Literature Review for Texas Department of Transportation Research Project 0-4695 - Guidance for Design in Areas of Extreme Bed-Load Mobility, Edwards Plateau, Texas: Usgs Open-File Report 2005-1234 (Paperback)

A review of the literature addressing sediment transport in gravel-bed river systems and structures designed to control bed-load mobility is provided as part of Texas Department of Transportation research project 0-4695: Guidance for Design in Areas of Extreme Bed-Load Mobility. The study area comprises Edwards, Kimble, and Real Counties in the Edwards Plateau in central Texas. The primary focus of the literature review is on journal articles, edited volumes, and government publications. The literature review provides an outline and foundation for the research project to characterize extreme bed-load mobility in rivers and streams across the study area. The literature review also provides a basis for potential modifications to low-water stream-crossing design in the study area. Major themes within the body of literature include deterministic sediment transport theory and equations, development of methods to measure and analyze fluvial sediment, applications and development of theory in natural channels and flume experiments, and recommendations for river management and structural design. A variety of methods are used to study gravel-bed river characteristics, including surveying channel geometry, particle tracing, bed-material and bed-load sampling, and developing sediment discharge rating curves, among others. Additionally, efforts to manipulate the transport of sediment in gravel-bed rivers include construction of debris traps, velocity control structures, or flow diversion structures. Extensive collection and analysis of field and geographic data, and subsequent parameterization of numerical and physical models, is the most appropriate approach to understanding bed-load transport and structural design in the Edwards Plateau.