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Instructor: Bryan Dick, P.E., PH, M.ASCE
Course Length: 1 Hour
Purpose and Background
Entrainment of stream and riverbank sediments is a leading cause of water quality impairment in the U.S. according to the 2006 US EPA Water Quality Inventory. Gulley, stream and riverbank erosion also pose substantial risk to constructed millions of dollars of infrastructure across the country. Answering the question of what is the erosion rate of a site has become even more important as regulations for water quality improvement have been implemented for watersheds such as the Chesapeake Bay and for municipal governments with MS-4 permit allocations. Engineers and scientist need tools to evaluate multiple sites with observed erosion to be able to prioritize the site of greatest risk, or with the highest potential for water quality improvement through restoration or stabilization. This webinar will present both direct and indirect methods for estimating erosion rates and discuss the best approach for sites of varying budgets and time constraints.
Primary Discussion Topics
- Background and need related to TMDL reduction, impaired waters and threatened infrastructure
- Strengths and weaknesses of different methods of erosion rate measurement
- Direct and indirect methods (surveyed or measured vs. remote sensing)
- Latest advancements and limitations
- Cost, accuracy, and time constraints
- Examples of assessed sites and comparisons of results
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Recognize why erosion rate measurement is important
- Discuss the primary available methods for riverbank erosion, gulley and hillslope erosion assessment
- Evaluate the appropriate method for varying project types
- Explore cutting edge methods such as dendrogeomorphology, photovoltaic, and low elevation Lidar tools
Webinar Benefits
- Determine the cost associated with your erosion assessment
- Learn how to prioritize the site with the highest need based on multiple decision criteria
- Understand how to use a variety of approaches to meet your water quality or site prioritization need
- Improve your ability to evaluate risk and reward from a project site
- Enhance your awareness of erosion risk for constructed infrastructure and public safety
- Gain a deeper understanding of how to evaluate TMDL reduction credit
Assessment of Learning Outcomes
Students' achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a short post-assessment (true-false, multiple choice and fill in the blank questions).
Intended Audience
- Consulting engineers
- Water resource planners
- Landscape architects
- Engineers in training who have a basic understanding of engineering design, bid-document preparation and construction practices
- Students of engineering, geology and environmental disciplines
- Agency professionals
- Environmental professionals
Webinar Outline
- Introduction to the purpose and need of understanding erosion rates on various sites
- Watershed planning and erosion rates
- EPA WARSSS process and erosion assessment
- TMDL reductions
- Threats to infrastructure
- Site prioritization
- Fate and transport of contaminated sediments
- Direct and Indirect methods to assess erosion
- Cost and timing constraints
- Uncertainty and limitations
- Erosion rate curves vs. site specific information
- Multiple lines of evidence approaches
- Example TMDL reduction analysis from a stream restoration site
- Example and comparison on an extensive and intensive study site over several years
- Site constraints that limit or promote underground BMPs
How to Earn your CEUs/PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion
To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short on-line post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 1 year of purchasing the course.
How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?
1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]