Resilient Water Infrastructure: Sediment, Geotechnical, and Hydraulic Interactions

Resilient water infrastructure depends on understanding how sediment, ground, and water interact over the life of a structure. Sediment transport, erosion, and scour shape rivers, catchments, and engineered water systems, with direct consequences for channel stability, groundwater–surface water exchange, and the integrity of hydraulic structures. These processes sit at the intersection of geotechnical engineering, hydrology, and fluid mechanics: sediment movement alters ground and foundation stability, drives exchange between surface water and groundwater through the hyporheic zone, and governs the performance of water conveyance and hydraulic infrastructure. Sediment dynamics are often studied in isolation from the geotechnical and groundwater processes they interact with, limiting integrated understanding of how these systems respond and evolve together — and, in turn, limiting how well that understanding translates into resilient design and management practice.Advances in computational fluid dynamics, numerical modelling, and materials characterisation now allow these interactions to be studied with far greater precision than before. This Research Topic brings together research on sediment transport and its geotechnical, hydraulic, and groundwater interactions in river and engineered water systems, and asks what this integrated understanding means in practice for the resilience and sustainable management of the infrastructure these processes shape.We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:1. Sediment Transport, Erosion, and Scour in River and Engineered Water Systems- Sediment transport mechanisms, erosion, and scour processes in rivers, channels, and engineered water systems- Scour initiation, development, and protection at hydraulic structures- Reservoir and channel sedimentation, sediment budgets, and management strategies- Experimental and field studies of sediment transport and bed-level change2. Geotechnical Processes and Ground-Water Interactions- Geotechnical stability of riverbanks, foundations, and structures under sediment and flow-induced stress- Water-induced geotechnical phenomena affecting channel and structure stability- Erosion-driven ground deformation and failure mechanisms3. Groundwater–Surface Water Exchange and Its Effects on Hydraulic Structure Stability- Groundwater–surface water exchange processes and their influence on foundation, embankment, and structure stability- Hyporheic zone sediment dynamics and their role in structural and channel bed integrity- Sediment controls on surface water–groundwater connectivity around water infrastructure and conveyance systems4. Computational and Numerical Modelling of Sediment and Flow Processes- Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) applications to sediment transport and scour prediction- Numerical and data-driven modelling of coupled sediment-flow-geotechnical processes- Model validation against experimental and field data5. Materials and Sediment Characterisation- Physical and mechanical characterisation of sediment and geotechnical materials- Materials performance under sediment- and flow-induced conditions- Novel materials and techniques for sediment and erosion management6. Towards Resilient and Sustainably Managed Water Infrastructure- Translating sediment, geotechnical, and hydraulic-groundwater insights into resilient design and adaptive maintenance strategies- Decision-support and risk-informed approaches for sustainable long-term infrastructure management- Case studies applying integrated sediment-geotechnical-hydraulic understanding to real infrastructure performance and resilience outcomes Topic editors: Thiyam Tamphasana Devi, Gopal Krishan, Mahesh Patel Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80968/resilient-water-infrastructure-sediment-geotechnical-and-hydraulic-interactions