USGS Fluvial Erosion Hazards (FEH) Primer

This primer highlights methods used in regional and reach-scale assessments of fluvial erosion hazards (FEH). Fluvial erosion includes bed erosion, meaning lowering of the bed of a stream, as well as bank erosion, which refers to the retreat of stream banks that occurs as a stream widens or migrates laterally. The purpose of this primer is to serve as a starting point for planning an assessment of risks related to fluvial erosion, specifically risks to infrastructure in and near streams. The primer provides citations and links (where possible) to a variety of more-detailed references. In addition to FEH applications, the methods described here can also be applied to issues related to the impacts of fluvial erosion on stream ecology and habitat, water quality, and sedimentation in downstream reservoirs. The primer begins with a basic introduction to FEH and fluvial geomorphology, describes the significance of FEH corridors, gives examples of methods used for delineating FEH corridors at regional or statewide scale, and provides an overview of methods used in reach-scale FEH assessments.