Water Stewardship Information Sources
| ID | 1108 |
|---|---|
| Citation | Laderoute, L and Bauer, B. 2013. River bank erosion and boat wakes along the lower Shuswap River, British Columbia. Prepared for Regional District of North Okanagan and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. |
| Organization | RDNO |
| URL | http://www.rdno.ca/docs/River_Bank_Erosion_Lower_Shu_River_Final_Project_Report.pdf |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | Chronic erosion of rivers banks and lake shorelines can be a significant challenge for natural resource managers in the Okanagan, but there is generally little quantitative information available to assess the magnitude and source of erosion. Local land owners claim that the wakes generated by recreational boat traffic are the main driver of bank erosion, and they have additional concerns for quality of drinking water, loss of property, and aquatic habitat integrity. Nevertheless, it is also widely understood that rivers are dynamic entities that naturally migrate across and build floodplains in their lower reaches. Bank erosion is a critical component of this channel migration processes, especially during high-water stages of the annual spring freshet. The primary objective of this student-led research project was to document the rate of erosion at seven sites along the Lower Shuswap River above the confluence with Mara Lake. Erosion pin profiles were deployed in early May (before the spring freshet) and these were monitored, when accessible, through to the end of August to provide information on bank erosion rates. The volume of daily boat traffic from May to August was documented at two sites using remote camera systems that captured images every three seconds. The hydrodynamics of boat wakes and resulting sediment suspension plumes were assessed using electronic instrumentation (current meter, pressure sensor, turbidity meter) deployed over a two-day experiment on the August long weekend (Aug 2-3, 2013) when recreational boat traffic was intense. Finally, a literature search was conducted on boat-wake erosion in regions across the world to gain insight into the extent of the problem and to understand the relative importance of boat wakes within the suite of other processes (many of them natural) that contribute to bank erosion. This project report provides information on the methods used, the data collected, as well as some preliminary analysis of the data. |
| Information Type | report |
| Regional Watershed | Shuswap |
| Sub-watershed if known | |
| Aquifer # | |
| Comments | |
| Project status | complete |
| Contact Name | Bernard Bauer |
| Contact Email | [email protected] |