Urban precipitation and drainage Flashcards
What does river restoration refer too?
A variety of management techniques aimed as restoring the natural state and function of the river system.
What were the aims of the Bronx River restoration project?
Increase biodiversity
Reduce flood risk
Improve the aesthetics of the river landscape
Removing all hard engineering adaptations to restore meanders, wetlands and floodplains
What was the Bronx River like before it’s restoration project?
As a result of the local concrete factory: dangerous, dirty, unusable, polluted, degraded
Before industry: meandering, filled with trees, chestnuts and marine animals, animals like badgers
Became a brownfield site when deindustrialization took place
How did they restore the Bronx River?
Natural matting to build up banks and prevent erosion
Put shellfish to attract am environment for oysters and other marine animals
Dredge river to remove waste
Planted trees on banks to reduce flooding by increasing interception
Used old maps and geo-referencing to restore the river to the way it originally was
Attempt to encourage the eco-system by putting in other marine animals
Every Saturday free river tours took place to educate people
How much did the restoration of the Bronx River cost?
£30m
What impact did the Bronx River restoration project have?
Increased togetherness/community spirit
Increased biodiversity
More aesthetically pleasing
Became like a “8 mile backyard”
Provided job opportunities as it attracted businesses
Boosted the local economy by raising house prices
What is another example of a River Restoration project?
The River Skerne, Darlington
What is the River Skerne?
A tributary of the River Tees
What took place to the River Skerne between 1850-1945?
River was straightened and channelised
Why was the River Skerne straightened and channelised?
To accommodate industrialisation and urbanisation
What took place to the River Skerne in the 1950s and 1970s?
Further widening and deepening
Why was the River Skerne widened and deepened further?
To improve drainage and reduce flood risk
What are the effects of urban surfaces on the water cycle?
Reduced evaporation
Poor quality runoff
Reduced infiltration
Wastewater discharge
What are the four approaches to waste management?
Recycling
Trade
Incineration
Landfill
What is recycling?
Materials are reprocessed into new products - save energy
