Reference number : GC-2017-Q3-00614, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Eaton, Brett (The University of British Columbia), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : British Columbia|Colombie-Britannique, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Engage Grants for universities, program name french : Subventions d'engagement partenarial pour les universités, program purpose english : This project will improve our ability to protect infrastructure and ecological health for urban streams that have_x000D_
become unstable due to flow changes. In urban areas, changes to the land surface (combined with the_x000D_
construction of storm drains) has fundamentally altered how water moves across the land surface. The same_x000D_
rainstorm in a urban area produces a larger flood than it would in a natural environment, and urban streams_x000D_
often become unstable due to the increased flows. In order to control the hazards associated with urban_x000D_
streams, it is common practice to design and build a range of structures within the stream in order to limit_x000D_
erosion, particularly when infrastructure such as roads, buildings or buried pipes could be affected. Past_x000D_
practices relied on building large rock features and/or concrete structures designed to prevent any movement of_x000D_
the stream at all (so-called 'hard engineering" techniques); that is, streams were transformed from an_x000D_
unacceptably unstable state resulting from urbanization to a completely static one where no change to the_x000D_
channel is possible. The natural, stable state (in which small, localized changes occur on an annual basis) is_x000D_
completely by-passed, and as a result, the ecosystems that depend upon these streams suffer. Relatively_x000D_
recently, policy makers and land managers have expressed their intention to protect both infrastructure and_x000D_
aquatic ecosystems. The advances made by Dr. Eaton and his research group on the factors controlling channel_x000D_
stability suggest that it is possible to gradually adjust the level of channel activity by adding or removing small_x000D_
volumes of the coarsest material naturally found in the stream. This implies that, rather than forcing a stream to_x000D_
remain completely static within the confines of a concrete boundary, it may be possible to modify the sediment_x000D_
within the channel so as to restore the natural level of channel activity, and to prevent the urbanization-induced_x000D_
instability that can be costly, both in terms of damage and loss of human life. This grant will allow GEO_x000D_
Morphix Ltd. and UBC to evaluate this promising approach in the context of ongoing restoration activities in_x000D_
the Greater Toronto Area., program purpose french : This project will improve our ability to protect infrastructure and ecological health for urban streams that have_x000D_
become unstable due to flow changes. In urban areas, changes to the land surface (combined with the_x000D_
construction of storm drains) has fundamentally altered how water moves across the land surface. The same_x000D_
rainstorm in a urban area produces a larger flood than it would in a natural environment, and urban streams_x000D_
often become unstable due to the increased flows. In order to control the hazards associated with urban_x000D_
streams, it is common practice to design and build a range of structures within the stream in order to limit_x000D_
erosion, particularly when infrastructure such as roads, buildings or buried pipes could be affected. Past_x000D_
practices relied on building large rock features and/or concrete structures designed to prevent any movement of_x000D_
the stream at all (so-called 'hard engineering" techniques); that is, streams were transformed from an_x000D_
unacceptably unstable state resulting from urbanization to a completely static one where no change to the_x000D_
channel is possible. The natural, stable state (in which small, localized changes occur on an annual basis) is_x000D_
completely by-passed, and as a result, the ecosystems that depend upon these streams suffer. Relatively_x000D_
recently, policy makers and land managers have expressed their intention to protect both infrastructure and_x000D_
aquatic ecosystems. The advances made by Dr. Eaton and his research group on the factors controlling channel_x000D_
stability suggest that it is possible to gradually adjust the level of channel activity by adding or removing small_x000D_
volumes of the coarsest material naturally found in the stream. This implies that, rather than forcing a stream to_x000D_
remain completely static within the confines of a concrete boundary, it may be possible to modify the sediment_x000D_
within the channel so as to restore the natural level of channel activity, and to prevent the urbanization-induced_x000D_
instability that can be costly, both in terms of damage and loss of human life. This grant will allow GEO_x000D_
Morphix Ltd. and UBC to evaluate this promising approach in the context of ongoing restoration activities in_x000D_
the Greater Toronto Area., agreement title english : River restoration revolution: evaluation of new, low impact channel designs using physical models, agreement title french : River restoration revolution: evaluation of new, low impact channel designs using physical models, agreement number : EGP, agreement value : 25000.0, agreement start date : 2017-10-18, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019)., additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2018-2019)., owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada