Evolving Approaches to River Restoration

Hi all! My name is Jonah Rosen-Bloom. I’m a Geology major going into my senior year. I spent the summer interning with FlowWest, a natural resources company based out of Oakland, CA. FlowWest primarily focuses on river restoration projects across California. They work with a diverse group of clients, from Caltrans-- to counties across the state, to small Napa Valley Wineries, who are looking to improve the conditions of California’s watersheds.

FlowWest has transitioned to a remote office, and thus, I did most of my work remotely. Many FlowWest employees regularly visit projects on site, to perform research, meet with clients, and accomplish permitting tasks. Because these projects are considered active construction sites, I was unfortunately, not permitted to make field visits of my own. Luckily, I was still able to produce a significant research paper that made up the bulk of my summer work.

The purpose of my research paper, titled “The State of River Restoration – Restoration Philosophies, Government Policy, and Funding: A Review of Academic, Commercial, and Government Literature” was to inform potential FlowWest clients about the most current state of river restoration. As one could guess from the title, the paper focused on philosophical
approaches to restoration, and changes in government policy and funding. In my paper, I covered the shift from form based restoration to process-based restoration, and important transition in the world of river restoration. Form-based restoration focuses on achieving a specific form or feature that the degraded river lacks whereas process-based restoration aims to re-establish natural hydrologic, geomorphic, and ecological processes in a river system. Process based restoration developed in response to the shortcomings of form-based restoration to address the root causes of river system degradation.

In practice, the evolution of restoration philosophies has been codependent upon government priorities and funding opportunities, as well as scientific and commercial research. A number of agencies play a part in the management and restoration of rivers, with varying priorities and approaches. Prominent agencies in the funding of river restoration and management are the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), United States Fish and Wildlife (USFWS), NOAA, The Bureau of Reclamation, and State Departments of Water Resources.

In my paper, I detail how the policies of the USACE and Bureau of Rec in particular havehistorically uplifted form-based restoration and styles of river management that inhibit natural processes. And, how recently, the agencies have begun to shift towards process-based restoration and styles of river management that uplift ecological processes. I detail a case study in the San Fernando Valley called Sepulveda basin, a USACE flood management facility that recently received the first funding package for a huge river restoration project. A number of interesting case studies are also reviewed in the paper.

All in all, my work with FlowWest has been informative, fun, and productive. I’ve learned a lot about the river restoration community, and the ins and outs of the government river management. The attached photo is me with the cover page of my research paper. Thanks for reading!