An Assessment of Streambank Erosion Rates in Iowa

Abstract

Streambank erosion is a major contributor to watershed suspended sediments and phosphorus exports in many regions, but in Iowa and other midwestern states, the load contribution from streambanks is not considered by state nutrient reduction strategies. The study’s objectives were to evaluate the annual bank erosion rates measured in Iowa using erosion pins and aerial imagery and assess how recession rates vary across space, time, and stream order. The overall goal was to determine whether there are global similarities to these streambank recession rates that could be generalized and scaled up for regional assessments using data from Iowa-based erosion pin studies and original research on stream migration rates. At the erosion pin sites, the recession rates averaged approximately 11 cm yr−1 in third-order streams and, when combined with stream migration analyses, we observed scaling associated with bank recession rates at longer time scales across a range of stream orders. More bank recession occurs in larger streams and rivers with greater discharge from larger watershed areas and an increase in stream power. Variations in these bank recession rates were observed in Iowa landform regions mainly due to differences in geology and the composition of the streambank sediments. The study’s results provide a temporal and spatial context for evaluating streambank recession in Iowa and the glaciated Midwest.