Bankfull discharge in mountain streams: theory and practice

Abstract

Abstract The results are presented of an investigation of bankfull discharge in two Polish Carpathian streams: Skawica and Krzyworzeka. Existing definitions of river bankfull were reviewed and applied in tests carried out on selected cross‐sections of the streams. The Woodyer method was given special attention, with a correspondingly detailed survey of plants characterizing river benches. Riley's bench index method and the methods of Williams, Wolman, Schumm and Brown, and Woloszyn were tested. The report concludes that bankfull discharge value for a mountain stream should not be reported as a single number, but rather as a range of discharges within which one could expect the bankfull value to lie. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.