Bank retreat of a meandering river reach case study: River Irwell

Lack of data is often considered a limitation when undertaking morphological studies. This research deals with the morphological study of a small river experiencing bank erosion for which only limited data are available. A reach of the meandering gravel-bed river Irwell (United Kingdom) is taken as a case study in order to analyze the bank retreat process that is endangering the stability of structures located in the area. Two models of different complexity have been applied: A one-line meander migration model MIANDRAS and a 2D model built up using the Delft 3D software. The simple meander model produces satisfactory results in much less time using less data. The results show that the morphological development of the river may endanger the existing structures within the next five years, if no mitigation works are carried out.Hydraulic EngineeringCivil Engineering and Geoscience