Channel enlargement in semiarid suburbanizing watersheds: A southern California case study

•Enlargement of semiarid streams was significantly correlated to urban development.•Increased sediment-transport capacity is a key predictor of enlargement.•∼1.2:1 Proportionate channel enlargement with increased sediment-transport capacity.•Enlargement increased with distance to downstream grade-control features.

SummarySemiarid channels exhibit an extreme sensitivity to upstream urban development, particularly in unconfined valleys with unprotected grades. For example, one of our study streams in southern California has increased its cross-sectional area by nearly 14-fold relative to its pre-developed channel form in a watershed that has been only lightly developed (10.4% imperviousness). Multivariate regression models of cross-sectional channel enlargement at 61 sites were highly dependent on the ratio of post- to pre-urban sediment-transport capacity over cumulative duration simulations of 25 yrs (Lr), which explained nearly 60% of the variance. The proximity of a channel hard point such as bedrock or artificial grade control was also significant, indicating that channel enlargement increased moving upstream from grade control. The enlargement models point to the importance of balancing the post-developed sediment transport to the pre-developed setting over an entire range of flows rather than a single flow in order to reduce the risk of adverse channel responses to hydromodification. The need for controlling a wide range of flows was underscored by logistic-regression analyses that indicated a high risk of instability in systems with Lr > 1, especially for fine-grained systems (i.e., d50 < 16 mm).