Extent of Stream Burial and Relationships to Watershed Area, Topography, and Impervious Surface Area

Abstract

Stream burial-the routing of streams through culverts, pipes, and concrete lined channels, or simply paving them over-is common during urbanization, and disproportionately affects small, headwater streams. Burial undermines the physical and chemical processes governing life in streams, with consequences for water quality and quantity that may amplify from headwaters to downstream receiving waters. Knowledge of the extent of stream burial is critical for understanding cumulative impacts to stream networks, and for future decision-making allowing for urban development while protecting ecosystem function. We predicted stream burial across the urbanizing Potomac River Basin (USA) for each 10-m stream segment in the basin from medium-resolution impervious cover data and training observations obtained from high-resolution aerial photography in a GIS. Results were analyzed across a range in spatial aggregation, including counties and independent cities, small watersheds, and regular spatial grids. Stream burial was generally correlated with total impervious surface area (ISA), with areas exhibiting ISA above 30% often subject to elevated ratios of stream burial. Recurring patterns in burial predictions related to catchment area and topographic slope were also detected. We discuss these results in the context of physiographic constraints on stream location and urban development, including implications for environmental management of aquatic resources.

How network structure can affect nitrogen removal by streams

“…Stream burial is a pervasive problem in urban environments, with burial rates exceeding 40% for the very smallest streams (catchment area~1 ha; Weitzell, Kaushal, Lynch, Guinn, & Elmore, 2016). Stream burial is a pervasive problem in urban environments, with burial rates exceeding 40% for the very smallest streams (catchment area~1 ha; Weitzell, Kaushal, Lynch, Guinn, & Elmore, 2016).…”

“…Simulated decreases in drainage density are analogous to stream burial in actual catchments. Stream burial is a pervasive problem in urban environments, with burial rates exceeding 40% for the very smallest streams (catchment area~1 ha; Weitzell, Kaushal, Lynch, Guinn, & Elmore, 2016). Buried streams, even if they are flowing, have lower rates of N uptake; 15 N-NO À 3 uptake experiments in buried stream showed 30-fold longer uptake lengths relative to surface streams (Beaulieu et al, 2014).…”

Drainage from the Critical Zone: Lithologic Controls on the Persistence and Spatial Extent of Wetted Channels during the Summer Dry Season

“…Increasingly, there is a need to connect the fate of summer stream flow to land use practices (e.g., Price et al, ; Reed et al, ; Strauch et al, ; Sun et al, ; Weitzell et al, ), including water extraction (e.g., Arroita et al, ), as well as anticipated climate change (e.g., Asarian & Walker, ). In the Northern California Coast Ranges specifically, rapid expansion of cannabis cultivation is putting extreme pressure on summer water resources (e.g., Bauer et al, ).…”

Performance Evaluation and Comparison of Modified Spectral Mixture Analysis Method for Different Images of Landsat Series Satellites

“…Based exclusively on the overall accuracy reports, the DELSMA model proved to be a more efficient method for extracting impervious surface. Our study will provide a reliable method of impervious surface estimation for the urban planner and management in monitoring urban expansion, revealing urban heat island, and estimating urban surface runoff, using time-series Landsat imagery.Sustainability 2019, 11, 6227 2 of 18 waterlogging [8,9], and water quality deterioration [10][11][12]. The spatial distribution of impervious surface is not only an important characteristic of the urbanization process, but also a critical indicator for urban ecological environment quality evaluation [13][14][15].…”

“…Sustainability 2019, 11, 6227 2 of 18 waterlogging [8,9], and water quality deterioration [10][11][12]. The spatial distribution of impervious surface is not only an important characteristic of the urbanization process, but also a critical indicator for urban ecological environment quality evaluation [13][14][15].…”