Wildhorse
Riverworks

Wildhorse Riverworks, Inc. (WRI) personnel surveyed, designed, and provided construction oversight for numerous stream rehabilitation projects on 33,235 feet of eroding streambanks along the Republican River in Clay, Cloud, and Jewell Counties in Kansas. The projects were initiated and sponsored by the Kansas State Conservation Commission (SCC) and the Natural Resources Conservation Commission (NRCS). The site pictured is one of 20 projects which collectively span over 6 miles of the river and established over 50.4 acres of riparian habitat.  The project purpose is to reduce the high streambank erosion rates, loss of valuable farmland, and achieve a reduction in sediment volumes entering Milford Federal Reservoir.

​

​

​

The first project was installed in 1998 and the last project in 2008.  WRI conducted surveys and provided designs and construction oversight on all sites. Based on information from detailed surveys and geomorphic assessment, WRI recommended installing combinations of Longitudinal Peaked Stone Toe Protection (LPSTP) and bendway weirs on the various sites in order to reduce streambank erosion. Bendway weirs reduce streambank erosion by re-directing flows away from the bank and thereby reducing water velocities and shear stress in the near bank region. WRI also used bendway weirs because of their ability to effectively reduce the stream’s width / depth ratio and move the thalweg (deepest part of channel) from the near bank region to the center of the channel. Bendway weirs work with the stream’s natural tendencies to move the stream toward a more naturally stable condition.

​

​

​

Normally, re-graded streambank slopes were seeded with native grass mixture and mulched. The sloped banks were also planted with a mixture of native tree and shrub species.

The project goals were reducing streambank erosion, while improving stream function and value by enhancing both aquatic and terrestrial habitats.

​

​