What is river widening?

What is river widening?

River management The river channel may be widened or deepened allowing it to carry more water. A river channel may be straightened so that water can travel faster along the course. Altering the river channel may lead to a greater risk of flooding downstream, as the water is carried there faster.

What does River Engineering involve?

River engineering is a discipline of civil engineering which studies human intervention in the course, characteristics, or flow of a river with the intention of producing some defined benefit.

Why is it called floodplain?

A flood plain is an area of land that is prone to flooding. Here, the Yellow River snakes through a flood plain in Sichuan, China. A floodplain (or floodplain) is a generally flat area of land next to a river or stream. The first is the main channel of the river itself, called the floodway.

What is river channelisation?

Channelisation is a diliberate attempt to alter the natural geometry of the river. Channelisation can be achieved in many ways. The river can be deepened and widened to increase the capacity of the channel. This increases its hydraulic efficiency and allows a larger discharge to be contained within the channel.

Is River Restoration hard engineering?

River restoration involves restoring a river that has undergone hard engineering back to its original course. This can involve un-straightening a channel, removing artificial levees, diversion spillways & wing dykes.

What is river restoration advantages and disadvantages?

River restoration Discharge in the river reduces meaning there is less risk of flooding downstream. Little or no maintenance is required which makes this a low-cost solution. Biodiversity is maintained along the river. Disadvantages. Flood risks can increase if nothing is done along the river.

What is the importance of river in engineering?

Rivers supply water and construction aggregates, and they form ecological corridors and economical axes of transportation. However, rivers also cause havoc when their floods engulf the surrounding land. River engineering serves society by optimizing the numerous benefits while providing protection against flooding.

How do you control a river?

Methods of Control. In many countries, rivers prone to floods are often carefully managed. Defences such as levees, bunds, reservoirs, and weirs are used to prevent rivers from bursting their banks. When these defences fail, emergency measures such as sandbags or portable inflatable tubes are used.

How a floodplain is created?

Floodplains form due to both erosion and deposition. Erosion removes any interlocking spurs , creating a wide, flat area on either side of the river. During a flood, material being carried by the river is deposited (as the river loses its speed and energy to transport material).

Are floodplains good or bad?

During big floods, healthy floodplains benefit communities by slowing and spreading dangerous flood waters that would otherwise flood riverside communities, harming people and property. Healthy floodplains are nature’s flood protection.

What is a river straightening?

Straightening involves changing the course of the river. This involves straightening the channel by cutting out meanders. Advantages. Straightening allows water to flow along the course of the river more quickly. This reduces the risk of flooding.

How do you stop a river from flowing?

Measures might include using small barriers in ditches and fields, or notches cut into embankments, to divert the water into open land. Letting pools form outside the main channel of a river means the water is temporarily removed from the main flow – reducing the power of the floodwaters.

Why is geomorphology important to River and stream management?

An understanding of river- and stream-channel geomorphic responses to various human-caused and natural disturbances is important for effective management, conservation, and rehabilitation of rivers and streams to accommodate multiple, often conflicting, needs.

How to measure the wetted perimeter of a river?

The wetted perimeter or occupied channel width is the entire length of the bed and river bank (sides) in contact with water. How do you measure it? Wetter perimeter = Width + Depth + Depth

What can you use to measure the velocity of a river?

If you don’t have a flow meter you can take measurements in the field using a float, stopwatch and tape measure. Once you have recorded the appropriate data you can use the formula below to calculate the velocity. There is a range of things you can use for a float including an orange.

Why are rivers a good place to study geography?

Rivers are popular locations for completing geographical investigations. This is because they are dynamic systems, which means they are constantly changing. Processes of erosion, transportation and deposition lead to changes along the long profile of a river as well as its cross profile.