Review of “River Training and Sediment Management with Submerged Vanes” by A. Jacob Odgaard: ASCE Press, Reston, VA; 2009; 171 pp. Price: $75.00.

Channel stabilization and restoration efforts have increased dramatically across the nation during recent decades with over $1B spent on these endeavors every year since 1990 (Bernhardt et al. 2005). It is estimated however, that at least 50% of these projects fail (O’Neil and Fitch 1992) and others may not perform to original expectations. This is due to the complex physical processes governing interaction of turbulence in the water column with sediments in the stream and bank. Consequently, stream restoration today is more of an art than a science and relies heavily on an analog method that emphasizes a prescribed design approach rather than the application of physically based hydraulic engineering principles to attain performance-based criteria (Slate et al. 2007).

The use of in-stream, low-flow structures as channel stabilization measures has become a preferred solution of federal, state, and local governmental agencies (Johnson et al. 2002). These measures have gained acceptance because of their potential to enhance aquatic habitat while directing flow away from the banks and dissipating flow energy (Kauffman et al. 1997). Despite their potential for success, these structures suffer from a lack of proven engineering design criteria, which if available, would certainly reduce the risk of failure, increase cost-effectiveness and expand their use.

Odgaard attempts to end this uncertainty for one such structure in his recent publication, River Training and Sediment Management with Submerged Vanes. The author recognizes that while there are several existing publications demonstrating the viability of submerged vanes, readily available design guidelines are still lacking.

The book is divided into six chapters. In the first chapter some background information about the vanes, together with possible problems that they can be used to mitigate, is provided. It is pointed out that though the idea was originally proposed in 1947 by Potapov and Pyshkin, systematic laboratory research and development efforts toward the improvement of vane design to render it a more effective flow and sediment control measure didn’t start until about $35\text{years}$ later (Odgaard and Kennedy 1983). Soon after that field testing followed. The theory and development of submerged vanes is discussed in the second chapter in the context of bank erosion and bed scour prevention, water intake sediment protection, and shoaling prevention. Results from laboratory model studies are presented in the third chapter to validate the concept of submerged vanes and their conceived ability to create secondary currents and redistribute sediment deposition for a given channel cross section. Though most of these results have previously appeared in various journal and report publications (some of them not as easily accessible), they have been summarized here in a very effective way and all the figures have been redrawn and rendered of much higher quality. Design examples with sample calculations are included in the fourth chapter for various scenarios including bank protection, river bed stabilization, sediment control at water intake, and channel alignment stabilization. These examples take into account channel characteristics and design hydraulic conditions to properly size and space submerged vanes. In the fifth chapter, field installations of submerged vanes at twelve sites located around the world are reviewed. Several of these projects have previously been published in journals or technical reports, though some of the international case studies are difficult to get a hold of. Summary tables at the beginning of the chapter allow for quick comparison of project objectives, channel characteristics, and associated vane designs. This section includes several illustrations, sketches, and photos to aid the reader in better understanding field conditions. The sixth and final chapter is a summary of the most successful to date design guidelines; these are based on the laboratory and field studies presented earlier in the manual. Other aspects, such as vane materials and limitations in the use of this type of structure are discussed as well. The author stresses that the guidelines are only typical and will need to be adjusted based on conditions encountered at each site.

Odgaard has researched the use of submerged vanes for over $25\text{years}$ . Together with Kennedy and their students, they pursued a systematic theoretical and experimental investigation of the role of submerged vanes on river training and sediment management at the Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research of the University of Iowa (Odgaard and Kennedy 1983). If the recollection of the second reviewer is correct, the interest of a forward-thinking Iowa Department of Transportation engineer on the new technology facilitated the first field installation of the submerged vanes at the East Nishnabotna River in Iowa in 1985. A sketch of the river section, indicating the submerged vane system layout and the bridge crossing is shown in Fig. 1 (from Odgaard and Mosconi 1987, Fig. 5-2 in the book). Though the vanes used there were at the very early design stage in terms of shape, size, material, spacing, and installation procedures, they proved to be very effective in protecting bank erosion and arresting lateral stream migration in the vicinity of the bridge crossing. For his work on submerged vane research and development, Odgaard received the ASCE Hydraulic Structures Medal in 2001.

This manual represents a first attempt to create a submerged vanes design guidebook that can be used by practicing hydraulic engineers and researchers. The author presents the material in an orderly and logical manner. The information is communicated in an effective way and lends itself useful for practical applications. The author is uniquely qualified to write such a document. This manual is a useful addition to the literature on in-stream flow structures and will go a long way in assisting hydraulic engineers in the proper use of submerged vanes.