Change in Sedimentation Regime due to Bridge Construction Activities: A Field Study at FM 2478 Bridge Over Wilson Creek, McKinney, Texas

Author

Subhas Kandel

Graduation Semester and Year

2021

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Civil Engineering

Department

Civil Engineering

First Advisor

Xinbao Yu

Second Advisor

Habib Ahmari

Third Advisor

Sahadat Hossain

Abstract

Bridge construction activities can cause soil disturbances that introduce sediments into a receiving stream and potentially impact its quality and the ecosystem. The impacts of bridge construction activities are studied in two ways: overland erosion and in-stream sediment concentration. For this research, the overland erosion of Wilson Creek in McKinney, Texas was monitored from four erosion plots constructed on its banks, near the bridge construction activities zone. The instream water quality was examined during the construction period by measuring the Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and the turbidity of water samples, and the sediment and water samples were collected and analyzed to scrutinize the quantitative effect that the construction activities had on the quality of the water from January to November 2021. The data obtained from the erosion plot was used to predict the amount of sediment that would potentially be released to the stream during both disturbed and undisturbed soil conditions. The result shows the soil loss from the erosion plot in disturbed surface conditions increased sediment by 2 - 5 times than in undisturbed surface conditions. The soil loss can reduce with the implementation of vegetation by a significant amount. The measured sediment was within the range of predicted sediment by the modified universal soil loss equation (MUSLE) model, and the variations in the TSS and the turbidity of the creek water sample revealed the impacts of each bridge construction activity.

Keywords

Bridge construction activities, Overland erosion, Best management practices, Instream sediment

Disciplines

Civil and Environmental Engineering | Civil Engineering | Engineering

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

Recommended Citation

Kandel, Subhas, "Change in Sedimentation Regime due to Bridge Construction Activities: A Field Study at FM 2478 Bridge Over Wilson Creek, McKinney, Texas" (2021). Civil Engineering Theses. 34.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/civilengineering_theses/34