CLASSIFICATION OF A ACTIVELY INCISING IN THE APPALACHIAN PLATEAU, SOUTHERN WV

Brush Creek is a perennial, fourth order tributary to the Bluestone River and is the primary drainage basin for central Mercer county. The upper reaches have been urbanized, while the lower reaches remain relatively undeveloped. Because of its drainage significance and its close proximity to Athens, Brush Creek has been the subject of undergraduate research for the Natural Science Division of Concord University. To date most research has focused on water and environmental quality. The purpose of this study is to provide base line data on river flow, and an initial classification scheme for the stream corridor, thereby providing a framework for future research.

Water quality research on Brush Creek is hindered by the absence of a stream gauge. To provide discharge estimates; width, depth, and velocity in Brush Creek were measured between bridge buttresses to provide a consistent reference point. The discharge is correlated with the Pipestem gauge, established and maintained by the USGS, on the Bluestone River. The relationship between the two water bodies should serve as a proxy for flow volume of Brush Creek.

Brush Creek within its canyon is divided into five stream reaches based on gradient, determined by inflection points on the longitudinal profile. From this initial assessment, reaches were broken down into sub-reaches using sinuosity, width/depth, entrenchment, and mean grain size. The longitudinal profile of Brush Creek is unlike a typical profile in that the steeper reaches are located towards the confluence and the low gradient sections occurring at the headwaters. This reversal in profile is predominately the result of the resistance of the Princeton sandstone. As a result of this unique characteristic, Brush Creek provides a great diversity of channel dynamics with in the lower reaches. Channel types identified within sub-reaches include; meandering, braided, bedrock anastomosing, and drop pool. The nature of the channelization change down stream coupled with the change in gradients provides evidence that Brush Creek is actively incising.