Characterisation of alterations to the natural geomorphology of a watercourse: application of the Morphological Quality Index (MQI) to development projects for the Grand Büech at la Faurie

Abstract

With the GEMAPI competence (Management of aquatic environments and flood prevention), when looking for the best option in a project, practitioners need tools to evaluate each solution from the environmental aspect in addition to the yet mainstreamed cost-benefit and multi-criteria analyzes used for flood prevention. A recent work conducted on the Buëch River has successfully tested a method for estimating the geomorphological state of a watercourse section in its initial state and after the realization of works. The geomorphological interest of a project is thus highlighted by a simple and standard method based on solid scientific background that is additionally accessible to any classic basin agency.