Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Monitoring And Modeling The Effect Of Agricultural Drainage And Recent Channel Incision On Adjacent Ground Water-Dependent Ecosystems, Philip J. Gerla

Geology and Geological Engineering Faculty Publications

Channel incision isolates flood plains, disrupts sediment transport, and degrades riparian ecology. Reactivation and periodicity of incision may affect the water table and hydrological conditions far beyond the stream margin. Long-term incision and its recent acceleration along Iron Springs Creek, North Dakota, USA, has affected adjacent ecosystems. An agricultural surface drain empties directly into the original spring-fed source of the creek, which triggered channel erosion both up- and downstream. Historical maps, recent LiDAR, and field surveying were used to characterize incision since ditch excavation in 1911. Although the soils are sandy, small hydrological gradients impede natural drainage in the surrounding …