Long‐term effects of low‐drop grade control structures on channel evolution in the Yazoo River Basin

Channel incision is a widespread problem, especially in river basins that have an extensive history of channel alterations. Because channel incision causes large ecological and economic consequences, the prevention of continued migration of headcuts, defined as a steep change in stream gradient over a short reach, has been the focus of many stream engineering projects. Low-drop grade control structures (GCS) are a type of structure installed to halt the upstream movement of a headcut and were widely installed in the rivers and streams of the Yazoo River Basin in northern Mississippi. The goal of this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of these structures 30+ years post installation. To assess GCS effects on channel morphology, stream cross-section surveys were used to calculate Bank Height Ratio, Width-to-Depth Ratio, and Entrenchment Ratio, while point estimates made along each transect were used to calculate the average sediment size distribution for each of 30 sites. Analyses revealed that the GCS were successful in checking channel incision moving headward in the streams: sites upstream of the GCS were less incised and had greater accumulations of fine substrates compared to sites downstream and sites on streams lacking erosion control structures. Given the widespread use of GCS, these results can inform efforts aimed at managing channel incision.