Observation and Simulation of Floodwater Intrusion and Sedimentation in the Shichikashuku Reservoir

Wash load sedimentation during flood events is studied through comprehensive field measurements at the Shichikashuku Reservoir, Japan and numerical simulation. Field data during a flooding event caused by a typhoon in 1996 are used to set the boundary conditions for the model and to verify the simulation. In the field experiments, continuous monitoring of inflow turbidity is shown to be an effective and reliable means of estimating sediment influx. In the simulations, the proposed model is shown to provide an accurate reproduction of floodwater currents and sedimentation in the reservoir. The model achieves good accuracy and resolution by adopting an orthogonal curvilinear grid to discretize the reservoir and by solving the flow field using a three-dimensional standard k–ε turbulence model. The simulation reproduces the observed velocity, turbidity, and distribution of sedimentation well, demonstrating the potential utility of such models in the management of reservoir water quality and sedimentation.     

Control of Turbidity Currents in Reservoirs by Solid and Permeable Obstacles

Turbidity currents are often the main process for the transport and deposition of the sediments in narrow, alpine reservoirs. These underwater avalanches with high concentration of suspended sediments follow the thalweg of the lake to the deepest area near the dam, where the sediments can affect the operation of the bottom outlet and the intake structures. To control the sedimentation within the reservoir, the effects of solid and permeable obstacles on the turbidity current were investigated with physical experiments and numerical simulations. In the physical experiments, the velocity distributions as well as the spatial and temporal evolution of the deposits were measured. The investigated measures were also simulated by means of a two-dimensional numerical model, based on the flow solver CFX-4.4. The investigations showed that turbidity currents can be influenced effectively by properly designed constructive measures. Based on the results of the physical experiments and numerical simulations, some design recommendations for solid and permeable obstacles are proposed.     

Case Study of Fluvial Modeling of River Responses to Dam Removal

A plan was made to remove Matilija Dam on the Ventura River. With dam removal, the delta in the reservoir and the downstream channel were expected to undergo major changes in morphology. The FLUVIAL-12 model was employed to simulate reservoir and river channel responses after dam removal. As a first step, the model was calibrated using the Ventura River data to establish its validity. In calibration, the model was used to simulate the fluvial processes starting from the time of dam completion. The simulated sediment deposition above the Matilija Dam matches closely with the deposits measured by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. A large amount of sediment was stored in the reservoir; some of the stored sediment would be transported downstream after dam removal. An important consequence of dam removal is the major increase of sediment release to the river channel downstream. The sediment supply to the downstream reach is not only from the stored sediment in the reservoir but also from natural sediment inflow from the upstream watershed. Therefore, sediment supply to the downstream reach will exceed the natural sediment flow before the dam presence. This situation tends to overload the downstream reach with sediment, resulting in excessive deposition. The amount of sediment release from the area above the removed dam is closely related to the changes in reservoir morphology. It is necessary to model changes in the channel bed profile and channel width during erosion in order to determine the amount of sediment removal. The amount of sediment release may not be simulated using an erodible-bed model but it may be determined using an erodible boundary model.     

Experiments on Deposition Behavior of Fine Sediment in a Reservoir

The deposition behavior of fine sediment is an important phenomenon, and yet it is unclear to engineers concerned about reservoir sedimentation. Laboratory experiments were conducted to produce both quasi-homogeneous flow and a turbidity current region divided by a plunge section. Silica powder (a noncohesive sediment) and kaolin (a cohesive sediment) were used as the suspended material. Because the effective gravitational force is the primary driving force for velocity in turbidity currents, the velocity profile was closely related to the concentration profile. The deposition rate of noncohesive coarser particles exponentially decays along the flow path. Most of the coarser particles were deposited in the quasi-homogeneous flow region or within a small distance downstream of the plunge section. The plunge did not carry those coarser particles further downstream. Deposition in the region of the turbidity current was found mainly by cohesive particles. Hydraulic sorting exists in the quasi-homogeneous flow region for noncohesive coarser particles, but becomes less significant in the downstream portion with deposition rates becoming mildly decayed. For fine cohesive particles, hydraulic sorting for the deposited gradation is not significant.     

Role of Ponded Turbidity Currents in Reservoir Trap Efficiency

The capacity to store water in a reservoir declines as it traps sediment. A river entering a reservoir forms a prograding delta. Coarse sediment (e.g., sand) deposits in the fluvial topset and avalanching foreset of the delta, and is typically trapped with an efficiency near 100%. The trap efficiency of fine sediment (e.g., mud), on the other hand, may be below 100%, because some of this sediment may pass out of the reservoir without settling out. Here, a model of trap efficiency of mud is developed in terms of the mechanics of a turbidity current that plunges on the foreset. The dam causes a sustained turbidity current to reflect and form a muddy pond bounded upstream by a hydraulic jump. If the interface of this muddy pond rises above any vent or overflow point at the dam, the trap efficiency of mud drops below 100%. A model of the coevolution of topset, foreset, and bottomset in a reservoir that captures the dynamics of the internal muddy pond is presented. Numerical implementation, comparison against an experiment, and application to a field-scale case provide the basis for a physical understanding of the processes that determine reservoir trap efficiency.     

Case Study: Delayed Sedimentation Response to Inflow and Operations at Sanmenxia Dam

This paper presents a study on the reservoir sedimentation processes in response to changes in incoming flow at the upstream and changes in the pool level at the downstream for Sanmenxia Reservoir, which is located on the middle reach of the Yellow River in China and has experienced serious sedimentation problems even since its impoundment in 1960. The hysteresis effect in reservoir sedimentation was used as the basis for analysis and its behavior was fully investigated throughout this study. The research found that the rise in the elevation of Tongguan, which is located in the backwater region at a distance of 113.5?km upstream of the Sanmenxia Dam, had a time delay of about 2?years compared with the sediment deposition in the reservoir area downstream of Tongguan. Moreover the accumulated sediment deposition in the reservoir area was closely related not only to the current year’s flow and dam operational conditions, but also to the preceding 3–4?years’ flow and dam operational conditions. Likewise the variation of Tongguan’s elevation was a function of 6?years’ linearly superimposed runoff, and the channel bed slope in the vicinity of Tongguan was determined by a moving average pool level over a 7?year period. The research results are of practical importance in particular for optimizing the operation of Sanmenxia Dam, and the finding of the hysteresis phenomenon in the sedimentation process of the reservoir is of merit to the advancement of sedimentation science.     

Modeling Resuspension in a Dynamic Water Supply Reservoir

Enhancements to the two-dimensional lake and reservoir water quality model W2Tn to simulate the effects of currents and waves on sediment resuspension and turbidity are described. Bed stress attributable to currents was computed by the hydrothermal component of W2Tn, whereas a surface wave component was added to W2Tn to determine bed stress owing to waves. Resuspension flux is computed from bed stress and is included as a source of turbidity to the water column. The model is tested through application to Schoharie Reservoir, a drinking water supply that experiences episodes of elevated turbidity caused by runoff events and exacerbated by drawdown. Model predictions of bed stress attributed to currents are validated by using measurements obtained from acoustic Doppler instrumentation. The surface wave component of the model is established on a framework that has been previously validated for Schoharie Reservoir. Testing of the enhanced turbidity component of W2Tn was completed for a 3.5-year period of historical observations, which included a number of runoff events covering a range of severity and variations in reservoir drawdown. The enhanced model performed well in simulating observed conditions in the water column. The resuspension mechanism made a significant contribution to the predicted turbidity during periods of reservoir drawdown and during a severe runoff event. The model also performed well in simulating the observed turbidity of the drinking water withdrawal. Resuspension of particles contributing to turbidity was largely attributable to reservoir currents with surface wave-induced resuspension playing a smaller role. The potential application of this model to other water bodies and water quality issues is discussed.     

Circulation in Stratified Lakes due to Flood-Induced Turbidity Currents

The river inflow in a natural lake with important suspended sediment load during floods, can impact water quality by mobilizing dissolved matters like phosphorous from deep to surface waters. Generally due to thermal stratification in prealpine lakes, the water column is stable. It does not mix vertically unless acted on by outside forces, for example, currents or winds. Since Lake Lugano has a strong thermal stratification, river inflow exhibits different modes of density currents, from surface flows and thermocline intrusion to bottom currents. Turbidity currents are the direct cause of the downward water flow, and at the same time at the origin of upward directed flow. In this study, the impact of river born turbidity currents in Lake Lugano under varying ambient conditions was investigated using field measurements at the inflow river and inside the lake, together with a full three-dimensional numerical model of the entire lake. The paper characterizes the induced circulation of the turbidity plume and gives some indications on the relevance of turbidity currents on the lake.     

Numerical Model of Turbidity Currents with a Deforming Bottom Boundary

A numerical model of turbidity currents with a deforming bottom boundary has been developed. The model predicts the vertical structure of the flow velocity and concentration as well as change in the bed level due to erosion and deposition of suspended sediment. The Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations for dilute suspension have been solved using a finite volume method. The bottom boundary and the grid system are allowed to adjust in response to sediment deposition and entrainment during the computation. The model has been applied to simulate the evolution of a conservative saline density current and turbidity currents along an 11.6?m long flume that includes a slope followed by a horizontal bed. The model successfully simulates the evolution of the currents. Model results have been compared with the experimental data. Good similarity profiles of velocity and excess density or suspended sediment concentration are obtained at both the upstream supercritical and the downstream subcritical flow regions. A turbulent Schmidt number larger than one has been found to be appropriate for providing a good match with the experimental data. Changes in bed level predicted by the model have also been found to be in agreement with the experiment data.     

Numerical Study of Turbidity Currents with Sudden-Release and Sustained-Inflow Mechanisms

A well-tested numerical model based on the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes equations with k-ε turbulence closure is further validated against three groups of experimental data on lock-exchange gravity flows. The model is then applied to study larger-scale turbidity currents with sudden-release and/or sustained inflow mechanisms. At the field-scale, sudden-release turbidity currents are found to be essentially unsteady with depth-averaged flow variables varying with time and distance from the upstream boundary. Turbidity currents with sustained inflows reach a quasi-equilibrium state in the body of the current. The simulation of a turbidity current initiated by sudden-release and then fed by sustained inflow reveals that, initially, two bore heads appear in the current with the second bore head resulting from sustained inflow and eventually catches up with the first one. Model results show that, depending on onset mechanism and slope, if the erosion rate of sediment exceeds the deposition rate, turbidity currents at the field scale can experience self-acceleration, a process predicted earlier by theory but not demonstrated in laboratory experiments.     

Influence of Sediment Layers on Dynamic Behavior of Aged Concrete Dams

The assessment of response of an aged concrete dam is important for the prediction of its behavior during earthquakes, so that remedial measures can be taken at the right time to withstand future earthquakes. The assessment is necessary, since the analyses procedures may become obsolete and the state of the art may change as the time of construction and the structural material may deteriorate due to harsh environmental conditions. At the same time, the sediment will be accumulated at the reservoir bottom on the upstream side of the dam. The process of siltation depends on the reservoir topography and climatic variability, i.e., increased flood frequency and river inflow. The decision of retrofitting or strengthening the aged dam necessitates accurate analysis of the same in the presence of accumulated sediment. In this paper, an approach to include the time-dependent degradation of concrete owing to environmental factors and mechanical loading in terms of isotropic degradation index is presented. The absorption of pressure waves at the bottom of the reservoir due to the presence of sediments has been incorporated in the hydrodynamic pressure equation. The response of an aged concrete dam in the presence of sediment layers under seismic excitation is studied. The outcomes show the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.     

Measurements of Sediment Erosion and Transport with the Adjustable Shear Stress Erosion and Transport Flume

Soil and sediments play an important role in water management and water quality. Issues such as water turbidity, associated contaminants, reservoir sedimentation, undesirable erosion and scour, and aquatic habitat are all linked to sediment properties and behaviors. In situ analysis is necessary to develop an understanding of the erosion and transport of sediments. Sandia National Laboratories has recently patented the Adjustable Shear Stress Erosion and Transport (ASSET) Flume that quantifies in situ erosion of a sediment core with depth while affording simultaneous examination of transport modes (bedload versus suspended load) of the eroded material. Core erosion rates and ratios of bedload to suspended load transport of quartz sediments were studied with the ASSET Flume. The erosion and transport of a fine-grained natural cohesive sediment were also observed. Experiments using quartz sands revealed that the ratio of suspended load to bedload sediment transport is a function of grain diameter and shear stress at the sediment surface. Data collected from the ASSET Flume were used to formulate a novel empirical relation for predicting the ratio of bedload to suspended load as a function of shear stress and grain diameter for noncohesive sediments.     

Discharge and Suspended Sediment Transport during Deconstruction of a Low-Head Dam

In March of 2003, the 43?m wide, 2.2?m high St. Johns Dam (Sandusky River, Ohio) was breached to lower the water level in the reservoir. In November of the same year, the dam was removed in an effort to restore aquatic habitat and connectivity in the river. During both the breach and the dam removal, high resolution time series of discharge and suspended sediment concentrations were monitored 200?m downstream of the dam. Discharge and suspended sediment during the breach were not discernible from background values. In contrast, the dam removal resulted in a peak suspended sediment concentration of 59?mg/L and a peak discharge of 33.5?m3/s, which returned to background levels of 19?mg/L and 1.5?m3/s, respectively, approximately 8?h after the removal. The floodwave during the removal attenuated by 50% at the City of Fremont, 53?km downstream, illustrating the diffusive nature of the channel and the limited risk of flooding downstream. Levels of suspended sediment and discharge during the removal were comparable to subsequent discharge events. Spatial distributions of turbidity in and upstream of the dam pool and archived turbidity data from the City of Tiffin, 13?km downstream of the dam, suggest that sediments stored in the impoundment did not statistically enhance turbidity up to 2 years after the removal. Generally, the removal had a minor impact on water quality and posed no risk to public safety or to downstream aquatic habitats.     

Characteristics of Velocity and Excess Density Profiles of Saline Underflows and Turbidity Currents Flowing over a Mobile Bed

Turbidity currents in the ocean and lakes are driven by suspended sediment. The vertical profiles of velocity and excess density are shaped by the interaction between the current and the bed as well as between the current and the ambient water above. We present results of a set of 74 experiments that focus on the characteristics of velocity and fractional excess density profiles of saline density and turbidity currents flowing over a mobile bed. The gravity flows include saline density flows, hybrid saline/turbidity currents and a pure turbidity current. The use of dissolved salt is a surrogate for suspended mud that is so fine that it does not settle out readily. Thus, all the currents can be considered to be model turbidity currents. The data cover both Froude-subcritical and Froude-supercritical regimes. Depending on flow conditions, the bed remains flat or bed forms develop over time, which in turn affect vertical profiles. For plane bed experiments, subcritical flow profiles have velocity peaks located higher up in the flow, and display a sharper interface at the top of the current, than their supercritical counterparts. The latter have excess density profiles that decline exponentially upward from the bed, whereas subcritical flows show profiles with a region near the bed where excess density varies little. Wherever bed forms are present, they have a significant effect on the profiles. Especially for Froude-supercritical flow, bed forms push the location of peak velocity upward, and render the near-bed fractional excess density more uniform. In the case of subcritical flow, bed forms do not significantly affect fractional excess density profiles; velocity profiles are pushed farther upward from the bed than in the case of a plane bed, but to a lesser extent than for supercritical bed forms. Overall, the relative position of the velocity peak above the bed shows a dependence upon flow regime, being lowered for increasing Froude number Fd. Gradient Richardson numbers Rig in the near-bed region increase with increasing Fd, but are lower than the critical value of 0.25, indicating that near-bed turbulent structures are not notably suppressed. At the top interface, values of Rig are above the critical value for subcritical and mildly supercritical Fd, effectively damping turbulence. However as Fd increases, Rig goes below the critical value. Shape factors calculated from the profiles for use in the depth-averaged equation of motion are evaluated for different flow and bed conditions. Normalized experimental profiles for supercritical currents scale up well with observations of field-scale turbidity currents in the Monterey Canyon, and the range of average bed slopes and Froude numbers also compare favorably with estimated field-scale flow conditions for the Amazon canyon and fan. This suggests that the experimental results can be used to interpret the kinds of flows that are responsible for the shaping of major submarine canyon-fan systems.     

尾矿库危险有害因素及安全管理对策和措施

通过对尾矿库潜在的危险有害因素进行分析,指出了尾矿库安全管理中应该重点防范的危险因素有:尾矿堆积坝边坡过陡,浸润线逸出,裂缝,渗漏,滑坡,坝外坡裸露拉沟,排洪构筑物排洪能力不足,排洪构筑物堵塞,排洪构筑物错动、断裂、垮塌,干滩长度不够,安全超高不足,抗震能力不足,库区渗漏、崩岸和泥石流,地震,淹溺,雷击等;有害因素有:废水超标排放,坝面扬尘,尾矿输送管道破裂泄漏等。同时,对尾矿库的安全管理提出了建议,提出了相应的安全管理和技术管理对策和措施。     

Influence of Stratification and Shoreline Erosion on Reservoir Sedimentation Patterns

Sedimentation in the main pool of a deep (maximum depth: 50?m), 227?km2 hydropower reservoir was modeled using a three-dimensional numerical model of hydrodynamics and sedimentation for different wind, inflow, and outflow conditions. Short-term velocity measurements made in the reservoir were used to validate some aspects of the hydrodynamic model. The effects of thermal stratification on sedimentation patterns were investigated, since the reservoir is periodically strongly stratified. Stratification alters velocity profiles and thus affects sedimentation in the reservoir. Sedimentation of reservoirs is often modeled considering only the deposition of sediments delivered by tributaries. However, the sediments eroding from the shorelines can contribute significantly to sedimentation if the shorelines of the reservoir erode at sufficiently high rates or if sediment delivery via tributary inflow is small. Thus, shoreline erosion rates for a reservoir were quantified based on measured fetch, parameterized beach profile shape, and measured wind vectors, and the eroded sediments treated as a source within the sedimentation modeling scheme. The methodology for the prediction of shoreline erosion was calibrated and validated using digital aerial photos of the reservoir taken in different years and indicated approximately 1?m/year of shoreline retreat for several locations. This study revealed likely zones of sediment deposition in a thermally stratified reservoir and presented a methodology for integration of shoreline erosion into sedimentation studies that can be used in any reservoir.     

Design for Stream Restoration

Stream restoration, or more properly rehabilitation, is the return of a degraded stream ecosystem to a close approximation of its remaining natural potential. Many types of practices (dam removal, levee breaching, modified flow control, vegetative methods for streambank erosion control, etc.) are useful, but this paper focuses on channel reconstruction. A tension exists between restoring natural fluvial processes and ensuring stability of the completed project. Sedimentation analyses are a key aspect of design since many projects fail due to erosion or sedimentation. Existing design approaches range from relatively simple ones based on stream classification and regional hydraulic geometry relations to more complex two- and three-dimensional numerical models. Herein an intermediate approach featuring application of hydraulic engineering tools for assessment of watershed geomorphology, channel-forming discharge analysis, and hydraulic analysis in the form of one-dimensional flow and sediment transport computations is described.     

A methodological approach for estimating turbidity in a river

During the operations of purging and disposal of sediments of a reservoir it is necessary to know the values of turbidity in the river downstream in natural condition, in the absence of dams or river training works. The paper shows that under these conditions the ratio of the average values of sediment discharge to the annual maximum value of water discharge is a function of the average annual turbidity. Turbidity can be considered as representative synthetic index of the climatic conditions, the lithological features and the land cover of the basin, and the geometric characteristics of the river network. The proposed relationship of sediment discharge as a function of water discharge were validated on the basis of data collected from different Italian regions that have very different morphological, geo-lithological and rainfall features and that are characterised by a basin area changing between a few dozen and thousands of square kilometres. The results can be considered satisfying.     

Modeling Landslide Dambreak Flood Magnitudes: Case Study

Landslide dams typically comprise unconsolidated and poorly sorted material and are vulnerable to rapid failure and breaching, resulting in significant and sudden flood risk downstream. Hence they constitute a serious natural hazard, and rapid assessment of the likely peak flow rate is required to enable preparation of adequate mitigation strategies. To determine the relative utility and accuracy of dambreak flood forecasts, field estimates of peak outflow rates from the failure of the Poerua landslide dam in October 1999 were compared with estimates from physical laboratory modeling, empirical methods, and computer modeling. There was reasonable agreement among the field estimates, laboratory modeling, and computer modeling. Some empirical estimates were less reliable. Reasonably reliable estimates of peak outflow can be obtained from computer model routines sufficiently rapidly to be of use in an emergency management situation. The laboratory modeling demonstrated the effect of dam batter slopes and valley bed slope on peak outflow; this information could be used to refine empirical or numerical estimates of peak outflow.     

Bridge Pier Scour under Flood Waves

The effect of a single-peaked flood wave on pier scour is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The conditions considered involve clear-water scour of a cohesionless material of given median sediment size and sediment nonuniformity, an approach flow characterized by a flow depth and velocity, a circular-shaped cylindrical bridge pier, and a flood hydrograph defined by its time to peak and peak discharge. A previously proposed formula for scour advance under a constant discharge was applied to the unsteady approach flow. The generalized temporal scour development along with the end scour depth are presented in terms of mainly the densimetric particle Froude number based on the maximum approach flow velocity and the median sediment size. The effect of the remaining parameters on the end scour depth is discussed and predictions are demonstrated to be essentially in agreement with model observations.