
This study was designed to analyze the effect of the Palmiter method of stream restoration, adapted for infrastructure protection. Many roads and most bridges in the U.S. were built along or across rivers and streams. Rivers and streams are morphologically dynamic and naturally alter their channel over time, leading to bank erosion that can impact the stability of nearby infrastructure, requiring intervention in some cases, commonly by dumping riprap along the erosional surface. Riprap does not halt the problem and in some cases can exacerbate it. The Palmiter method uses mostly on site material and manual labor to relocate the channel away from the erosion issue by shifting the stream power away from the erosional area. Over time, the stream will erode the opposite bank and aggrade the restored bank. Eight sites, including three target reaches where the Palmiter method was used, three control reaches upstream of their respective target reaches, and two reference streams, were sampled four separate times (late July 2021, early September 2021, late October 2021, and late January 2022). Data on total suspended solids (TSS), flow, field water chemistry (field parameters), pebble size distribution, bank retreat, habitat quality, and the macroinvertebrate community were collected and analyzed statistically to determine associations between the Palmiter method and stream health. Most measures of stream health in this study were found to not be significantly different between target, reference, and control reaches. The exception was in stream cover assessed as part of the habitat evaluation and some of the smaller grain sizes in the pebble counts. This suggests that the Palmiter method can protect infrastructure without impairing stream health and can be applied to bank erosion leading to non-emergent infrastructure damage.
Natalie Kruse-Daniels (Committee Chair)
Kelly Johnson (Committee Member)
Benjamin Sperry (Committee Member)
134 p.
Ecology; Engineering; Environmental Science; Natural Resource Management; Water Resource Management
Infrastructure protection; erosion protection; engineering; stream restoration; Palmiter method; stream habitat quality; erosion; watershed management; water resource management; water quality

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Viti, J. S. (2022). The Palmiter Method of Stream Restoration, Adapted to Protect Infrastructure, and its Effect on Streams [Master's thesis, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou164976896779499

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Viti, Jonathan. The Palmiter Method of Stream Restoration, Adapted to Protect Infrastructure, and its Effect on Streams. 2022. Ohio University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou164976896779499.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Viti, Jonathan. "The Palmiter Method of Stream Restoration, Adapted to Protect Infrastructure, and its Effect on Streams." Master's thesis, Ohio University, 2022. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou164976896779499

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou164976896779499
268
© 2022, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.