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Slope instability has been an on-going problem along the South Saskatchewan River within the city of Saskatoon, and has adversely affected private property, bridge foundations, and municipal roads and services. Wooded declivities were present prior to urban de velopment, but changes in drainage patterns associated with construction of an urban park about 30 years ago have resulted in pronounced gullying. Morphometric measurements of two gullies conducted from 1994 to 2000 showed that their headwalls have retreated approximately 7 and 19 m, respectively, with accompanying widening and deepening of the features. The process of retreat is driven largely by the seasonal precipitation regime; it mainly occurs after heavy summer rainstorms, although freeze–thaw activity during snowmelt and subsurface flow are also implicated. Retreat is further controlled by the inherent strength of the root mat that binds the surface soils until the undercut trees finally collapse. Surface runoff through the gullies recently has been redirected through a storm sewer that is designed to mitigate the erosion problem. |
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