The Need and Means to Introduce Stream Corridor Restoration to Municipal Officials, Civil Engineers, and Urban Planners Developing Flood Risk Mitigation and Watershed Resiliency Solutions
Lee W. Forbes, PE, D.WRE
Headway Environmental
Monroe, LA
Until recently, stream corridor restoration has been largely limited to Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 mitigation, nutrient reduction/water quality improvement in select watersheds, CWA Section 319 Non-Point Source grants, Endangered Species Act (ESA) aquatic habitat and fish passage restoration, and limited municipal projects where stream restoration practitioners have worked with progressive municipalities to incorporate stream restoration into their stormwater management infrastructure programs. However, recent, sweeping changes at the federal level are promoting nature-based solutions (NBSs), including stream corridor restoration, as a requirement and/or focus of federal flood disaster recovery and mitigation programs based on 1) their ability to provide sustainable flood risk mitigation solutions for the affected communities and watersheds that are resilient in the face of higher frequency and/or more intense weather-related disasters caused by climate change, and 2) multiple other ancillary benefits related to ecological uplift, water quality improvement, recreational opportunities, and community quality of life. Stream corridor restoration is a critical NBS that has only recently been embraced and promoted in these federal programs. As such, it is often unknown to or not well-understood by the municipal authorities, civil engineers, and urban planners tasked with developing flood risk mitigation strategies for affected communities, who are usually much more familiar and experienced with more traditional drainage and flood control solutions and more heavily promoted NBS, such as green infrastructure/low-impact development (LID) stormwater management, floodplain reconnection, and wetland restoration. The introduction of stream corridor restoration into a new and very large, nationwide market presents a great opportunity for our industry to prove the value of stream corridor restoration as a NBS flood risk mitigation tool. However, we as practitioners, must be willing to embrace the entire spectrum of stream corridor restoration methodologies available if we are to provide successful, sustainable solutions that are appropriate for the myriad physical settings and regional preferences across the country. Further, we should present this concept of a spectrum of multiple design methodologies, each with its own best-use applications, early in our discussions with new clients and project owners to avoid potential conflicts and disputes during or after the completion of the project with misinformed but well-intentioned stakeholders. This upfront discussion should include our intent to assess the project conditions and identify the most appropriate stream corridor restoration method or combination of methods to best meet the goals and objectives of the project and the critical boundary conditions and site constraints. Further, the process to identify the most appropriate design approach and method(s) can best be accomplished using a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) matrix, which will allow us to educate and lead the client, owner, and other stakeholders through the process of identification of the most appropriate design approach in a transparent, consensus-building approach. This presentation will present these concepts in more detail, including the introduction of 1) a new stream corridor restoration toolbox that includes the entire spectrum of valid stream corridor design methodologies and the project conditions where they are most appropriate, and 2) the application of the MCDA tool to assist in the identification of the most appropriate stream corridor restoration design approach and method(s) for any given project.
About Lee Forbes
Mr. Forbes serves as the Director of Ecological Restoration Engineering for Headway Environmental. His experience as a consulting civil engineer spans more than 35 years, and he has been recognized as a Diplomate – Water Resources Engineering (D.WRE) by the ASCE’s American Academy of Water Resources Engineers (AAWRE). In the last 23 years, Mr. Forbes has applied his unique and diverse background toward the emerging field of sustainable watershed resources management and has served as project manager/lead design engineer for numerous stream restoration, wetland restoration, and ecologically-enhanced channel stabilization/ restoration design projects throughout the country.