In partially-alluvial channels, an understanding of cover formation over a non-alluvial substrate is necessary for effective river management or restoration. Urban rivers, for example, are often sediment starved such that the underlying substrate may be exposed. Few experiments have investigated cover development in meandering channels, particularly where width and meander geometry are irregular as is often the case for partially alluvial channels. The purpose of this work is to support the development of sediment augmentation strategies to mitigate channel degradation and restore alluvial cover. The experiments also provide new insight into the impact of sediment supply rates on alluvial cover dynamics in variable-width channels. Under constant flow discharge and a continuous supply of sediment, sediment disperses downstream of the feed location and cover develops in a fragmented fashion. Cover initiation occurs downstream of bend apexes and develops as a series of discrete fixed bars whose morphology differs as a function of bend geometry and channel width. Cover expands and bars merge with time under steady sediment supply and discharge, eventually thickening to an equilibrium state in which sediment supply and output are approximately balanced. Higher sediment supply rates result in more extensive and thicker cover at equilibrium, including cover expanding into the cross-overs between the main bars. Coarse and fine fractions of the sediment supply are preferentially retained in the cover sediment because of fine particle deposition on bar tops and burial of initial coarse deposits. Models of areal cover with feed rate and cover thickness are proposed and compared with other studies. More experimentation is needed, but augmentation of alluvial gravel cover is a feasible approach to maintaining a sediment balance in partially-alluvial channels and for developing mobile alluvial cover in engineered channels.

Although there is increasing consensus that river restoration should focus on restoring processes rather than form, proven techniques to design and monitor projects for sediment transport processes are lacking. This study monitors bedload transport and channel morphology in a rural, an urban unrestored, and an urban restored reach. Objectives are to compare bedload transport regimes, assess the stability and self‐maintenance of constructed riffle‐pool sequences, and evaluate the impact of the project on coarse sediment continuity in the creek. Sediment tracking is done using radio frequency identification tracers and morphologic change is assessed from repeated cross‐section surveys. Mean annual velocity is used to quantify the average downstream velocity of tracers, defined as the mean overall tracer travel length divided by the total study duration. The channel reconstruction slows down the downstream velocity of particles in the D75 and D90 size classes, but does not significantly change the velocity of particles in the D50 size class or smaller. Surveys show that riffle features remain stable and that pool depths are maintained or deepened, while tracer paths match with what has been observed in natural riffle‐pools. However, the slowdown of coarse sediment and increase in channel slope may lead to future failures related to over‐steepening of the banks and a disruption in the continuity of sediment transport in the creek. This study demonstrates how bedload tracking and morphological surveys can be used to assess river restoration projects, and highlights the importance of incorporating coarse sediment connectivity into restoration design and monitoring.

Successful management of natural and engineered channels with discontinuous alluvial cover requires knowledge of how the cover develops and evolves. We report on physical model experiments designed to compare alluvial cover dynamics in straight and sinuous fixed‐bed channels at a range of gravel‐bed material supply rates and constant discharge conditions. Experiments investigated the formation of alluvial cover from a bare bed, relationships between equilibrium cover characteristics and sediment supply rate, and the evolution of an initial uniform cover of varying thickness. A stable partially‐alluviated state is achieved in both the straight and sinuous channels for a range of sediment supply rates. The areal extent and stored mass of the cover increase progressively with supply rate, and the rate of increase is higher in the straight channel. While alluvial cover develops from isolated patches in the straight channel, cover in the sinuous channel develops as well‐defined bars, with deposition on the inside of bends and expanding outwards along the channel as cover area increases. Artificially emplaced cover quickly adjusts to a cover extent within 4–20% of that formed from a bare bed at the same feed rate, with initial cover thickness only influencing the final cover in the sinuous channel. Neither the sinuous nor the straight channel can sustain an alluvial cover in the absence of upstream sediment supply. This study can inform the management of semi‐alluvial channels because it highlights the primary roles of sediment supply and planform geometry in maintaining an alluvial cover in natural and engineered channels.

Watershed urbanization and stormwater management (SWM) alter the hydrologic processes of rivers. Although differences have been documented in channel morphology and sediment yield pre‐ and posturbanization, little is known about how the modified hydrology affects grain‐scale bedload transport dynamics. This study aims to characterize the bedload sediment transport regime of three rivers with different hydrologic settings: rural, urban with no SWM, and urban with peak‐shaving SWM. The rivers are “semi‐alluvial,” characterized by an alluvial layer over a cohesive till. Bedload transport was monitored using tracer stones over 3 years. Hydrograph characteristics of the streams fit with what is expected in urban and SWM systems, and the rural stream has an episodic transport regime typical of gravel‐bed rivers. Entrainment thresholds are not detectably impacted by the semi‐alluvial bed cover, but travel lengths of grains relative to their size are longer than in alluvial gravel‐bed streams. Downstream displacement rates of particles up to the D90 are accelerated in the urban river due to more frequent mobilization rather than increased event‐based travel lengths and may explain channel enlargement. SWM decreases the mobility and travel lengths of particles below those in the rural system, which is combined with channel narrowing, and the loss of bed forms suggests a shift toward a competence‐limited transport regime. This new regime is a result of reduced shear stresses that are insufficient to transport coarse material. This study presents empirical evidence of the effects of watershed urbanization and SWM on bedload transport and provides recommendations for process‐based river management strategies.

The impact of urbanization on stream channels is of interest due to the growth of cities and the sensitivity of stream morphology and ecology to hydrologic change. Channel enlargement is a commonly observed effect and channel evolution models can help guide management efforts, but the models must be used in the proper geologic and climatic context. Semi‐alluvial channels characterized by a relatively thin alluvial layer over clay till and a convex channel profile in a temperate climate are not represented in currently available models. In this study we: (i) assess channel enlargement; and (ii) propose a channel evolution model for an urban semi‐alluvial creek in Toronto, Canada. The system is 90% developed with an imperviousness of approximately 47%. Channel enlargement is assessed by comparing 50 year old construction surveys, a recent survey of a relic channel, low‐precision surveys of channel change over a 15 year period, and high‐precision surveys over a three year period. The enlargement ratio of the channel since 1958 is 2.6, but could be as high 8.2 in comparison with the pre‐urban channel. When the increase in flow capacity is considered, the enlargement ratio is 1.9 since 1958 and up to 6.0 in comparison with the pre‐urban channel. Channel enlargement continues in the contemporary channel at an estimated rate of 0.23 m2/year. A five stage model is presented to describe channel evolution in the lower reaches. In this model the coarse lag material from glacial sources provides a natural resilience to the bed and incision occurs only after the increased flows from urbanization are combined with higher slopes as a result of channel straightening or avulsions. Further research should be done to assess stream behaviour close to an identified geologic control point. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.