IMPACT OF DEGRADING STREAMS ON TRANSPORTATION AND UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS

Stream degradation has resulted in substantial damage to transportation and utility infrastructure in several areas of the United States. The purpose of this study was to estimate the degradation costs from stream straightening on public and private infrastructure crossing streams in the deep loess soil region of western iowa. Five streams in western Iowa were examined in detail. The estimated degradation costs from these five streams, along with data from the Soil Conservation Service, were used to estimate the total degradation costs of streams in the deep loess soil region of western Iowa.