Nutter & Associates provided design, construction oversight, and success monitoring for a 31-acre riverine wetland and stream restoration project in the Piedmont of Georgia. The objective of the project was to restore wetland and stream hydrologic processes, enhance stream and riparian zone habitat, and re-couple the stream with its historic floodplain.
Nutter & Associates staff delineated the stream restoration site within its watershed for application of Piedmont regional hydraulic and dimensionless rating curves. Existing stream channel and floodplain conditions were evaluated using traditional surveying techniques and geomorphological observations and matrices. The results were compared against Piedmont regional hydraulic and dimensionless rating curves to determine departure from regional conditions, as well as stream and wetland impacts.
Cross veins were designed to deliver stormflows at bankfull events onto the adjacent floodplain and wetlands through a marsh restoration channel. The design ensured that baseflow conditions remained instream, and bedload was conveyed downstream thereby maintaining bedforms and aquatic habitat.
A monitoring plan and maintenance and contingency plans were developed that included survival and succession of natural and introduced vegetation, wetland hydrodynamics, and stream and valley geomorphological transitions. A site monitoring plan was designed to assure that appropriate elements of the restored ecosystem were assessed in order to document attainment of success criteria that were developed based on project goals and objectives.
Date
1997 – 2010