"Engineering Wetlands and Rivers for Climate Resiliency" - An Interview with Rachel Kamman of Kamman Hydrology and Engineering

"Engineering Wetlands and Rivers for Climate Resiliency" - An Interview with Rachel Kamman of Kamman Hydrology and Engineering

By En-Ya Zhang (MSS Intern, Terra Linda High School)

Rachel Kamman is a hydrologist whose specializes in hydraulic and hydrodynamic analysis. Her consulting practice, Kamman Hydrology and Engineering, is based in San Rafael, and focuses on the protection and restoration of wetlands and estuaries. Her talk, "Engineering Wetlands and Rivers for Climate Resiliency," was February 5, 2020, in Room 207, at Terra Linda High School. (320 Nova Albion Way)


1. What inspired you to start looking into rivers and wetlands and how they can be engineered to become more climate resilient?

The focus of my work is on river and wetland restoration, which requires planning and design for the future. Climate change became a part of our vision for the future.
Initially the goal was to provide protections for natural resources. Now we recognize that both our communities and our natural resources will need to adapt to survive in the changing world.     

2. What kind of projects does Kamman Hydrology and Engineering take on? Do you mainly focus on wetlands and rivers surrounding the Bay Area?

I no longer work through Kamman Hydrology & Engineering, I am now an independent consultant. 
My work continues to focus on large scale ecological restoration projects.
I work throughout the state, though most of my work is on coastal river, estuary and beach systems.   

3. What do you believe is the most difficult aspect of engineering bodies of water so that they will be able to adapt more easily to climate change?

The most difficult aspect of engineering for climate change is securing the space in the landscape needed for adaption.  
Humans and our communities have gotten accustomed to living where we choose on the lands, and engineering the conditions to support their needs.  We have drained, leveed and filled lands to accommodate housing.    
Landscapes, and their ecological communities, adapt to climate changes by moving spatially (up and down hill, and expanding and contracting laterally). 
For natural systems to adapt to climate change, communities must provide that space. This giving up of developed lands is the most difficult aspect of engineering for climate change.  The difficulty lies more in community planning than in engineering design.    

4. Does engineering these ecosystems have any negative effects on the species inhabiting them? If so, what measures can be taken in order to prevent these drawbacks?

Any human disturbance to lands can have adverse impacts on resident species.  To protect resident wildlife, and optimize design to provide a high level of ecological services, I always have biologists and ecologists working with me as an integrated part of the design team.   

In addition, we time our work to minimize impacts to breeding and use, we carefully clear wildlife from the area prior to work, monitor for wildlife during work and often restore and protect sites nearby in advance of our work to mitigate for the disturbance and loss of habitat during construction.  These mitigation measures are required by state and federal water, fish and wildlife protection laws.  Regulators, representatives from these agencies, advise on and review designs in an effort to maintain these protections.   

5. In general, what do you think is the most effective approach to engineering rivers and wetlands so that they have higher resistance to climate change?

I believe the most effective approach is to step back from the edges of these systems, and restore their capacity for natural adaption to climate change.  This means removing community infrastructure, and restoring floodplains along river banks, and low lying coastal shorelines to provide the space needed for landscape climate adaption.  This increases the resilience of both communities and natural systems to climate change.  Land is needed for climate adaption.  
This has a dual benefit which is also necessary for successful climate adaption.  Wetlands have a capacity for carbon storage comparable to rain forests.    

6. What do you think is currently the biggest threat to local reservoirs?

The biggest threats to local reservoirs in Marin County are groundwater withdrawals and fire.  
Environmental protection regulations require maintenance of minimum flows to sustain fish populations is our creeks.  The more private well owners withdraw water, the more water must be released from reservoirs to sustain minimum flows.  This reduces the volume of water available for public distribution.   Fire in watersheds supporting reservoirs is a threat because following a burn fine sediments are easily mobilized into the system which adversely impact water quality.   

Engineering Rivers and Wetlands for Climate Resiliency

by Shoshana Harlem, Terra Linda High School

Rivers are important because they supply
communities with water, food, and transportation.

     Rivers and wetlands are important. Rivers supply communities with water, food, and transportation.  They carry water from the land to the ocean. In the ocean, the seawater evaporates and that water vapor forms clouds. Then, the clouds carry the moisture and release it as precipitation. This is a process called the water cycle, and this water cycle helps make sure that Earth has a supply of freshwater. This freshwater is essential for all living things. Wetlands are also essential. Wetlands are areas where water covers soil. Wetlands help improve and protect water quality, provide habitats for fish and wildlife, store water to lessen floods, and make sure that the water flows during dry periods of time.

Wetlands are important because they improve and
protect water quality, provide habitats for fish and
wildlife, store water to lessen floods, and make sure that
water flows during dry periods of time.

     Climate change impacts wetlands and rivers. For instance, climate change causes a loss of carbon in the soil. It takes thousands of years for the carbon to develop in the soil and it can take 250 years for one inch of a peat of soil to develop. Wetlands that do not experience the effects of climate change store nearly two times as much soil as wetlands that experience climate change. Also, when climate change happens, the temperatures of the water become warmer and it changes the amount of precipitation which can also lead to soil loss. When the water warms, it contributes to sea level rise. When the sea level rises, it causes the coastal wetland plants to die. Climate change can also cause rivers and wetlands to flood or even dry out.

    When restoring rivers and wetlands, scientists have certain goals. One goal is to address ongoing causes of degradation. If scientists do not address the ongoing causes of degradation, restoration efforts are likely to fail. People need to know what a problem is in order to properly fix it. Another goal is to restore native species and avoid non-native species. Many nonnative species harm and kill native species in an ecosystem. A third goal to restoring rivers and wetlands is to preserve and protect aquatic resources. This is important because aquatic resources help preserve biodiversity.

Geomorphologists are scientists who study the origin of and
work to protect landforms and landscapes, such as mountains,
valleys, rivers, and wetlands.

     There are many approaches to protecting and restoring wetlands. One approaching is geomorphology. Geomorphologists are scientists who study the origins of and work to protect landforms and landscapes, such as mountains, valleys, rivers, and wetlands. Geomorphologists collect samples of organic materials (such as sediments) to see if these materials had any effect of how the land was shaped. They also look at computer models to determine any change in the landscape. Because of the introduction of the geographic information system, which is a system that helps analyze, manage, and present geographical data, this has helped improve the process of geomorphology.

   
      Another approach to protecting and restoring wetlands is hydraulic

Hydrologists measure the water quality in places
such as estuaries, streams, and rivers.

engineering. Hydrologists are people who study how water moves across and through the Earth's crust. Hydrologists work with public health officials to make sure that health standards are met. When there is climate resiliency, environmental engineers and hydrologists work together to come up with a solution. Hydrologists also measure the water quality in places such as estuaries, streams, and rivers. They also measure the health of fish, plants, and wildlife. Hydrologists use hydrologic and water quality mathematical models to plan and predict what will happen to the water quality, during situations such as climate change. They also analyze pH levels, turbidity, and oxygen levels in bodies of water.           

     To learn more about engineering rivers and wetlands for climate resiliency, come to the Marin Science Seminar at Terra Linda High School in room 207 from 7:30PM-8:30PM on Wednesday, February 5, 2020. Rachel Kamman of Kamman Hydrology and Engineering will be speaking. Join us and learn!

Sources:
https://www.environment.gov.au/water/wetlands/publications/wetlands-climate-change
https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/principles-wetland-restoration
https://www.epa.gov/wetlands
https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/climate-impacts/climate-impacts-coastal-areas_.html
https://www.epa.gov/arc-x/climate-adaptation-and-wetland-protection
https://ecology.wa.gov/Water-Shorelines/Wetlands/Tools-resources/Wetlands-climate-change
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/river/
https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/principles-wetland-restoration
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/what-hydrology?qt-science_center_objects=0#Hydrologists
https://www.southampton.ac.uk/geography/undergraduate/careers/geomorphologist.page