Rapid Response of a Sand-Dominated River to Installation and Removal of a Temporary Run-Of-The-River Dam

Run-of-the-river dams (RORDs) comprise the vast majority of dams on river systems and are commonly removed as a part of stream restoration strategies. Although these dams are routinely removed, few studies have documented the geomorphological responses of sand-bed rivers to the removal of RORDs. We examined the response of a large sand-bed river located in South-Central Kansas, USA, to the installation and removal of a dam that is installed annually for seasonal recreational purposes. Channel adjustments were tracked using cross-sections sampled over the course of 7 months as the dam was installed and subsequently removed. Multivariate spatiotemporal analysis revealed emergence of channel stability when the dam was in place for most cross-sections, except for those immediately adjacent to or at great distances from the dam. Our results provide an approximation for how sand-bed rivers respond to RORD construction and removal and are useful for guiding management decisions involving preservation or restoration of connectivity. Results of this study suggest that sand-bed rivers are resilient and recover quickly when transient RORDs are removed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.