History, Mapping, and Hydraulic Monitoring of a Buried Stream under a Central Business District
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 145, Issue 12
Abstract
The terminal effect of urbanization on streams is their burial in culverts, with their disappearance from the visible landscape eventually resulting in their disappearance from the local perspective. This case study describes the historical research, logistical planning, and execution of a mapping and hydraulic monitoring program to characterize a stream with intermittent flooding issues that was buried under the Roanoke Virginia, central business district at the beginning of the twentieth century. This includes (1) a review and synthesis of the historical literature pertaining to the stream and springs; (2) a description of the methodology used to map the stream tunnels in a confined space under high vehicular traffic; and (3) the deployment and preliminary results of a distributed flow-depth monitoring program. The methodology presented can be used by other localities addressing flooding issues caused by buried streams, and the results of the monitoring program demonstrate the value of this effort in directing infrastructure improvement spending and identifying water quality issues. A complete characterization of buried streams is critical to provide a benchmark as Roanoke and other localities invest in stream and watershed capital-improvement projects with the intent of improving hydrologic function.
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Data Availability Statement
The stormwater GIS layers generated as a result of this work are available at the City’s Real Estate GIS website: https://gisre.roanokeva.gov/js/. Some photos and video of the survey are also available upon request from the City of Roanoke, Virginia, Stormwater Division. The hydrology data collected by the water level loggers and corresponding rainfall data are available through the Stream Hydrology and Rainfall Knowledge System (SHARKS) (Brendel et al. 2018).
Acknowledgments
This research was funded by the City of Roanoke, Virginia. The authors thank Melissa Mika for her contribution to planning and mapping the Trout Run tunnels and for her support with the Watershed Master Plan. The authors also thank the City staff who contributed their efforts to the mapping and monitoring of the buried stream. The contents of this article are the product of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the City of Roanoke.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 145 • Issue 12 • December 2019
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 17, 2018
Accepted: Apr 15, 2019
Published online: Sep 30, 2019
Published in print: Dec 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Feb 29, 2020
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