Sustainable Management of the Navigability of Natural Rivers

Thank you to everyone who joined us on 30 October 2024 for our webinar on Sustainable Management of the Navigability of Natural Rivers!

A natural river system exhibits two important characteristics: unregulated hydrology and unconstrained morphology. Natural rivers are typically more active and dynamic than systems that have used traditional methods for navigability improvements. These unrestricted and unconfined river systems, therefore, require new and innovative strategies to monitor the fluvial and geomorphic changes of the system to inform managers and navigators of the river.

PIANC Working Group 236 on the Sustainable Management of the Navigability of Natural Rivers provides best practices for improving navigation conditions on these systems while simultaneously maintaining morphological processes and river function. Their developed guidance includes a planning framework for developing a navigability improvement masterplan for a natural river system; integrated and adaptive management strategies that can be applied at a system scale; and continual monitoring, management, and operational tools for improving navigability in a morphologically active river system.

The world’s remaining large natural rivers are a unique and limited resource. The sustainable management of the navigability of these natural rivers is a crucial objective; one made more accessible with WG236’s latest findings.

Presenter: Calvin Creech, Ph.D. P.E.

Dr. Calvin Creech is a Water Resources Engineer with over 20 years of experience specializing in inland navigation and port development projects. He has worked on waterways and ports in the United States, Latin America, and West Africa for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and currently holds an appointment as a Fulbright Specialist with the U.S. Department of State. Dr. Creech also currently serves as the PIANC Vice President of the Americas.