Model-based design for restoration of a small urban river

Using the model-based design we have developed preference variants for the Panke which include structures such as pools, riffles, river banks, dead wood as well as aquatic vegetation. To account for the very detailed geometry of some structures such as dead wood, high resolution grids with edge length up to one decimeter have been generated. Furthermore flood protection has been assured. The variants should be constructed in the Panke in 2015. We expect that the ecological conditions for fish and benthos will improve, however this has to be evaluated by further measurements. The model-based approach for the design of enhancement measures delivered valuable hints on current shortcomings in the river morphology, priorities for the creation of new habitats and quantitative information on the increase of suitable areas to be expected. In addition, relating the habitat changes to different flow rates helped to estimate the temporal availability of high quality habitats after the implementation of the measures.