Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Identifying The Spatial Pattern And Importance Of Hydro-Geomorphic Drainage Impairments On Unpaved Roads In The Northeastern Usa, Beverley C. Wemple, Gordon E. Clark, Donald S. Ross, Donna M. Rizzo

College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Publications

Roads have been widely studied as sources of runoff and sediment and identified as pollutant production sources to receiving waters. Despite the wealth of research on logging roads in forested, upland settings, little work has been conducted to examine the role of extensive networks of rural, low-volume, unpaved roads on water quality degradation at the catchment scale. We studied a network of municipal unpaved roads in the northeastern US to identify the type and spatial extent of ‘hydro-geomorphic impairments’ to water quality. We mapped erosional and depositional features on roads to develop an estimate of pollutant production. We also mapped …