Minnesota Water Resources Conference - Water Resources Center ...

BOOK OF ABSTRACTS
Tuesday, Monday, October 27 23
Concurrent Sessions I 10:00–11:30
Track D: Biologic Integrity of Streams, continued
The Effectiveness of Various Stream Restoration Techniques on Restoring Biological Integrity
Diane Spector, Wenck Associates, Inc., dspector@wenck.com; Ed Matthiesen, Wenck Associates, Inc.
Stream restoration projects in Minnesota range from simple streambank stabilization to total stream
reconstruction. Often the most important factor in design is stabilizing and/or armoring the streambanks and
channel to reduce erosion and scour, with little thought given to improving habitat and biological integrity.
These are not mutually exclusive goals. Stream stability can be improved while at the same time habitat is
enhanced through judicious use of a variety of simple stream restoration techniques. We will present several
before and after case studies of stream restoration projects that achieved different levels of stability and biologic
improvements. Several projects on Shingle Creek, an urban stream; Pike Creek, a suburban stream; and
Hardwood Creek, a rural/agricultural stream will be described and the before and after biologic improvement as
measured by the macroinvertebrate Index of Biologic Integrity will be presented.
Our long-term goal is to develop guidance for water resources professionals on the most appropriate and costeffective
tools to achieve both stability and biologic integrity goals through stream restoration.
23 Minnesota Water Resources Conference, October 27–28, 2008