LUCRARILE

SEMINARULUI "DIMITRIECA]'i]TEMIR"
GEOGR.A.FIC NR,3{i.?{'}I3

STRUCTURAL31Of,NG|N8ERU\GTECHNIQUESpOR RIVERBANK
EROSIONCONTROL

Ctxtel Boariut

Abstrnct. Slreambankprolcctieinsarc precautionstakcn againsttllj srosion of bcth walcr llurv

,:,j moling ice. Jhe use of larious struclruesand the subsequenlderreloptnenlol:\:egctationeurphasuc
:.c strong suits olboth parls - thc slrength of the s{ruclurellimilcd in lime) and the fl$xibililv of thc
r'getation{long las:ing). In order tbr this s\-steill t: u'ork, il is necessan'that the artifisial stluctu'e
n.lds long enou;ilr 1br the vcgetxti$n to lalie up lhc mairr role. This materinl ricscritresihe minintun
. nditionsthal need to bc *ltaincd lor the delcltpment of crjb tr,allsassoeitrleel with vegetatio:rfir the
' I rtection of nrorurlainslreanrbanks.

Ke;+rords: slreawhank stil hioengitt'rrr:,g. t'rih vull. Ji;tming discharge " hankJill dischargt

l.Introduction

Tlrs icnn 'ostreambankfioil llioengineering" hasbeenuscd10rcftr to a large number

-rftechniques.There are rnanl definitions of Streambar*Soil Bioeirgineeringin the
:pccializedlitcrature but all of thcrn basicalll' definc thc categoryby the matcria: &at is ussd
:n thc tectrniques.Thc definition of StrcambankSoil Bioengiueerittgthat is usgdirr thc
:ecerlly releasedNEH 654 (USDA. 2007) is as follon's: Slreanbank sail bioengineeringis
.ief ned as the we of living awl nonliving plcnl maleria[s in combinalion with nalural and
tnthetit sttppi)rtm*le rialsJbr slape slabilizalion, erosian reduclian, and vegelalive
:tablishment.
One of the benefitsof biological cngineeringcompaledto struotilralcngiileerjng
Er'efieet all. 2009) is its capaciq' to ilcrease its resistanceol€r time, becauseplan1l that
tomr part of thescsructures {as stakes,lal'cring. plantings,etc.) gru11'and sprcado\,er tfue$oil
'Jratthey are holding in place.This proccssprovideslong-terrnplotection, which is capableof
self-regeneration.If &e vegetaliondies,the protectiondoesnot last long, snd costly repairs
erc thennecesmry.By conrbiningthcsebiological and stnrcturaielcilrents,the streambankis
immediatelyprotectedidue to the strengthof the srructure)nhile the protectionitself is long-
lasliagdue to the limittressgro$th potentialof the vegetation.
Vegetalion,per se, is not a panaccafor conrolling erosionand must be considcredin
tiglrt of site-specificcharacleristics(Allel, Leech 1997),Wlren vegetationis combinedrvith
lorv-soslbuilding ruaterialsor engineeredstructures.numeloils techniquescan bs createdfor
streambarrkerosioncontrol.

''Gh. Asaphi"TeclmicalUnivsrsit.!of lasi- Facultycf llydrolechnicalEngiaeering.,

Geodesyand
En{ro:rmentalFlgineering,Department 63-65.D.MangeronBvd.,?00050,
of oi H1'draulicS:rucfures,
Iasi,Ronania, costelbomiu@g:lail.corn

))
 The structurei
Advantagesof usingplantedl'egetation(Allen' Leecht99Q fiat rool insidethecrit
Thereare five mechanismsihrough uhich vegetsliollcan aid erosioncontrol: f,ecome established.th
. reinforcesoil:
:lrervoodnembers
. dissipatetla\-e energl.:
t interceptwater: 2. Crib wall u
r enhancertater infiltration:
. depletesoil rvalerby uptakeand transpiration' In X.omani
helps
Vegetationean prot€ctsreambanksin four speciflc ways. First lhe root systenr nalls arebax shapeds
or.erall bsnk stabiti* by its binding nenrork $tructure'
hald the soii togetherand increasesthe rrith river rock. amsh
i.e.. the abilrty 6f ,*t to lrold soil particlestogether.Secmd. the exposedvegetation{stalks' solidor havesmallga
local flou'
stetns,branches.and frliage) can increasethe iesisf:rnceto flcr'v attd redncethe processing (ng. 2).
defolxllhg plant rather thanlhe
r-elociries,czusingthe {loiv to dissipateercrgy againstthe
effect of transported materials'
soil. Third, the yegetationaetsas abuffer agiin*irtt* abrasive
by causing zanes of slorv
Fourrh.close-grnwingvegetationca:t inducesedimentdeposition
deposir'Vegetation
'elocil!, and loru shearsfiss nearthe ban!, allorving soarsesedinaents:o
for
is also often lessexpemiye thal most sfirctnral m€thods;it imp:ovesthe eonditions
llsheriesand rtildliib. inrproveswatcr quality' a:rdcan pJotcctcnltwal/archeological
resolrcgs-
(Allen,
lJsing plantedvegetationfor slreambankerosionconlrol also has lirnitations"
it
Lccch lgg7) tl1esc r:rayiicludc its ocqasionalfailure ts gro\\': it is subjecl 1oundenlining:
livestock
rnaybe uprootedbt tvirrd,$nater,and tlre freezingand drawing of ice; rvildlife or
it; ald it lray rcquirc somemainlelglnce ' Most of thesc
n ui,f**dupon uod OepteOuto
bc
limitations, such as rurdennining,rprooting by free::jngard thawing' st$', can oflen
Designnonna
lessenedor prrerenledby useof bioengineeringmeazures'
guidanceprovisiorun
Live cribwsll-A lir,e cribxall consisii of a boxlike interlocking arrangemontof
:ontain no specificu
rurtreatldlog or tinrbermembers{JsDA1996).(fig' 1)' '.egetaliort.Theset11c
-
n thepastdec*- cq
Existrngvegetationor plantings\-- -
regions(due to etry .
n e r ( f i g . 3 :4 : 5 )

Erosionconlrol

Ba$eftow 90cm-113Orfi

#**,' T ' tl
t'
60-90crn
I
L-
\t\--**k;,rr
1,30rF-1.70m

Figtre I: Live et'ib wall .l.ass settion

56
 E
Thc slructureis llllcd rr irh surlablcbackhllnratcrialandlal'crsof lil'c branchcutlttlgs
root alld
thal rool insidctlrccrib slructrrcaudcxtcudurtc tltc slopc.Onccthc lirc cuttings
tltc subscqucltt graclrrallt
\ cgctation takcs ovcr thc iunclions
structtrral ol-
hccomccstablishcd'
the rroodnrcurbcrs

2. Crib rrall usingin Romania

11 Ronaninnspccialircdlitcrat:rrc(lr4anoliu1973.Baloiu 198{}.Harrcu2{}08)-crib
is fillcd
r'Rlls ars box shaped.t,',ict,re* madcout of logs. Al'tcr thc ininal snucturcis built- it
nidr riycr rock. crushcelstotc. ballasto, soutctitt'tcsclcn soil. Thc cribs rralls can bc cithcr
prior
solid or har.esntall gapsif tlrc sood bcatlrsarc pincc orls on lop of caohothcrrritltonl
proccssingifig 2).

l;igtttrt l: t-rih rrtri/r'o.r.t se(til)tt

Designnonnative(CE-A27-g7:NP (}{:7-t]2)hare adoptedlhesecotrceptsand colllaul

guidanceproi'irion, ,rgurding thc c.rccutionol'thcsc struclurcs(crib wall). Horvcr-cr'lhcl'
the of
Ioltain no specificatial regirding fotrndationdcptl:s.crib fillilgs' life span or 1se
Rolnatria (ztXX))"
r cgctation.Thcsetl'pcs of lirks liavc onll rcccnlll rcstartcdto bc uscd in
mottnlattt
Inihe pastdecade.Jspecialll-afrcr 2ilt)5.this svsten'rhas beerrrsed parlicularlf in
Moldo'r'ita
rcgions{dge to sas} :lccessio n,ood). A scriesof thesecribs harc becn built on
'l,
rir,cr(!lig.3: 5)

-:i{l';

,.--4
-;i
u
...' ' ,i|

}'ilt vplt ltonk protat'tiott o,t t\loltlovita river in straight zone

)/
 b,; the size of the
-:rth, bank stability, etc) n
c) vegetationplant
-:fore the logs decay

Determining riverb
The riverbed shape
.:-ough energy to reshape
--quency.ln order for sig
'-' e1sas well. The chann
.:3quency.
ln the minor riveri
:ter levels are high enor
:,'e flood waters regres
,:schargelevel at which thr
liigtrre 1: In essence,the ch
,--ects of flood waters as
: channel-forming dischr
:y, indirectly increase a
,bile streams. (Aurel C I1
The charurel-form
.: a given alluviai chan--
'uld producecharurel-
- 'is
d i s c h a r g ei s t h o u . -
rning dischargesare -,
:ility. and express
: . h o d o l o g i eas r e u s e -
. .," be characterized :, '
' -:scharge b a s e do n t . '
, - schargebasedor --
, -:scharge b a s e dc : - i - .
' - )chargebasedc- -
" '::e banl{full disc '-
-
.rdplainlevel. T:- :
ftigure 5: {lrib *all hank frlling u'itk tivvr ballast . ' . r c l t a r g eb a s r - i
- - - h a r g et o d r a i : - - -
j
As the prcvious picturss sho$'. the concem to entrtirc the cfb *.alls lrith 1'0getalion : c r a r n p l eE r . : - . ,
-18.3Fs,\\'herr
is absenl.Becanseof this. otce thc logs dceal*(rorghl-v{l-lt} 1'ears}.lhc q'stent bceontcs
mherable. . = rirschargei-l ,
-
.= drainagea:-:
" . . . t c h a r g eb o : ."
3, Lirt trib n'all dimcnsioning
_ . -.pold and l' 1.- -
::3rureestir-.i.:
It is necessarythat crib rvalls clonealolg river batrkshar'* a grsatsr life spln that lhe
-: an aVera:: : *,
good logs thal malie ih*o, .rp. ln ordsr 1oachiele this, threeconditiols must be met:
- ' ' = e f / e c t ! - ...
i) thervidthof the resultingrir,crbcdnrustbe big euoughto ettsurethe safepassageof '-
_ - e c m e : : :. -- ' -
ilood flcrvs -- 'n of .:':

58
 b) the size of the structure itself, as well as its installation parameters (foundation
::pth, bank stability, etc) must consider potential flood parameters
c) vegetation planted in the structure must be done so that is may achieve maturity
::fore the logs decaY
i.'
b
Determining riverbed width
I The riverbed shapeis determined by the maximum watel flow levels, since these have
reduced
a
7 ;rough energy to reshape the banks and thalweg. However, these levels occur with
certain
,-.q.t.-"n.y. hi order for significant changesto take place, the frequency needs to reach
T;

F .:r,els as-well. The chaniel-forming diicharge concept takes into account both intensity
and
r. ,:Jquency.
, hr the minor riverbed, instability is not present during low water levels, only when
l' ,,'aterlevels are high enough to reshape it. Often times, the minor riverbed is left changed
I' lowest water
L ,lce flood waters r"gt"tt. The channel-forming discharge concept is the
Fi :ischarge level at which these changescan occur.
b11 the channel-forming discharge is a slmthetic value, since it factors the
on
:rfects of flood waters as a whole. Changing high water discharge conditions has effects
"rr.n.",
flood attenuation installations
re channel-forming discharge values, in the way that various
otherwise
:ray indirectly inciease a stream's stability, whereas damming may destabilize
.:abiie streams.(Aurel C Ilie 2007)
The channel-forming discharge concept (usDA 2007, cap 5) is based on the idea that,
time,-it
-or a given alluviai channel, a single steady discharge exists and that' given enough
.roulJproduce channel dirnensioni equivaient to those produced by the natural hydrograph'
channel-
lhis discharge is thought to dominite channel form and process' Estimates of
tlpes, estimate channel dimensions, assess
:orming discharges are used to classifu stream
while many techniques and
stability, and express hydraulic geometry relationships.
discharge in stable aliuvial chamels, all
rethodologies areused to Lstimate a channel-forming
:an be characterized as one of four main tlpes. These are:
. discharge based on bankfull indices
. discharge based on drainage area
. discharge based on specified statistical recuffence intervais
. discharge based on an effective discharge calculation
- the baildull discharge is the discharge that fills a stable alluvial channel, up to the active
:loodplainlevel. This is determined by on-site observations of the riverbed's configuration.
- disiharge based on drainage area. Many equations are available that correlate dominant
discharge to drainage area. These offer a quick technique for assessinga dominant discharge'
allon For example Emmett (1975) deveioped for the Salmon River in Idaho, following relation
DruE5 (1)
Q:28,3Fe,where
Q: discharge[ft'/s]
Fs: drainage area [mi']
-"dirrhorgi based-onr"rurr"nr" interval. The oldest estimateofthis dischargewas given by
Leopold and Maddock (1953-USDA 1996) and it is the annual average flow. Specialized
years,
u ths literature estimates the characteristic recurrence interval is somewhere between 1 and 3
rvith an averagevalue of 1.58 years.
geof - the effectivi discharge is a iheoretical discharge that determines an order of magnitude lor
for a
the geometric paramelers of the alluvial channel if it remains constant indefinitely
the discharge that carries the most river deposits'
sectiin of the alluvial channel; if is

59
 lntroducingvegek
Woodyplantspla
rheirrool systeitrs
becom
Determining it requires knowledge of the dischargetime curve as well as the flow of
sediments.
belostaslog crib nembe
Once the channel-formingdischargeis set, morpohometricequationsare used to One sf {re great
approximatelydeterminethe riverbed cross section(width W). The following exampleuse grorvingesviro*ment.Cri
Nixon's relations(Manoliu1973,USDA 2007): can gfow. However,fine
cribwallmsmbers.A gra
w:a'Qo in which (2) reducesoil lo$s.Crib*'all
to plants placedrvithin
W: the channelwidth shouldbebasedr
selectiorr
Q : the channel-formingdischarge
a:2,99 (USDA 2007) 4. Sxamplerfor I
a:2,8 (Manoliu,1973)
b:0,5 asseenin bothRomanianworks (Manoliu,1973;Baloiu 1980;Hancu,1998)aswell as After theflooding
foreign (USDA 2007), including in the Altunin, Buzunov equationused for works done in cribrxallshayebeendonei
Romaniaon the Jiu river. aswell ast}
dirnensionirrg
localknowledge.Current
w:A.qo':7go't (3) \'loldoyila.

A: the channelstabilitycoefficientwith valuesbetween0,7 (mountainside)and 1,3 (hillside) Dimensiuingo{t

S is the riverbedslope Determiaingof th
In the Altunin equation,the channelforming dischargeis the one with a 5-10% forming dischargeis th
probability.
identified,oneupsffeama
Dimensioningof theprotectivestructure
The size of the crib walls is determinedby the needto ensurea balancebetweenthe
size of the crib and the bank it reinforces.The main forces at work are: earth pressure,
buoyantforce dueto log imersion,andtractiveforce dueto streamflow
r =0,75yh5,in which (4)
r = tractiveforce
y = volumetricweight of the water
h: waterdepth(h is an approximationof the hydraulicradius:h=R:AiP)
S : riverbedslope
The balanceof theseforcesis certainin traditional structuresas long as the thalweg
doesn'terodeand drive the groundfrom underthe cribs.This is why the foundationdepthfor
the crib needsto be below the potentialerosiondepth.
Observation:the channelwidth and section is determinedby the channel-forming
discharge,but the crib wall sizeis determinedby the maximumdischargelevelsin accordance
with the importanceclassof the structure.
ln orderto calculatethe potentialerosiondepth,the following equationhasbeenused
(usBR 1984) Figrt t
. '(q,\' (5)
d,=d,lLl
QL-n=235ft
\* )
Qr,"": 196 rlrb
where The avemgcdt
d7: scoureddepthbelow designfloodwaterlevel . The widh dtl
di: averagedepthat bankfull discharge
Tf1=/.!$f llr{:1
q7: designflood dischargeper unit width
Wr:f.$'!llu*1
q;: bankfull dischargeper unit width
z : exponentvarying from 0,67for sandto 0,85 for coarsegravel
60
 lnlroducingregeral elementslo the slnKture
Woody plants placed in lit e cribu,alls rna\ exlend the longevitl' of a log cribtl all; as
rhcir rool systemsbecomemore cxtensive.thel can pror,idc the stabilit-vtha{ rvould clher$ isc
he flow of
be lost as log cib membsrsrot over time.
rre used to
OnC of 1lre grcatestchallengesfor designing lilc cribrvalls is providing a suitable
rample use
gro$ing environment,Cribwall backfill nmsl be fine enouglrto retain lnoishlre so that plalts
Jan grow. Hcsever, fine backfill is more likell' to bc u'ashed tluough the gaps between
;ribg'all menbers. A granular filter or biodegradableerosion-contol fabrics may be used to
It reducesoil loss. Cribwall backlill must abo hare enoughorgauic cont€ntto provide nutrienls
ro plants placed rvi&in li1'e Eribrvalls. Live cribwatls ma1' require irrigation, and plant
selectionshould be ba*edupon lhe freqgencyand duration of inmdation

4. Hxamplcs firr Moltlcd{a Rirer

.rrhichhistoric levels rlere recored,a seriesof log
! r aswell as A*er the flooding of 2008,during
r:iis done in cribrvallshavebeendonealong the balks of the Moldovita riler (ABA Bacau)' The
as well as the executionitself u,asdoneb-vrule of thumb. in accordarrcervith
di-rnensionirrg
local knorvledge.Currenttry,datafrom the referenceslisted is being usedfor the ttorks lear
Ir \,loldovita.

.._r(hillside) Dimensi oning of the al luvi nl channel

--'.t a 5-10o/o
Determinhg of the alluvial channelwidth has beendotg consideringthat the channel
fonning discharge is the bankfull discharge. Two relati'r'ely stable secliolls have been
identified"one upotreamand one dolrnstreamfrom the consolidations(fig.6 upstream:fi$. ?
downstream).
rerween the
j:h pressure,

i)

*. :he thalweg
::,.n depth for

i:re1-forming
::- accordance

:ls been used

Iligure 6: Llpstreams*ctionfor banldull disdwrgt detetminalion

j)
Q1u*=236m%
Qr,*"= 198m"/*
Tlreaverageof thesevaluesis Qt*- 217m,/s
?he rvidthsf theEhaffel is
Wr*2,99'21/'s= 44m,or
W:=2.8.21t''r = 41 m, or

6l
 References
- G. Rusu,O. Stathi,M. Pru
- I .A. Manoliu, 1973 . Regu
.- \'. Baloiu,1980.Amena
-: V. Chiriac, A. Filotti, I.
: lcuresti
r C. Mitoiu,GabrielaMar
Bren Bucuresti
: C.D.Hancu,2008.Regu
Constanta
-
NP 067-02,2002.Normd
podurilor, imPotrn
: GE 027-97,1997.Ghia
taluzurilor la cana
: Andre Evette, s.a., 2009
Figure7: Drnvtts!rcam dele;ntinalion
seclionforbankfulldischarge WesternEurope,
online 24 feb 2009
Wr= l'236i'-t/{t.o07r:=4l nl, or ,. Hollis H. Allen, Jamesl
ReportEL-97-8A1
Wr*1. t g8sjlo,oostt?*4o rn
. -. U.S. Departrnentof I
Sinccthe rss:rltsshol a r,arianccbettvecn40-44m.an averaggr'alrteis determiued" Handbook Chapte
W*4?m -1. Jon Fripp, J. Chris H
Refinementof the
Dimensioning of {he struttut'e October2008
Scoureddepth is accordingequafion: .,:. U.S. Departmentof -L
/ , \D /
Handhook,Parr l:
'{?<)
i ' \0.* = 2 . 6 5 n -. WashingtonDepartm-r
r !' . = r't\lql L, l = L g { | http://wdfrv.u'a.r:
) t 2 3 6 ' l ' 5/
. :. WashingtonDepanner
A 50%inmease of thealluvialchalurcl du:ingfloods(thecurre1tl
hasbeenconsidercd http://wdf$'.$'a ::'
conhguration alsohasgtreaterwidths). :. Bureau of Recla:.u
dr and d;) for fhe
It resulta scourdepthof75 rm tscourdepthis differetce b€e1wen Degradatiori ;-- -
historjcalfloods of Moldor4tain 2008 (539 nt'/s at the Dragosahydronetric siation
dou.nslream frornMlldovita vilage)

Conelusionr

Thefollorvingco:tclusions canbe &awn:

Lng cribwallscanbedonefraditionallyunderdresecond:tions:
- &e fcundationdepthneedsto belowerthanthepotsntialcrosiondcpth
- inroducingplantlifc to thesnucftrc
- the cribwall lilling has to contain entugh gromil to ensurethe grorvth of
vegetation
lI all these coilditiotrs are met, the life exles.taucyof these installatiotlsgreatly
exceedsthat af the logs themselves. Most of tleiskind sf worksdonsrecently(in &e Sirel
basin)don't havearrintegrated conceptasa startingpoint andrcl solelyon the endurance of
Because
thelog structuros. of this.thesecribs harc the lifespan
of thewood that is in thern.

6?
 References
, G. Rusu,O. Stathi,M. Pustelniac,1965.Aparari de maluri EdituraTehnica,Bucurestr
Tehnica, Bucuresti
- i.A. Manoliu, 1973.Regularizaride rauri-si cai de comunicatiipe apa, Edltura
hidrograficesi a cursurilor de apa, EdituraCeresBucuresti
-. \'. Baloiu, 1980.Amenijarea bazinelor
- \/. Chiriac, A. Filotti, I.A.Manoiiu, 198Q.Prevenireasi combatereainundatillor, Editura Ceres
:'rcuresti
proiectare' Editura
: C. Mitoiu, GabrielaMarin, 1999.Regularizareaalbiilor de rauri' Indrumar de
Bren Bucuresti
Andrei Saguna
: C.D.Hancu,2008. Regularizdride rduri si combatereainundatiilor, Ed' Fundatiei
Constanta
- cailor ferate si
NP 067-02, 2002.Normativpentru proiectarea lucrarilor de aparare a drumurilor,
podurilor, impotrivaaltiunii ipelor curgatoaresi lacurilor, Bul. Constructiilornr'15-2002
si consolidare a
\ GE \Zj-gj, Igg'7. Ghid pentru proiectarea si executia lucrarilor de aparare
taluzurilor la canalesi diguri, Buletinul Constructiilornr. 12-200i
- Andre Evette, s.a., 2009. Hisiry of BioengineeringTechniques for Erosion control in Rivers in
DOI 10.1007/s00267-009-9275-y, Published
westernEurope, EnvironmentalManagement
online 24 feb 2009
Technical
,,.Hollis H. Allen, JamesR. Leech, 1997.BioengineeringforStreambankErosion Control'
ReportEL-97-8April 1997, U.S.Army Corpsof Engineers
Field
rnlingd. l. U.S. Departmentof Agricuiture, Naturai ResourcesConservationService, Engineering
Hanibook Chapter 16, Streambankand Shoreline Protection 1996
A Proposed
-1. ion Fripp, J. chris Hoag, Tom Moody, 2008. streambank Soil Bioengineering:
Project Information Series No' 23
Reliement of the iefinitror?, UsDA-Riparian/Wetland
October2008
Engineering
-,1.U.S. Departmentof Agriculture, Natural ResourcesConservationService,National
Haidbook, Part 654 StreamRestorationDesign, lssued August 2007
Guidelines,
--. WashingtonDepartmentof Fish andWildlife, 200i.IntegratedStreambankProtection
http://wdfw.wa. gov/conservation/habitaVplanning/ahg/
Guidelines,
.:. WashingtonDepartrientof Fish andWildlife, 2012. StreantHabitat Restoration
thc cunenl htQ://wdfw.wa.gov/conservatiorVhabitat/planning/ahgi
1984' Computing
-5. Bureau of Reclariation, Sedimentation and River Hydraulics Section'
CO'
d) for the Degradationand Local Scour,TechnicalGuidelinefor Bureauof Reclamation,Denver,
tric station

gros,lh of

xs grsstll'
m the Sirel
rduranceof
Lnthem.

OJ