Integration of Ecological Considerations in Stream Design
An overview of the need, methods, and implications of including ecological planning along with physical restoration design; this presentation will discuss ecological restoration – a design approach to encourage the reestablishment of biodiversity at many hierarchical levels of life. As an ever-evolving science, this presentation will review academic research results suggesting possible avenues of planning and design improvement that may be beneficial in encouraging biodiversity return post-construction. A discussion of how these considerations and other future impacts to the environment are or can be included as part of stream design projects will be discussed.
Author Bio
Whitney Thomas is a Stormwater Project Manager at Timmons Group in Virginia, with a B.S. in Biological Systems Engineering and minor in Green Infrastructure, and 15 years' experience working in stormwater throughout the Chesapeake Bay Region focusing on ecological restoration, green infrastructure, stormwater compliance, dam safety, floodplain analysis and mitigation, grant assistance, and MS4, TMDL, and NPDES permitting support. Emma Blythe is a Project Engineer at Timmons Group in Virginia currently working in stream and ecological restoration and flood modeling. In 2023 she graduated with a B.S. in Biological Engineering, focusing of environmental restoration and green infrastructure, from NC State University and a B.A. in Chemistry from Meredith College. She gained a year of stormwater experience in North Carolina before moving to Virginia to continue her career. She enjoys working with nature-based design solutions as an approach to stormwater management.
