Abstract

Underwater mines in riverbed are the most evident and intense technical riverbed disturbance. The volume of irretrievably moved away alluvial material exceeds usually bed sediment load. Bed sediment extraction effects in alternate bed deformations development. Oka River channel was the source of constructing materials for decades which caused dramatic changes in bed morphology and level regime. The issue of initial river bed forms recovery on this operation completed is of great interest because it determines future river utilization and economic expenditures. The rate of bed depressions filling in is as low as 60 to 100 thousand m³/year. Former mines fills in on account of bed erosion. Both erosion and cross-section area increase are accounted for level drop.

Keywords: Oka River, riverbed human-made disturbance, sediment transport, water level changes, bed relief recovery