Over a few past decades, some sections of the fifth-order, mountain Czarny Dunajec River, southern Poland, have been considerably modified by channelization or channel incision induced by gravel extraction. As a result, the contemporary river represents a variety of morphologies ranging from single-thread, incised or regulated channel to unmanaged, multi-thread channel. For twelve crosssections with 1 to 4 flow threads, hydromorphological river quality was assessed by four surveyors from the fields of fluvial geomorphology, river engineering and hydrobiology and compared with the abundance and diversity of fish fauna determined by electrofishing. Moreover, the variation in depth, velocity and bed material size was determined for each cross-section on the basis of measurements made at 1 m intervals. Average values of hydromorphological quality for the surveyed cross-sections ranged between 1.08 and 3.96, with the cross-sections with heavily island-braided morphology classified as representing high status (reference) conditions and those located in channelized river sections falling into Class 4. The increase in the number of low-flow channels within a cross-section was associated with increasing variation in depth, velocity and bed material size. Single-thread cross-sections hosted only 2 fish species and 13 specimens caught on average, whereas 3-4 species and 82 specimens on average were ...
Dependly on the the land-use management, there are different technics of river training. The main aim of river training is floods mitigation. However, these activities often were done without any respect on the basic principle on keeping the ecological continuity of river corridor. In the current paper we present four types of trained river cross-sections, depend on their shapes, the material which forms them, and the condition for fauna and flora. There are also performed the patterns of the regulated channels, which are located in the different kind of urban area. For the selected trained river courses, which are located in the Upper Wisła catchment, the possibility of restoration has been analyzed.
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The aim of the paper is to present the studies on the riverbed erosion on the upper course of Raba river, located from km 81.829 to km 77.751, close to the Stróża gauging station located in km 80.600. This part of the river course is com-pletely changed due to the Project concerning the extension of the Zakopianka road located close to the Raba river. The results of simulation of riverbed evolution before and after the Project carried out by two 1D models (RubarBE and Metoda) are analysed and discussed. The results of computation obtained by both models are verified by field observations carried out in 2001 (before the Project), and in 2009 year (after the Project). The trends of erosion and deposition correspond to the field observations for the dates before and after the Project. Another verification is possible to make for the Stróża cross-section, where observations of cross-sectional geometry and water stages have been carried out from 1900 year till now. The statistical model of riverbed erosion developed for Stróża also confirm the trends obtained there by 1D models.
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Long-term observations of Upper Vistula tributaries, made by the author, showed that the narrowing and straightening of rivers and their floodplains resulted in accelerated riverbed erosion and the increase of flood risks. River floodplains are widely acknowledged as being very important for biodiversity, therefore by their narrowing they lose their natural patterns and, as a consequence, decline in habitat and species diversity. In the last years a new approach in river management and engineering appeared: the EU Water Framework Directive constitutes an important step for more ecological river training. In consequence an increasing number of restoration projects have been initiated in the last years. In the present paper the author tried to study and check the possibilities of flood plain widening upstream of the town of Nowy Sącz situated along the Duna-jec River (km: 111.900 - 107.500), where devastated lands occurred. In the urban area of Nowy Sącz the levees distance was left unchanged. For the new conditions the numerical simulation by 1D mathematical model Rubarbe was carried out. The obtained results showed a significant decrease in the flood peaks upstream of Nowy Sącz and lesser decrease in the town. ...
