Bankfull Regional Curves for Streams in the Non-Urban, Non-Tidal Coastal Plain Physiographic Province, Virginia and Maryland; Scientific investigations rept

摘要

Natural-channel design involves constructing a stream channel with the dimensions, slope, and plan-view pattern that would be expected to transport water and sediment and yet maintain habitat and aesthetics consistent with unimpaired reaches. The adequate description of channel geometry in unimpaired reaches often is an important component of natural-channel design projects and can be facilitated through empirical regression relations, or regional curves, relating bankfull geometry to drainage area. One-variable, ordinary least-squares regressions relating bankfull discharge, bankfull cross-sectional area, bankfull width, and bankfull mean depth to drainage area were developed based on data collected at 20 streamflow-gaging stations in Virginia and Maryland. These regional curves can be used to estimate the bankfull discharge and bankfull channel geometry when the drainage area of a watershed is known.