Relationship of Runoff, Erosion, and Sediment Properties in an Urban Drainage Channel

A small creek in a Midwestern public forest preserve collects runoff water from a large parking lot and residential area, and conveys it to a larger river.  Extreme erosion is causing damage to the area, including undercutting of trees along the banks of the creek.  If a solution is not implemented, storm-water runoff will continue to erode the banks of the creek, possibly leading to damage of a nearby bicycle path.  The hypothesis is that both stream morphology    and soil properties in this area are related to erosion of the banks.  Examination of creek bed sediments along the length of the stream will provide insight into this relationship.  This was investigated by surveying the elevation of the stream along a longitudinal profile, using an auto-level, compass, and stadia rod.  Changes in the slope of the stream bed may be related to the erosional patterns in different areas of the creek.  Differences in stream bed sediments and suspended solids will be compared to a stream profile from the head to the confluence with the larger river.  Sediments will be characterized by particle size distribution to provide information related to the erosional processes occurring in different parts of the creek.  The results of this investigation may provide some solutions to issue of soil erosion in the area and create a baseline for further investigation.