Kickapoo Creek Monitoring Site

Looking northeast, upstream, yellow total station on aluminum tripod is near station 200 (feet), this photo was taken near station 111. Bankpins are off to the right of this photo. Near the left edge of water, in the sand, are wild turkey tracks. The headcut has advanced through this section of the reach prior to the June 26th survey, and has widened the channel from 16 to 32 feet.

INTRODUCTION

A reach of Kickapoo Creek, below Floodwater Retarding Structure #22, is being monitored to track the advancement of a headcut that is working it's way upstream. Headcuts are usually abrupt, nearly vertical, changes of channel bed elevation, that tend to migrate upstream and cause bank failures/channel widening as they advance. There are four major tributaries in the Sugar Creek Watershed, that have headcuts that will eventually threaten the integrity of Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) floodwater retarding structures. These major tributaries are Keechi Creek, Hunt Creek, Wildcat Creek, and Kickapoo Creek. The rate of headcut advancement and of the soil lost learned on Kickapoo's monitoring site, can and will be used to evaluate the rates on the other tributaries.

PLANFORM SURVEY - MEASURING SINUOSITY

On September 24-25, 1997, the team used a total station to collect information on the profile and planform (a bird's eye view). With the aid of a total station, we are able to show changes (if any) of the creek's sinuosity. Shown below is Kickapoo's planform, along with stationing and bank pin locations:

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PROFILE SURVEY - MEASURING SLOPE

The graphic shown below, shows changes to Kickapoo's channel bed elevation, from June to September, 1997.

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Looking south - southwest, downstream from station 200. The headcut has already advanced through this section of the reach. Bank failure can be seen to occur by mass wasting - large chunks of bank material that fail and fall into the creek.

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SURVEY RESULTS

The team surveyed Kickapoo's profile on February 26, June 26, and September 24-25, 1997, to measure changes in the headcut location and streambed elevations. The headcut has advanced a total of 148 feet in seven months at a nearly constant rate of 21 feet per month. Bank erosion has averaged 2 cubic yards per foot of headcut advance. The graphic below shows typical changes to a channel cross section, before and after the headcut advances upstream.

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