United States Department of Transportation
i
Observation method to predict meander migration and vertical degradation of rivers.
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2014-05-01
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Abstract:Meander migration and vertical degradation of river bed are processes that have been studied for years.
Different methods have been proposed to make predictions of the behavior of rivers with respect to these
processes. These two erosion controlled processes consist of the gradual change of the geometry of the river
due to the flow of water eroding the soil. This erosion may cause a shift that could be a threat to existing
bridges, highways and useful lands. Therefore, there is need for a method that can accurately predict the
amount of erosion that may occur in rivers.
Six different sites in Texas were selected for this project. Four of the selected rivers have meander migration
problems and two have vertical degradation problems. Each river has shown erosion problems that have been
a threat to the bridges, roads or farm lands. Aerial photos and maps from different years were obtained from
different sources to study the change of the geometry of the rivers. River hydrographs were obtained from
the U.S. Geological Survey to estimate the river velocity. Soil samples from each site were obtained for
laboratory testing, using the Erosion Function Apparatus.
A method to predict meander migration and vertical degradation was developed by using the three main
factors: geometry, water flow and soil erodibility. A code was written in MATLAB and Excel to predict the
future movement of the meander or the vertical degradation by using a model based on the erosion function
obtained from the erosion tests of the soil at each site and the average daily velocity of each river. Because
this method is based on observed data, it was called the Observation Method.
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