Sediment transport, hydraulic retention devices, and aquatic habitat Bhowmik, N. G., and J. R. Adams. 1990. Sediment transport, hydraulic retention devices, and aquatic habitat in sand-bed channels. Pages 1110-1115 in Howard H. Chang and Joseph C. Hill, editors. Volume 2, Proceedings, 1990 National Conference of the Hydraulics Division of the American Society of Civil Engineers, San Diego, California, July 30-August 3, 1990. Reprinted by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Management Technical Center, Onalaska, Wisconsin, April 1993. EMTC 93-R024. 6 pp. (NTIS #PB94-108792) ABSTRACT Streams and rivers of all sizes and in all parts of the United States flow on sand-bed channels. Scour, transport, and deposition of sediment particles are natural processes in these streams and rivers. Any change in the amount or size distribution of the material available for transport can affect the composition of the river bed, while scour or deposition can change the bathymetry of the river. Hydraulic engineers have tended to view changes in the natural processes of sediment supply and transport as inevitable results of building bridge, dam, or channel training projects. Aquatic ecologists have tended to view any change in sediment transport conditions as a threat to the quality of the riverine ecosystem. Due to various transport processes and morphological characteristics, sand-bed channels create retention and detention devices that could be quite beneficial to the aquatic habitats of a riverine environment. Examples and case studies of a variety of habitats in sand-bed streams are depicted. In small streams, longitudinal features such as pools and riffles define the major habitat types. In larger rivers, lateral features such as side channels, shallow-point bars, and bed forms such as dunes and sand waves provide a variety of habitat types. KEYWORDS Sediment transport, sand-bed channels, hydraulic retention devices, Mississippi River, Illinois River, aquatic habitat