Helping Streams Help Themselves: Restoring Sustainable and Distributed Water Pollution Attenuation

1066817（Hester）这项研究的重点是恢复溪流及其底层沉积物之间的小规模水（潜流）交换（即，高反应性的？河？s liver？），它受到了各种人类土地使用的严重影响。首要目标是确定如何的潜力？低流性恢复？特别是由于在城市地区已经进行了相当多的河流恢复工作，因此，河流的数量沿着城市化梯度变化。为了实现这一目标，10个河流河段内的低流相关条件将检查相对于城市化在其贡献流域。具体的研究目标是：（1）通过现有的数字资源量化每个流域的流域水平城市化指标：（2）测量对水文交换的可达尺度控制（3）利用统计分析确定每个河段尺度控制对潜流交换和城市化之间的关系;（4）相对于指定的参考条件量化低流损害;（5）进行河流恢复和河岸/流域恢复以及河岸/流域恢复的可行性评估，以减轻沿着城市化梯度的低流损害。 PI将把研究整合到水资源工程课程的一个新的水可持续性组成部分中，包括让学生参与分析和展示结果，以及修复地点的图尔斯之旅。同样，合作PI将开发绿色工程课程的学习模块。PI将与工程学院合作？工程多样性增强中心招募代表性不足的本科生参加该项目，通过学期研究经验进行数据分析，在学年和夏季实地研究助理。

1066817 (Hester) This research focuses on the restoration of small-scale water (hyporheic) exchange between streams and their underlying sediments (i.e., the highly reactive ?river?s liver?), which has been heavily impacted by various human land uses. The overarching goal is to determine how the potential for ?hyporheic restoration? varies along an urbanization gradient in particular because considerable stream restoration efforts already occur in urban areas. To accomplish this, hyporheic-relevant conditions within 10 stream reaches will be examined relative to urbanization in their contributing watersheds. The specific research objectives are to: (1) quantify watershed-level urbanization metrics for each watershed via existing digital sources: (2) measure reach-scale controls on hyporhic exchange (or surrogates) at each stream via field campaign and existing digital sources; (3) identify relationships between each reach-scale control on hyporheic exchange and urbanization using statistical analyses; (4) quantify hyporheic impairment relative to designated reference conditions; and (5) conduct feasibility assessment of stream restoration and riparian/watershed restoration and riparian/watershed restoration to mitigate hyporheic impairment along an urbanization gradient. The PI will integrate the research into a new water sustainability component of a Water Resources Engineering class, including involving students in analysis and presentation of results, as well as tours of restoration sites. Similarly, the co-PI will develop learning modules for a Green Engineering course. The PI will work with the School of Engineering?s Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity to recruit underrepresented undergraduates to participate in the project both through semester research experiences conducting data analysis during the academic year and as summer field research assistants.