Appendix D: Valley Wall Documentation Lewis Creek Watershed

February 2010 River Corridor Conservation & Management Plan

APPENDIX D

Valley Wall Documentation

Appendix D: Valley Wall Documentation Lewis Creek Watershed
February 2010 River Corridor Conservation & Management Plan

Many of the Phase 2 assessments for Lewis Creek main stem and tributary reaches were undertaken in 2001
through 2005, prior to the requirement for delineating valley walls that was regularly incorporated in grant
agreements beginning in 2006. Approved work plans / budgets for assessment updates did not include
valley wall delineation for all reaches of Lewis Creek. Table D-1 provides a summary of valley wall shape
files that have been generated to date.

Table D-1. Compilation of Valley Wall Data for Lewis Creek Watershed

Date Publisher Publisher

Reaches Generated Person Entity File Name Notes
M03-M14 9/22/2008 Shannon VTDEC River Verified_vw.zip (3)
Bonney Management
Program
M15 6/11/2008 Kari Dolan, VTDEC River vw_m15.shp (1)
Shannon Management vw_mod_m15.shp (2) (3)
Bonney, Program,
Kristen SMRC
Underwood,
M16 – M22 7/11/2008 Shannon VTDEC River VW_left.shp (3)
Bonney Management VW_right.shp
Program
M23 12/2009 Kristen SMRC Vw_ph1_m23.shp (1)
Underwood Vw_ph2_m23.shp (2)
M10-E, -F 8/26/2009 Kristen SMRC m10e_leftvw.shp (1) (3)
Underwood
High Knob 2008 Milone & highknobvalleywallsPhase2.shp (4)
reaches, MacBroom
T6.01 –
T6.06,
T6.S31.01

(1) a shape file of the Phase 1 reference valley wall, for purposes of estimating the valley
width and valley confinement, and defining the reference (Phase 1) stream type after Rosgen
(1996) and Montgomery & Buffington (1997).

(2) a shape file of the Phase 2 (human-modified) valley wall (for purposes of documenting a
human-caused change in valley width under Phase 2 Step 1.5) to define locations where
human infrastructure has encroached within the natural valley width to theoretically constrain
hydraulics of the channel and floodplain and/or change the confinement of the channel. This
encroachment delineation is offered without a classification of “major” or “minor” and without
regard for whether or not the feature will ultimately be identified by VTANR or the local
community(ies) as an “Encroachment” worthy of FEH-area modification as prescribed on
page 13 of the November 12, 2008 Technical Appendix to the Vermont River Corridor
Protection Guide published by the VT Agency of Natural Resources.

(3) this shape file was apparently utilized by VTANR as a “FEH valley wall” for purposes of
delineating a 13 January 2010 draft of Fluvial Erosion Hazard corridors for the Lewis Creek
main stem reaches.

(4) contact Milone & MacBroom, Inc., South Burlington, VT for methods/ assumptions/
limitations of valley wall delineation for the High Knob tributary reaches.
Appendix D: Valley Wall Documentation Lewis Creek Watershed
February 2010 River Corridor Conservation & Management Plan

Valley wall delineations relied on remote sensing resources (USGS topographic maps, published soils data,
published surficial geologic data) and limited visual observations. No detailed assessments (such as
subsurface geologic investigations, geotechnical evaluations, licensed land surveys, hydrologic or hydraulic
assessments) were conducted to: (1) estimate the degree that valley side slopes / terrace faces or human
encroachments will laterally constrain the channel or (2) estimate the degree that human encroachments will
change hydraulics of channel and floodplain flow during a flood event (of unspecified magnitude and
duration).

While SMRC was not contracted to evaluate fluvial erosion hazard boundaries in the Lewis Creek watershed,
SMRC is aware that these Phase 1 and Phase 2 valley walls have been utilized by others in the process of
defining what are termed Fluvial Erosion Hazard (FEH) corridors or zones, following procedures prescribed
by VT Agency of Natural Resources. The Phase 1 and Phase 2 valley wall shapefiles prepared by SMRC do
not necessarily represent lateral extents of fluvial erosion hazard along these Lewis Creek reaches.

Sediments comprising these valley side slopes or terrace faces identified as Phase 1 and/or Phase 2 valley
walls may be comprised of unconsolidated and erodible sediments, and would possibly be subject to fluvial
erosion hazards and/or landslide hazards where scour velocities exceed the threshold for erosion and/or
where bank heights or slopes exceed stable conditions.

While encroachments may be significant enough to theoretically constrain channel or floodplain hydraulics -
this human infrastructure (e.g., roads, railroads, engineered levees) as well as the lands beyond them may
still be susceptible to erosion hazard losses.