Sawmill Brook: An Example of Rapid Geomorphic Change Related to Urbanization

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Abstract
The watershed of Sawmill Brook is undergoing urbanization that has increased the frequency of bankfull discharge. The increased runoff is causing extensive bank erosion in the main channel that has increased the size of the bed material and the rate of bedload discharge. The increased frequency of moderate floods, the channel widening and the change in the sediment transport regime is causing a change from a meandering to a braided channel pattern. With continued urbanization of the basin the present disequilibrium of the channel will be enhanced resulting in an unstable channel pattern for Sawmill Brook.