Rivers and streams are sensitive to alterations in their watersheds and one of the greatest disturbances is from urban development. An urban stream channel in the Atlanta metropolitan area in the Georgia Piedmont was studied to establish the nature of adjustment the channel form was experiencing. This study compared a degraded channel with a channel influenced by stabilization efforts in the same stream reach, in order to investigate the behavior of channel adjustments towards a greater stability. Measurements of the short-term changes in channel cross-sectional area and bed-material volume, following a series of threshold flow events, were taken in the reach and the variation in bed sediment texture was also investigated. Results showed that channel banks were stable compared to more mobile beds and that urban effects continued to dictate sedimentation. Rehabilitation measures were aggrading channels in their reaches and were likely perpetuating the instability of upstream channels.

As the Americans have become more aware of the impact to the environment from the human induced disturbances which includes physical, chemical and biological disturbances to the degradation of streams and rivers, many studies and experiments have been done in an attempt to restore streams and rivers to more natural conditions. At the same time, success in public education and community involvement has encouraged grass-root movements that engage people in stream restoration efforts. Stroubles Creek is a freshwater stream located in Blacksburg, Virginia. The creek has experienced considerable disturbance due to land use changes over the past 100 years. The Stroubles Creek Water Initiative (SCWI), originated by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center at Virginia Tech, has been monitoring the creek for a number of years. This paper develops a planning framework for restoring and/or rehabilitating Stroubles Creek within the Town of Blacksburg. The results of stream monitoring and other research by SCWI are used to inform the recommended planning process, while a literature review and discussion of “urban stream restoration case studies” are used to guide future decision-making related to Stroubles Creek restoration/rehabilitation. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning