Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

The Water Environment of Cities pp 93–123Cite as

Streams and Urbanization

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

“Urbanization” encompasses a diverse array of watershed alterations that influence the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of streams. In this chapter, we summarize lessons learned from the last half century of research on urban streams and provide a critique of various mitigation strategies, including recent approaches that explicitly address geomorphic processes. We focus first on the abiotic conditions (primarily hydrologic and geomorphic) and their changes in streams that accompany urbanization, recognizing that these changes may vary with geomorphic context and climatic region. We then discuss technical approaches and limitations to (1) mitigating water-quantity and water-quality degradation through site design, riparian protection, and structural stormwater-management strategies; and (2) restoring urban streams in those watersheds where the economic, social, and political contexts can support such activities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Allan, J. D. 2004. Landscapes and riverscapes: the influence of land use on stream ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 35:257–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arendt, R. 1997. Conservation Design for Subdivisions. Island Press, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arnold, C. L., P. J. Boison, and P. C. Patton. 1982. Sawmill Brook: an example of rapid geomorphic change related to urbanization. Journal of Geology 90:155–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Avolio, C. M. 2003. The Local Impacts of Road Crossings on Puget Lowland Creeks. MSCE Thesis. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barker B. L., R. D. Nelson, and M. S. Wigmosta. 1991. Performance of detention ponds designed according to current standards, pp. 64–70. In: Puget Sound Research 91 Conference Proceedings, Puget Sound Water Quality Authority, Seattle, Washington, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bledsoe, B. P., and C. C. Watson. 2001. Effects of urbanization on channel instability. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 37(2):255–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bledsoe, B. P. 2002. Stream erosion potential associated with stormwater management strategies. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management 128:451–455.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Booth, D. B. 1990. Stream-channel incision following drainage-basin urbanization. Water Resources Bulletin 26(3):407–417.

    Google Scholar 

  • Booth, D. B. 1991. Urbanization and the natural drainage system—impacts, solutions, and prognoses. Northwest Environmental Journal 7:93–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Booth, D. B., and C. R. Jackson. 1997. Urbanization of aquatic systems: degradation thresholds, stormwater detection, and the limits of mitigation. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 33(5):1077–1090.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Booth, D. B., D. R. Montgomery, and J. P. Bethel. 1997. Large woody debris in urban streams of the Pacific Northwest. In: L. A. Roesner (Ed.), Effects of Watershed Development and Management on Aquatic Ecosystems, Proceedings of an ASCE Engineering Foundation Conference, Snowbird, Utah, August 4–9, 1996; published by ASCE, Reston, Virginia, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Booth, D. B., and P. C. Henshaw. 2001. Rates of channel erosion in small urban streams, pp. 17–38. In: M. S. Wigmosta and S. J. Burges (Eds.), Influence of Urban and Forest Land Use on the Hydrologic-Geomorphic Responses of Watersheds, Monograph Series, Water Science and Applications, Volume 2, American Geophysical Union, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Booth, D. B. 2005. Challenges and prospects for restoring urban streams, a perspective from the Pacific Northwest of North America. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 24:724–737.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bunn, S. E., and A. H. Arthington. 2002. Basic principles and ecological consequences of altered flow regimes for aquatic biodiversity. Environmental Management 30:492–507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burges, S. J., B. A. Stoker, M. S. Wigmosta, and R. A. Moeller. 1989. Hydrological Information and Analyses Required for Mitigating Hydrologic Effects of Urbanization. University of Washington, Department of Civil Engineering, Water Resources Series Technical Report No. 117, p. 131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burges, S. J., M. S. Wigmosta, and J. M. Meena. 1998. Hydrological effects of land-use change in a zero-order catchment. Journal of Hydrological Engineering 3:86–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chang, H. H. 1988. Fluvial Processes in River Engineering. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, USA, p. 336.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chin, A., and K. J. Gregory. 2001. Urbanization and adjustment of ephemeral stream channels. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 91(4):595–608.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Church, M. 2002. Geomorphic thresholds in riverine landscapes. Freshwater Biology 47(4): 541–557.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coffman, L. S. 2002. Low-impact development: an alternative stormwater management technology. In: R. L. France (Ed.), Handbook of Water Sensitive Planning and Design, Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, Florida, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • CWP. 2008. Model ordinances. Center for Watershed Protection, Ellicott City, Maryland, USA, available from http://www.cwp.org/.

  • Dunne, T., and L. Leopold. 1978. Water in Environmental Planning. W. H. Freeman and Co., San Francisco, California, USA, 809 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frissell, C. A., W. J. Liss, C. E. Warren, and M. D. Hurley. 1986. A hierarchical framework for stream habitat classification: viewing streams in a watershed context. Environmental Management 10(2):199–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frissell, C. A. 1997. Ecological principles, pp. 96–115. In: J. E. Williams, C. A. Wood, and M. P. Dombeck (Eds.), Watershed Restoration: Principles and Practices, American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gregory, S. T., F. J. Swanson, W. A. McKee, and K. W. Cummins. 1991. An ecosystem perspective of riparian zones. BioScience 41:540–551.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hammer, T. R. 1972. Stream channel enlargement due to urbanization. Water Resources Research 8:1530–1546.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harding, J. S., E. F. Benfield, P. V. Bolstad, G. S. Helfman, and E. B. D. Jones III. 1998. Stream biodiversity: the ghost of land use past. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 95:14843–14847.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henshaw, P. C., and D. B. Booth. 2000. Natural restabilization of stream channels in urban watersheds. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 36(6):1219–1236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hollis, G. E. 1975. The effect of urbanization on floods of different recurrence intervals. Water Resources Research 11(3):431–435.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horner, R. R., D. B. Booth, A. A. Azous, and C. W. May. 1997. Watershed determinants of ecosystem functioning. In: L. A. Roesner (Ed.), Effects of Watershed Development and Management on Aquatic Ecosystems, Proceedings of an ASCE Engineering Foundation Conference, Snowbird, Utah, August 4–9, 1996; published by ASCE, Reston, Virginia, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobson, R. B., S. R. Femmer, and R. A. McKenney. 2001. Land-Use Changes and the Physical Habitat of Streams – A Review with Emphasis on Studies Within the U.S. Geological Survey Federal-State Cooperative Program. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1175, Reston, Virginia, USA, 63 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karr J. R. 1991. Biological integrity: a long-neglected aspect of water resource management. Ecological Applications 1:66–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karr, J. R., and E. W. Chu. 1999. Restoring Life in Running Water. Island Press, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karr, J. R., and C. O. Yoder. 2004. Biological assessment and criteria improve TMDL planning and decision making. Journal of Environmental Engineering 130:594–604.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • King County. 1990. Surface-Water Design Manual. King County Public Works Department, Surface Water Management Division, Seattle, Washington, USA, 5 chapters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Konrad, C. P., and D. B. Booth. 2002. Hydrologic Trends Associated with Urban Development for Selected Streams in the Puget Sound Basin, Western Washington. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources-Investigations Report 02-4040, Tacoma, Washington, USA, p. 40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Konrad, C. P., and D. B. Booth. 2005. Hydrologic changes in urban streams and their ecological significance. American Fisheries Society Symposium 47:157–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Konrad, C. P., D. B. Booth, and S. J. Burges. 2005. Effects of urban development in the Puget Lowland, Washington, on interannual streamflow patterns: consequences for channel form and streambed disturbance. Water Resources Research 41(WO7009), dx.doi.org/10. 1029/2005WR004097.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leopold, L. B. 1968. Hydrology for Urban Land Planning – A Guidebook on the Hydrologic Effects of Urban Land Use. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey Circular 554, Washington, District of Columbia, USA, p. 18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leopold, L. B. 1973. River channel change with time: an example. Geological Society of America Bulletin 84:1845–1860.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lowrance, R., L. S. Altier, J. D. Newbold, R. R. Schnabel, P. M. Groffman, J. M. Denver, D. L. Correll, J. W. Gilliam, J. L. Robinson, R. B. Brinsfield, K. W. Staver, W. Lucas, and A. H. Todd. 1995. Water quality functions of riparian forest buffer systems in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Report EPA 903-R-95-004/CBP/TRS 134/95, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Chesapeake Bay Program Office, Annapolis, Maryland, USA, p. 67.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacRae, C. R. 1997. Experience from morphological research on Canadian streams: is control of the two-year frequency runoff event the best basis for stream channel protection? pp. 144–162. In: L. A. Roesner (Ed.), Effects of Watershed Development and Management on Aquatic Ecosystems, Proceedings of an ASCE Engineering Foundation Conference, Snowbird, Utah, August 4–9, 1996; published by ASCE, Reston, Virginia, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • McBride, M., and D. B. Booth. 2005. Urban impacts on physical stream conditions: effects of spatial scale, connectivity, and longitudinal trends. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 41(3):565–580.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCuen, R. H. 1979. Downstream effects of stormwater management basins. ASCE Journal of the Hydraulics Division 105(HY11):1343–1346.

    Google Scholar 

  • Montgomery, D. R., and L. H. MacDonald. 2002. Diagnostic approach to stream channel assessment and monitoring. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 38:1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morley S. A., and J. R. Karr. 2002. Assessing and restoring the health of urban streams in the Puget Sound basin. Conservation Biology 16:1498–1509.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naiman R. J., H. Décamps, and M. E. McClain. 2005. Riparia: Ecology, Conservation, and Management of Streamside Communities. Elsevier/Academic Press, San Diego, California, USA, p. 430.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, A. C. 2004. Toward a New Metropolis: the Opportunity to Rebuild America. The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program, Washington, District of Columbia, USA, December, 44 pp., available from http://www.brookings.edu/metro.

  • Palmer, M. A., E. S. Bernhardt, J. D. Allan, P. S. Lake, G. Alexander, S. Brooks, J. Carr, S. Clayton, C. N. Dahm, J. Follstad Shah, D. L. Galat, S. G. Loss, P. Goodwin, D. D. Hart, B. Hassett, R. Jenkinson, G. M. Kondolf, R. Lave, J. L. Meyer, T. K. O’Donnell, L. Pagano, and E. Sudduth. 2005. Standards for ecologically successful river restoration. Journal of Applied Ecology 42:208–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park, C. C. 1997. Channel cross-sectional change, pp. 117–145. In: A. Gurnell and G. Petts (Eds.), Changing River Channels, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., Chichester, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paul M. J., and J. L. Meyer. 2001. Streams in the urban landscape. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 32:333–365.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poff, N. L., and J. V. Ward. 1989. Implications of streamflow variability and predictability for lotic community structure: a regional analysis of streamflow patterns. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 46:1805–1818.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poff, N. L., and J. D. Allan. 1995. Functional organization of stream fish assemblages in relation to hydrological variability. Ecology 76(2):606–627.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poff, N. L., J. D. Allan, M. B. Bain, J. R. Karr, K. L. Prestegaard, B. D. Richter, R. E. Sparks, and J. C. Stromberg. 1997. The natural flow regime: a paradigm for river conservation and restoration. BioScience 47(11):769–784.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poff, N. L., M. M. Brinson, and J. W. Day. 2002. Aquatic Ecosystems and Global Climate Change—Potential Impacts on Inland Freshwater and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems in the United States. Pew Center on Global Climate Change, January, 44 pp., available from http://www.pewclimate.org/docUploads/aquatic.pdf.

  • Poff, N. L., B. P. Bledsoe, and C. O. Cuhaciyan. 2006. Hydrologic alterations due to differential land use across the contiguous United States: geomorphic and ecological consequences for stream ecosystems. Geomorphology 79:264–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • PSAT. 2005. Low Impact Development – Technical Guidance Manual for Puget Sound. Publication No. PSAT 05-03, Puget Sound Action Team, Olympia, Washington, USA, January, available from http://www.psp.wa.gov/downloads/LID/LID_manual2005.pdf.

  • Reckhow, K. H. 1999. Lessons from risk assessment. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment 5:245–253.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards, K. S., and S. N. Lane. 1997. Prediction of morphological changes in unstable channels, pp. 269–292. In: C. R. Thorne, R. D. Hey, and M. D. Newsom (Eds.), Applied Fluvial Geomorphology for River Engineering and Management, Chapter 10, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, M. L., R. E. Bilby, and D. B. Booth. 2008. Hydraulic dispersion and reach-averaged velocity as indicators of enhanced organic matter transport in small Puget Lowland streams across an urban gradient. Fundamental and Applied Limnology 171(2):1451–1459.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roesner, L. A., B. P. Bledsoe, and R. W. Brashear. 2001. Are best-management-practice criteria really environmentally friendly? Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management 127(3):150–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roesner, L. A., and B. P. Bledsoe. 2002. Physical Effects of Wet Weather Flows on Aquatic Habitats – Present Knowledge and Research Needs. Final Report to Water Environment Research Foundation, WERF Project Number 00-WSM-4, p. 250.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roy A. H., A. D. Rosemond, M. J. Paul, D. S. Leigh, and J. B. Wallace. 2003. Stream macroinvertebrate response to catchment urbanisation (Georgia, USA). Freshwater Biology 48: 329–346.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schueler, T. 1994. The importance of imperviousness. Watershed Protection Techniques 1(3): 100–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schueler, T. 1995. The architecture of urban stream buffers. Watershed Protection Techniques 1(4):155–163.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schumm, S. A. 1977. The Fluvial System. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, A. 1989. A model of channel response in disturbed alluvial channels. Earth Surface Processes Landforms 14(1):11–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steedman, R. J. 1988. Modification and assessment of an index of biotic integrity to quantify stream quality in Southern Ontario. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 45:492–501.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomson, J. D., G. Weiblen, B. A. Thomson, S. Alfaro, and P. Legendre. 1996. Untangling multiple factors in spatial distributions: lilies, gophers, and rocks. Ecology 77:1698–1715.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thorne, C. R., C. Alonso, R. Bettess, D. Borah, S. Darby, P. Diplas, P. Julien, D. Knight, L. Li, J. Pizzuto, M. Quick, A. Simon, M. A. Stevens, S. Wang, and C. C. Watson. 1998. River width adjustment, I: processes and mechanisms. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering 124(9):881–902.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trimble, S. W. 1997. Contribution of stream channel erosion to sediment yield from an urbanizing watershed. Science Magazine 278:1442–1444.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • USEPA. 1999. Low-impact development design strategies: an integrated design approach. Report EPA 841-B-00-003, June, available from http://www.lowimpactdevelopment.org/pubs/ LID_National_Manual.pdf.

  • Walsh, C. J., A. H. Roy, J. W. Feminella, P. D. Cottingham, P. M. Groffman, and R. P. Morgan. 2005. The urban stream syndrome: current knowledge and the search for a cure. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 24:706–723.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westman, W. E. 1985. Ecology, Impact Assessment, and Environmental Planning. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., Chichester, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, G. P., and M. G. Wolman. 1984. Downstream Effects of Dams on Alluvial Rivers. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1286, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, District of Columbia, USA, p. 83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, J. E., C. A. Wood, and M. P. Dombeck. 1997. Understanding watershed-scale restoration, pp. 1–16. In: J. E. Williams, C. A. Wood, and M. P. Dombeck (Eds.), Watershed Restoration: Principles and Practices, American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wohl, E. E., P. L. Angermeier, B. P. Bledsoe, G. M. Kondolf, L. MacDonnell, D. M. Merritt, M. A. Palmer, N. L. Poff, and D. Tarboton. 2005. River restoration. Water Resources Research 41(W10301), doi:10.1029/2005WR003985.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolman, M. G. 1967. A cycle of sedimentation and erosion in urban river channels. Geografiska Annaler 49A(2–4):385–395.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Quaternary Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195

    Derek B. Booth & Brian P. Bledsoe

  2. Stillwater Sciences Inc., 2855 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94705

    Derek B. Booth

Authors
  1. Derek B. Booth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Brian P. Bledsoe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

    Rights and permissions

    Reprints and permissions

    Copyright information

    © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

    About this chapter

    Cite this chapter

    Booth, D.B., Bledsoe, B.P. (2009). Streams and Urbanization. In: Baker, L. (eds) The Water Environment of Cities. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-84891-4_6

    Download citation

    Publish with us

    Policies and ethics

    Search

    Navigation