GEOMORPHOLOGICAL APPROACH TO STREAM STABILIZATION AND RESTORATION - CASE-STUDY OF THE MIMMSHALL BROOK, HERTFORDSHIRE, UK

The management of unstable river systems is conventionally costly in b oth financial and ecological terms. Traditional river engineering seek s to stabilize the instability through structural means rather than tr eating the cause of the symptom. The geomorphological approach to stre am stabilization and restoration is considered with a view to providin g practical recommendations for the long-term management of the system . Historical and documentary evidence are coupled with field surveys a nd sediment modelling to provide a comprehensive picture of fluvial pr ocesses with the Mimmshall Brook catchment. A simple sediment budget i s calculated and the results used to develop practical management opti ons that address the causes of the instability and associated ecologic al and flooding problems.