Assessing the success of river restoration projects through Geomorphology

In the context of the Water Framework Directive’s goal of attaining “good ecological status”, a LIFE+ project (called Walphy), co-funded by the European Union and the Service Public de Wallonie, was launched in 2009. It aims to undertake experimental river restoration projects and to assess their success on the basis of ecological and geomorphological monitoring.
Geomorphological monitoring differs depending on the type of restoration project: improvement of longitudinal continuity or transversal continuity.
Restoration projects involving longitudinal continuity concern courses where obstacles impede the free movement of fish and sediment. In the Bocq basin, many of these obstacles (old weirs between 1 and 3 m high) have been removed. The release of sediment was studied using traced pebbles (PIT tags), which enable the recovery of bedload transport to be highlighted. Additional monitoring is based on the comparison of topographic surveys and cross-sections carried out pre- and post-removal. This can show a recovery of the natural transport of sediment when stream bed aggradation is observed downstream from the removed dam.
Restoration projects involving transversal continuity concern straightened courses with artificial banks and therefore poor stream-floodplain connectivity. These works consist of enhancing river channels and restoring meanders or banks. Geomorphological monitoring is also based on surveys conducted pre- and post-restoration work. Some reaches have been improved by the reintroduction of spawning gravel. Several methods were used to characterize the clogging of this gravel reintroduction (hydraulic conductivity, wooden stakes). In addition, the mobility of this gravel was monitored using traced pebbles (PIT tags).
Finally, restoration works and their stability and resistance to erosion are considered in relation to flood characteristics (discharge, recurrence, specific stream power and shear stress).