ANALYSIS OF RAVINE EROSION IN A SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN WATERSHED

The Root River is an urban-rural drainage basin in southeastern Wisconsin, flowing south from western Milwaukee suburbs to its mouth in downtown Racine. Restoration of the wetlands focuses on native species that act as buffers to the landscape and act as erosion control. This research was conducted while working with the Root-Pike Watershed Initiative (WIN), an organization that aims to restore, protect, and sustain all watersheds within the Root-Pike Basin, and focused on the effects of soil texture and invasive vegetation on erosion rates in a ravine formed by a small tributary of the Root River within Colonial Park in Racine County. Fieldwork was conducted every few weeks throughout October and November 2018 to collect erosion rates, measured by placing erosion stakes in four separate locations along the ravine, as well as soil samples. At each erosion site the tributary’s flow rate and the width of the ravine were measured, and soil moisture was recorded.

Preliminary results show that slight erosion is occurring within the ravine, with most erosion happening near the head of the ravine. The head of the ravine showed that there was a four-inch change over the months the research was conducted, with an approximate change of 1.7-centimeters per week, with the rest of the ravine experiencing change at a much slower rate. This headward erosion could lead to built-up sediment deposits further downstream in the wetland, potentially damaging habitat.