Stream Table: Bank Stabilization and Armoring

Content/Concept Goals:

• Humans attempt to control the course of streams and rivers through various techniques, ranging from minimally managed vegetation to high-stakes engineered structures. Each approach carries advantages and disadvantages, and these interventions can be understood as ways to attenuate, absorb, or redirect the energy of flowing water.

Higher order thinking skills goals:

• Students evaluate the effectiveness of different armoring methods in a scale model stream table. They can experiment with novel solutions to bank stabilization.

Other skills goals:

• Students will record observations through drawings and written descriptions. Documentation through photography and video recording are also options.

Type and level of course:

• Middle and High School Earth & Environmental Science
• Undergraduate Introduction to Environmental/Civil Engineering
• Professional training for Departments of Transportation
• Public outreach through Soil & Water Conservation Districts

Students must have mastered before beginning:
Students should understand the basic concepts of erosion and deposition in river systems. Only other required skills are the ability to draw and describe observations in stream table.

How situated in a course:
Best placed within a longer sequence of lessons on river science and management.

This lab uses a stream table (moveable bed model) to introduce students to various techniques for protecting stream banks from erosion, including rigid armoring, rip rap, vegetation, groynes and other methods. Students will observe scour and sediment transport in steady flow and flood conditions to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the different techniques.
Stream Table Lab: Stream Bank Stabilization and Armoring (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 20.2MB Oct8 26) 

When working with stream tables, students are often inclined to play with the material. (So are adults!) To compare results of the different methods of armoring in this lab, students will need make a single intervention (e.g. install rip rap) and then allow the stream to flow uninterrupted for a while. It can be helpful to allow students to have a session of open exploration in advance of this lab, so they may be less inclined to disrupt the experiments when trying to control variables.

Students turn in their observation sheets with descriptions and drawings. Questions at the end of the lab ask students to summarize their observations and compare results.

Using Stabilization Techniques To Control Erosion and Protect Property
Provides a good overview and photos of different bank stabilization techniques, published by Tennessee Valley Authority
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-Y3_T25-PURL-LPS106852/pdf/GOVPUB-Y3_T25-PURL-LPS106852.pdf