TRENDS IN STREAM POWER AND EROSION AT A SUBURBAN WATERSHED IN WESTERN NEW YORK

Streambank erosion is a highly damaging and prevalent form of nonpoint source pollution that impacts water quality, flow, and ecology. Urban watersheds are particularly sensitive due to a greater proportion of directly connected impervious land cover that results in increased runoff into streams. Climate change has exacerbated the problem in the Northeast United States, as precipitation quantities, along with the frequency of high intensity storm events, have risen markedly in recent decades. Cross Canal Brook is a small stream east of Rochester, NY, and a tributary to Irondequoit Creek, where erosion and flooding events have seen a recent rise that has disturbed the local ecology and damaged human property. This project uses discharge data measured in the field, lab analysis of sediment and nutrients, and hydrological modelling to diagnose the causes of these phenomena. Ultimately, the findings of this research will prompt and direct restoration action.