River Principles for Riverscapes Consortium
Rivers need space to flow and enough water to flood periodically into their floodplain. Rivers need a diversity of structures to provide habitat and enhance resilience to wildfire and mass geologic movement. Rivers need a range in water conveyance efficiency to allow for water to infiltrate soil and hyporheic zone and recharge underlying aquifers.
These illustrations were created in collaboration with the Riverscape Consortium to visualize these basic principles.
Rivers need space and water to access their floodplains
Rivers need diversity of structure to increase habitat and resilience
Rivers need water moving inefficiently to replenish hyporheic zone
Most rivers are given very little space to move and flood
Most rivers are channelized with very little structural diversity, reducing resilience to catastrophic events
Efficient conveyance has been prioritized in rivers, disconnecting them from their hyporheic zone and enhancing erosion