CMZ Mapping

Channel Migration Zone (CMZ) mapping is based on the understanding that rivers are dynamic and move laterally across their floodplains through time. As such, over a given time period, rivers occupy a corridor area whose width is dependent on rates of channel shift. The processes associated with channel movement include lateral channel migration, channel avulsion and mass failure of the channel margins. The fundamental goal of CMZ mapping is to identify the corridor area that stream channel or series of stream channels can be expected to occupy over a given timeframe.

In 2010, DTM Consulting, Inc. completed Channel Migration Zone Mapping for the Ruby River.  The study analyzed data collected between 1955 and 2009.  The resultant maps identify the corridor area that stream channel or series of stream channels can be expected to occupy over a given timeframe.  This tool is useful for landowners, real estate agents, policy makers, city planners, or anyone who is concerned with the effects of potential shifts in the Ruby River’s channel.

Download a PDF file of the complete report with accompanying maps here.  The CMZ Maps break down the Ruby River into four reaches: