Optimizing the design of two-stage ditches to improve nutrient and sediment retention

Abstract: Negative effects on water quality are created by eutrophication of the world’s water resources. Mitigation measures have been implemented, but poor improvements in water quality have been observed. Two-stage ditches have the possibility to increase nutrient and sediment retention to reduce eutrophication in receiving water bodies. A two-stage ditch has floodplain terraces on each side of the ordinary main channel. The terraces are available for flooding during high water flows and enables decreases in flow velocities. However, more knowledge is needed about the two-stage ditch and its effect in Swedish landscapes. The aim of the project was to study the two-stage ditch design with focus on water retention. Optimization of the two-stage ditch design was made by modeling and simulating design parameters and vegetation in the software Hydrologic Engineering Center’s River Analysis System (HEC-RAS). An existing two-stage ditch in Sweden was used as base and comparison to the theoretical model. In addition, a climate change scenario was studied to evaluate the impact of increased storm events in a two-stage ditch. Results showed that increased retention time of water, nutrients, and sediments theoretically can be given by designing two-stage ditches with maximum terrace width and minimum terrace height, and with terraces angled away from the main channel. Vegetation should also be kept on both terraces and in the main channel of the two-stage ditch to increase retention time. The study also showed that the two-stage ditch design has the possibility to decrease peak water levels during storm events, which can be expected to increase in the future. The impact on transport of nutrients and sediments from more future extreme hydrological events needs further studies.