Assessment of river hydromorphological quality for restoration purposes: an example of the application of RHQ method to a Polish Carpathian river

Planning and implementation of effective restoration projects require appropriate assessment of a river’s hydromorphological status. Two European standards on hydromorphological assessment of rivers and hydromorphological assessment methods used in Poland are reviewed in the context of their applicability for river restoration purposes. River Hydromorphological Quality assessment method is presented with a case study of the Biała River, Polish Carpathians, where this assessment was used as basis for a restoration project aimed to establish an erodible river corridor. The results of the assessment revealed significant differences in hydromorphological quality between unmanaged and channelized river cross-sections, indicating channel regulation as a major cause of the hydromorphological degradation of the Biała and confirming the choice of the erodible river corridor as an appropriate method of its restoration. The assessment indicated hydromorphological features of the river that were severely modified within the channelized reaches and which are likely to improve the most with the removal of bank protection and allowing free channel migration.