| Abstract: | Erosion is a natural process that could be accelerated by anthropogenic activities. Sediment delivery due to anthropogenic erosion is one of the highest threats to the health of river systems. Disturbing the native soil by excavation, grading, sloping, trenching, and backfilling at the stream-crossing sites significantly increase the risk of overland and in-stream erosion. Release of sediment due to the construction of stream-crossings such as pipelines, culverts, and bridges may change sediment regime and geomorphology of the receiving streams causing short- and long-term effects on water quality and aquatic habitat. In the present paper, a novel GIS-based predictive tool is developed to quantify the potential release of sediment during bridge construction activities and provide flow and sediment information required for aquatic habitat assessment. Runoff, rainfall, and streamflow for this site are used to estimate over-land and in-stream erosion and sedimentation processes. The toolbox's architecture is flexible so that its functionality can be expanded to other construction activities, for example, culvert construction impacts. The sedimentation process and hydraulic criteria will be imported to the Habitat Suitability Model embedded inside the GIS-toolbox to investigate the river's suitability for native mussel species for different case studies. |