Flood Effects Provide Evidence of an Alternate Stable State from Dam Management on the Upper Missouri River

We examine how historic flooding in 2011 affected the geomorphic adjustments created by dam regulation along the approximately 120 km free flowing reach of the Upper Missouri River bounded upstream by the Garrison Dam (1953) and downstream by Lake Oahe Reservoir (1959) near the City of Bismarck, ND, USA. The largest flood since dam regulation occurred in 2011. Flood releases from the Garrison Dam began in May 2011 and lasted until October, peaking with a flow of more than 4200 m³ s^?1. Channel cross‐section data and aerial imagery before and after the flood were compared with historic rates of channel change to assess the relative impact of the flood on the river morphology. Results indicate that the 2011 flood maintained trends in island area with the loss of islands in the reach just below the dam and an increase in island area downstream. Channel capacity changes varied along the Garrison Segment as a result of the flood. The thalweg, which has been stable since the mid‐1970s, did not migrate. And channel morphology, as defined by a newly developed shoaling metric, which quantifies the degree of channel braiding, indicates significant longitudinal variability in response to the flood. These results show that the 2011 flood exacerbates some geomorphic trends caused by the dam while reversing others. We conclude that the presence of dams has created an alternate geomorphic and related ecological stable state, which does not revert towards pre‐dam conditions in response to the flood of record. This suggests that management of sediment transport dynamics as well as flow modification is necessary to restore the Garrison Segment of the Upper Missouri River towards pre‐dam conditions and help create or maintain habitat for endangered species. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

ADJUSTMENT OF PRAIRIE POTHOLE STREAMS TO LAND‐USE,DRAINAGE AND CLIMATE CHANGES AND CONSEQUENCES FOR TURBIDITY IMPAIRMENT

Changes in land use and drainage have contributed to channel adjustment in small‐order to medium‐order streams in the prairie pothole region of south‐west Minnesota. Although conversion from prairie to agriculture occurred a century ago, recent decades have seen increased subsurface tile drainage, annual row crop coverage and channel modifications, particularly at road crossings such that channel adjustment is ongoing. Channel evolution in Elm and Center Creeks, two fourth‐order streams in the Blue Earth River basin, was studied to understand relationships between changes in channel morphology and suspended sediment concentrations. The construction of drainage ditches and expanded subsurface tiling has connected isolated basins to stream channels, effectively increasing drainage areas of Elm and Center Creeks by 15–20%. Sinuosity has been reduced by grading and drainage of first‐order sloughs, channel straightening at road crossings and natural cut‐offs and agricultural ditching that have shortened Elm Creek by 15% between 1938 and 2003. Stream cross‐sectional area was enlarged in response to the land‐use and drainage changes. In the headwaters, public ditches are wider than historic channels and entrenched by berms. Unchannelized headwater and upper mainstem portions of Elm Creek are also highly entrenched (up to 1.07 meters below the pre‐channelization bed elevation with a bank height ratio > 1.5) but have not widened substantially. In contrast, the lower main channel has widened by an average of 68%. These channel adjustments contribute to the suspended sediment load and violations of Minnesota's turbidity and Index of Biotic Integrity standards. The watershed has a low sediment delivery ratio because it is a flat, poorly connected landscape and likely delivers less sediment to the Minnesota River than steeper rivers downstream, such as the Blue Earth River. Entrenchment and increased sediment transport capacity in the lower reaches of the river have lead to increased sediment delivery to the downstream Blue Earth and Minnesota rivers. Understanding geomorphic changes will be important for addressing water‐quality impairments in the region. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dam effects on bedload transport on the upper Santa Ana River,California, and implications for native fish habitat

Dams disrupt the flow of water and sediment and thus have the potential to affect the downstream geomorphic characteristics of a river. Though there are some well‐known and common geomorphic responses to dams, such as bed armouring, the response downstream from any particular dam is dependent on local conditions. Herein, we investigate the response of the upper Santa Ana River in southern California, USA, to the construction of a large dam at the transition from mountains to valley, using calculations of bedload transport capacity on the mainstem below the dam and for major tributaries. Approximate sediment budgets were constructed for downstream reaches to estimate deposition and erosion rates for sand, gravel, and cobble particle sizes. Our results indicate that the classical response of bed armouring and erosion is likely limited to a short reach immediately below the dam. Farther downstream, though transport capacity is reduced by flow regulation by the dam, the channel reaches are likely to remain depositional but with reduced deposition rates. Persistent deposition, as opposed to erosion, is the result of the replenishment of flow and sediment supply by large downstream tributaries. In addition, the calculations indicate that the composition of the bed is unlikely to change substantially in downstream reaches. A Monte Carlo approach was employed to estimate the uncertainty in the sediment budget predictions. The impacts of the dam on the geomorphic character of the river downstream could have implications for native fish that rely on coarse substrate that supports their food base.     

ASSESSMENT OF RIPARIAN VEGETATION SENSITIVITY TO RIVER HYDROLOGY DOWNSTREAM OF A MAJOR TEXAS DAM

Dams may impact the health of downstream riparian vegetation communities through flow modifications such as decreased flood frequency and duration. Without historical vegetation data, however, it is difficult to relate changes in vegetation composition to hydrology patterns downstream of dams. We studied bottomland hardwood forests downstream of Toledo Bend Dam on the Sabine River in Texas and Louisiana to determine their sensitivity to minor changes in river hydrology with a particular focus on floods. Current riparian vegetation was characterized within three topographic zones at three selected sites below the dam. Using 80 years of hydrologic records from two gauging stations downstream of the dam, we evaluated trends in flood frequency, flood duration, peak discharge and total flood discharge in those periods before (1926?1965) and after (1971?2005) dam construction, as well as related flood stage to floodplain elevations to link topography to flood frequency. Plant species diversity in this system is highly dependent on minor changes in elevation, and the proportion of wetland‐dependent species changes rapidly with only a few centimeters difference in elevation. Although 50% of trees, shrubs and herbs in the sloughs were wetland adapted, their numbers were only 21% in the levees (74–284 cm higher in elevation) and 14% in the mid‐floodplains. Since dam construction, total flood discharge and duration at the most upstream gauge on the Sabine River decreased by 49%. At both gauges, mean discharge was also altered with higher summer flows. Patterns of tree regeneration point to less recruitment by wetland‐dependent species in the years following dam construction. These results suggest that minor changes in flood magnitude might limit occurrence of wetland species to the lowest topographic zones and illustrate the need to analyse sensitivity of plants to minor changes in flood characteristics when historical data for the vegetation community are lacking. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sedimentology of New Fluvial Deposits on the Elwha River,Washington, USA,Formed During Large‐Scale Dam Removal

Removal of two dams 32 m and 64 m high on the Elwha River, Washington, USA, provided the first opportunity to examine river response to a dam removal and controlled sediment influx on such a large scale. Although many recent river‐restoration efforts have included dam removal, large dam removals have been rare enough that their physical and ecological effects remain poorly understood. New sedimentary deposits that formed during this multi‐stage dam removal result from a unique, artificially created imbalance between fluvial sediment supply and transport capacity. River flows during dam removal were essentially natural and included no large floods in the first two years, while draining of the two reservoirs greatly increased the sediment supply available for fluvial transport. The resulting sedimentary deposits exhibited substantial spatial heterogeneity in thickness, stratal‐formation patterns, grain size and organic content. Initial mud deposition in the first year of dam removal filled pore spaces in the pre‐dam‐removal cobble bed, potentially causing ecological disturbance but not aggrading the bed substantially at first. During the second winter of dam removal, thicker and in some cases coarser deposits replaced the early mud deposits. By 18 months into dam removal, channel‐margin and floodplain deposits were commonly >0.5 m thick and, contrary to pre‐dam‐removal predictions that silt and clay would bypass the river system, included average mud content around 20%. Large wood and lenses of smaller organic particles were common in the new deposits, presumably contributing additional carbon and nutrients to the ecosystem downstream of the dam sites. Understanding initial sedimentary response to the Elwha River dam removals will inform subsequent analyses of longer‐term sedimentary, geomorphic and ecosystem changes in this fluvial and coastal system, and will provide important lessons for other river‐restoration efforts where large dam removal is planned or proposed. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

EFFECTS OF FLOW RELEASES ON MACROINVERTEBRATE ASSEMBLAGES IN THE INDIAN AND HUDSON RIVERS IN THE ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN NEW YORK

The effects of flow releases (daily during spring and four times weekly during summer) from a small impoundment on macroinvertebrate assemblages in the lower Indian River and upper Hudson River of northern New York were assessed during the summers of 2005 and 2006. Community indices, feeding guilds, dominant species and Bray–Curtis similarities at three sites on the Indian River, below a regulated impoundment, were compared with those at four control sites on the Cedar River, below a run‐of‐the‐river impoundment of comparable size. The same indices at four less‐likely affected sites on the Hudson River, below the mouth of the Indian River, were compared with those at an upstream control site on the Hudson River. Results show that the function and apparent health of macroinvertebrate communities were generally unaffected by atypical flow regimes and/or altered water quality at study reaches downstream from both dams in the Indian, Cedar and Hudson Rivers. The lentic nature of releases from both impoundments, however, produced significant changes in the structure of assemblages at Indian and Cedar River sites immediately downstream from both dams, moderate effects at two Indian River sites 2.4 and 4.0 km downstream from its dam, little or no effect at three Cedar River sites 7.2–34.2 km downstream from its dam, and no effect at any Hudson River site. Bray–Curtis similarities indicate that assemblages did not differ significantly among sites within similar impact categories. The paucity of scrapers at all Indian River sites, and the predominance of filter‐feeding Simulium gouldingi and Pisidium compressum immediately below Abanakee dam, show that only minor differences in dominant species and trophic structure of macroinvertebrate communities occurred at affected sites in the Indian River compared to the Cedar River. Thus, flow releases had only a small, localized effect on macroinvertebrate communities in the Indian River. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of Keepit Dam on the temperature regime of the Namoi River,Australia

Modifications to water temperature caused by the release of hypolimnetic water from thermally stratified reservoirs pose a major threat to the aquatic biota of lowland rivers in Australia's Murray–Darling basin. Keepit Dam is earmarked as one of several deep‐release structures in the basin causing ecologically significant temperature modification over a large length of river. This study utilized discrete and continuously monitored historical water temperature data from stream gauging stations, together with reservoir thermal profile data, to assess the impacts of Keepit Dam on the thermal regime of the Namoi River. Modifications to selected components of the river's annual temperature cycle were quantified in relation to a pre‐dam temperature regime estimated from statistical models incorporating catchment, hydrological and sample attributes. Keepit Dam has modified the thermal regime of the Namoi River. The effect was greatest immediately downstream from the dam where the annual maximum daily temperature was approximately 5.0 °C lower and occurred three weeks later than the pre‐dam condition. This change was sufficient to disrupt thermal spawning cues for selected Australian native fish species. The magnitude of disturbance progressively diminished with distance from the dam. Key aspects of the river's annual temperature cycle were largely restored to the pre‐dam condition within 100 river km downstream from the dam, which is closer than previous estimates. However, there was marked inter‐annual variation in the magnitude of thermal modification and ecological impact as a result of year to year changes in tributary flow and reservoir behaviour. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

三峡水库蓄水以来水库淤积和坝下冲刷研究

为了分析三峡工程对库区及坝下长江中游河势的影响,基于实测资料,较为系统地研究了三峡水库蓄水运用以来水库泥沙淤积和坝下游河床冲刷特性。研究表明,1991年以来长江干流各站径流量变化不大,输沙量明显减小;三峡水库蓄水运用后的2003～2011年入库沙量继续大幅减少,仅为原设计值的40%,水库年均淤积泥沙1.40亿t,也仅为论证阶段的40%左右,且绝大部分淤积在常年回水区和死库容内;受上游来沙减小和三峡水库蓄水拦沙影响,坝下游输沙量大幅减小,悬移质泥沙颗粒也明显变粗,长江中游原有的冲淤相对平衡状态被打破,河床发生沿程冲刷,2002年10月至2010年10月,宜昌至湖口河段总冲刷量为9.79亿m3,河床冲淤形态转变为“滩、槽均冲”,主要冲刷发生在宜昌至城陵矶河段。     

Vegetation community response to hydrologic and geomorphic changes following dam removal

Dam removal can restore fish passage, natural flow regimes, sediment transport in streams, dispersal of organic matter, and drift of aquatic insects. However, dam removal also impacts the riparian vegetation, with both immediate and delayed responses. In this study, we measure vegetation change at the Merrimack Village Dam site on the Souhegan River in Merrimack, NH, USA. The August 2008 removal caused a ~3‐m drop in water level and rapid erosion of impounded sediment, with ~50% removed in the first 3 months. Terrace, floodplain, and wetland communities were surveyed in summer 2007, 2009, 2014, and 2015. Temporal change was quantified using Analysis of Similarity on the Bray–Curtis dissimilarity matrix. Only herbaceous vegetation closest to the river channel and in the off‐channel wetland changed significantly. The herbaceous plots directly adjacent to the impoundment eroded to bare sand in 2009, but by 2014, the original riparian fringe community had re‐established in the newly developed floodplain. Between 2007 and 2014, the off‐channel wetland area changed from aquatic species to a stable terrestrial community that persisted without significant change in 2015. The vegetation response was greatest in areas with the largest geomorphic and hydrologic change. These included the channel margin where erosion and bank slumping created an unstable scarp. The mid‐channel island and off‐channel wetland were strongly affected by the lowered water table. However, large unvegetated areas never persisted nor did the areal coverage of invasive species expand, which are two frequent concerns of dam removal stakeholders.     

Hydrological and sediment transport dynamics of flushing flows: implications for management in large Mediterranean Rivers

Flushing flows have been implemented in the lower Ebro River since 2003, with the principle objective of removing excess macrophytes. This paper describes the hydrology and sediment transport of these flushing flows in comparison with natural floods and discusses their effects in terms of riverbed adjustments. During flushing flows suspended sediment, concentration is more constant and double that of natural floods, although discharge is lower. Flashiness, measured as the rate of discharge increase per unit time, is an order of magnitude higher during flushing flows than during natural events. Consequently, flushing flows exhibit higher transport capacity than their natural counterparts despite their considerably lower magnitude and duration. Flushing flows remove up to 95% of macrophytes close to the dam, but their effectiveness reduces with distance downstream. Despite several constraints, flushing flows have significant potential to entrain and transport sediment and careful management of these releases may, therefore, play an important role in enhancing physical habitat in the river and supply sediment to the delta. The River Ebro case study shows that flushing flows are not incompatible with HEP production, and may actually result in a positive trade‐off due to reduced clogging of water intakes. Nevertheless, it remains important to reassess their effectiveness regularly and monitor adverse geomorphic effects such as riverbed degradation. In summary, flushing flows are an important instrument of river management, but one which must be employed as part of a spectrum of approaches to enhance physical habitat conditions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geomorphic applications of stream‐gage information

In the United States, several thousand stream gages provide what typically is the only source of continuous, long‐term streamflow and channel‐geometry information for the locations being monitored. In this paper, the geomorphic content of stream‐gage information, previous and potential applications of stream‐gage information in fluvial geomorphic research and various possible limitations are described. Documented applications include studies of hydraulic geometry, channel bankfull characteristics, sediment transport and channel geomorphic response to various types of disturbance. Potential applications include studies to determine the geomorphic effectiveness of large floods and in‐stream habitat change in response to disturbance. For certain applications, various spatial, temporal and data limitations may render the stream‐gage information of limited use; however, such information often is of considerable value to enable or enhance geomorphic investigations. Published in 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

PHYSICAL AND PLANT COMMUNITY CONTROLS ON NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS LEACHING FROM IMPOUNDED RIVERINE WETLANDS FOLLOWING DAM REMOVAL

Dam removal has emerged as a critical issue in water resources engineering and management. Of particular concern in many regions of the USA is the effect of dam removal on downstream water quality and potential methods of decreasing sediment and nutrient loading to downstream reaches. Rapid revegetation of reservoir sediments has been suggested as a means of reducing the impact of dam removal, although little data exist about the role of vegetation in controlling the downstream release of sediment or nutrients. This study investigated an impounded riverine wetland complex on the Little River, North Carolina, before and after the removal of a low‐head dam. We quantified the leaching of interstitial nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to the adjacent river channel during reservoir dewatering and, through experimental manipulations, isolated the difference between physical (soil) and biological (plant) controls on N and P leaching from dewatering impoundment sediments. We found that the rate and the quantity of N and P leaching from impounded dewatering sediment are predominately controlled by sediment porosity and specific yield. Although vegetation controls on N and P leaching were statistically significant during the first growing season following dam removal, vegetation is likely to be more important as a long‐term control on sediment and nutrient loads. Our results suggest that the initial release of N and P from a dewatered reservoir will be difficult to control but that vegetation may play an important long‐term role. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geomorphic Responses to a Large Check‐Dam Removal on a Mountain River in Taiwan

The ability to understand and predict the impacts of dam removal in river systems is important, especially as dam decommissioning is becoming increasingly popular. In this study, we document the morphological and sediment impact of the removal of Chijiawan Check Dam in May 2011; a 13‐m‐high dam located on a coarse‐grained, steep mountain river channel in Taiwan. An estimated 0.2 million m³ of sediment had accumulated within the impoundment before its removal. Longitudinal and bankfull cross‐sectional surveys and a detailed sediment textural survey were undertaken along a 3.2‐km study reach of the Chijiawan Creek between 2010 and 2012. A rotating knickpoint with migration rates of up to 22 m/day was observed along the study reach, following dam removal. The rate and character of channel change, associated with the dam removal, appear to be driven as much by channel morphology and distance from the dam as by the hydrology variability. Our results suggested that relatively small amounts of sediment were eroded during the first 3 weeks following dam removal because of low discharge conditions. However, after 1 and 15 months, 10 and 75% of the sediment that had accumulated within former impounded was eroded, respectively. Sites near the former dam had a sediment texture that reflected the transport of released sediment, and this suggested that basin‐wide sediment processes exerted a strong influence. The removal of Chijiawan Dam offers unique insight on how sediment processes can drive river channel responses to sediment pulses may vary with discharge and sediment load, in areas subject to remarkably high flows and sediment loads. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

三峡水库蓄水运用初期长江中下游河道冲淤响应

根据来自长江水利委员会的2003年三峡水库蓄水前后出(入)库水沙变化的逐日数据(2003.5.25-6.12)以及长江中下游2003年和多年平均的干支流测站数据,本文对三峡水库蓄水初期长江中下游河道冲淤响应进行了初步研究。三峡水库蓄水后,拦沙作用十分明显,仅2003年6-12月份,水库淤积泥沙即达1.24亿t。由于泥沙被水库拦截,其下游各站输沙量均降低,河道沿程普遍发生冲刷(除监利至螺山段外)。各江段冲淤响应表现不一,从宜昌至监利冲刷量逐渐减小,监利至螺山段淤积,而从螺山到大通冲刷量逐渐增大。宜昌站至大通站间长江河道2003年总冲刷量为0.798亿t,比预测值小。三峡水库蓄水运用后长江河道冲淤形势发生的变化将对长江中下游环境带来一定的影响,加强及时的监测与研究十分必要。     

Modification of temperature behaviour through regulation of a British river system

The effects of flow regulation on temperature behaviour in the River Exe, Devon, U.K. have been studied, and attention is given to the local impact of impoundment and its downstream persistence. Temperature levels and seasonal thermal regime are considered as well as diel temperature fluctuations and temperatures during extreme weather conditions. Variations in temperature during individual reservoir releases have also been monitored. The impact of impoundment has been to make the stream environment immediately below the dam more homothermous so that temperatures rearely rise above 17·5°C or fall below 2·0°C, and monthyl average diel ranges are < 3 and < 1°C in summer and winter months respectively. In contrast to other reservoirs in Britain and abroad, this effect has been largely caused by increased groundwater flow downstream from the reservoir following impoundment. Regulation has also affected downstream temperature behaviour and has moderated the thermal regime of the Exe mainstream. This influence is generally restricted to a distance of up to 20 km from the dam, but in conditions of hot weather and low flows it may extend to almost 40 km from the impoundment.     

Channel response to sediment replenishment in a large gravel‐bed river: The case of the Saint‐Sauveur dam in the Buëch River (Southern Alps,France)

The Saint‐Sauveur dam was built in 1992 in the middle section of the Buëch River. Downstream of the dam, a channel incision by several meters was observed. A gravel replenishment operation was planned in order to restore the active channel. An equivalent of two times the mean annual bedload‐transport capacity (43,500 m³) was replenished downstream of the dam in September 2016. The aim of this paper is to quantify morphological change associated with sediment remobilization in order to evaluate the efficiency of the restoration works. The monitoring was based on a combination of (a) change detection using sequential high‐resolution digital elevation models (from airborne LiDAR data), (b) bedload tracing using active ultrahigh‐frequency radio‐frequency identification technology, and (c) complementary field surveys of channel grain‐size distribution and morphology for bedload‐transport computation. Field monitoring allows us to capture a net aggradation along a 2‐km reach after the first post‐replenishment flood. A sediment balance analysis was performed to back‐calculate bedload supply coming from the sluicing operation during the flood. Although the sediment replenishment operation clearly had a positive impact on the morphological conditions of the starved river reach, the effective bedload supply from artificial berms (22,650 m³) was insufficient to initiate substantial channel shifting along the restored reach and a subsequent amplification of the sediment recharge. The combination of high‐resolution topographic resurveys and sediment tracing was successful to evaluate the downstream propagation of sediment replenishment effects.     

基于HEC-RAS的梧桐山河流域泥沙输移特性分析

本文基于HEC-RAS软件建立梧桐山河一维水力学及泥沙输移模型,并利用实测资料对模型进行验证。利用该模型分析河道沿程水面线变化情况及泥沙输移特征。模型泥沙淤积计算表明河道淤积部位主要位于河道转折处及下游出口处,假定无降雨情况下输沙量近似为零,通过模拟计算场次暴雨流域出口断面泥沙输沙量,估算出流域年输沙总量为190.50t。该数学模型可以较好地反映流域内泥沙输移情况,研究成果对于预测梧桐山河流域泥沙淤积状况有重要意义。     

长江仪征水道河床演变及航道条件变化分析

三峡水库蓄水对坝下河道产生长距离的影响,对近坝河段影响尤为显著,而对大通以下河口段的影响尚未进行系统研究。通过对近年来仪征水道航道演变特点及主要影响因素的分析,重点探讨了水沙条件变化与航道条件的对应关系,表明三峡水库的蓄水影响范围已经到达下游河口段,揭示了来沙量逐步减少对航道条件影响的复杂性。指出在三峡水库蓄水的持续影响下,对河口段重点河段洲滩进行守护,维持良好的滩槽型态,对维持航道条件的稳定具有重要作用。     

Entrainment of riparian gravel and cobbles in an alluvial reach of a regulated canyon river

Many canyon rivers have channels and riparian zones composed of alluvial materials and these reaches, dominated by fluvial processes, are sensitive to alterations in streamflow regime. Prior to reservoir construction in the mid‐1960s, banks and bars in alluvial reaches of the Gunnison River in the Black Canyon National Monument, Colorado, USA, periodically were reworked and cleared of riparian vegetation by mainstem floods. Recent interest in maintaining near‐natural conditions in the Black Canyon using reservoir releases has created a need to estimate sediment‐entraining discharges for a variety of geomorphic surfaces composed of sediment ranging in size from gravel to small boulders. Sediment entrainment potential was studied at eight cross‐sections in an alluvial reach of the Gunnison River in the Black Canyon in 1994 and 1995. A one‐dimensional water‐surface profile model was used to estimate water‐surface elevations, flow depths, and hydraulic conditions on selected alluvial surfaces for discharges ranging from 57 to 570 m³/s. Onsite observations before and after a flood of 270 m³/s confirmed sediment entrainment on several surfaces inundated by the flood. Selective entrainment of all but the largest particle sizes on the surface occurred at some locations. Physical evidence of sediment entrainment, or absence of sediment entrainment, on inundated surfaces generally was consistent with critical shear stresses estimated with a dimensionless critical shear stress of 0.030. Sediment‐entrainment potential over a range of discharges was summarized by the ratio of the local boundary shear stress to the critical shear stress for d₅₀, given hydraulic geometry and sediment‐size characteristics. Differing entrainment potential for similar geomorphic surfaces indicates that estimation of minimum streamflow requirements based on sediment mobility is site‐specific and that there is no unique streamflow that will initiate movement of d₅₀ at every geomorphically similar location in the Black Canyon. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A method for improving predictions of bed-load discharges to reservoirs

Effective management options for mitigating the loss of reservoir water storage capacity to sedimentation depend on improved predictions of bed‐load discharges into the reservoirs. Most predictions of bed‐load discharges, however, are based on the assumption that the rates of bed‐load sediment availability equal the transport capacity of the flow, ignoring the spatio‐temporal variability of the sediment supply. This paper develops a semiquantitative method to characterize bed‐load sediment transport in alluvial channels, assuming a channel reach is non‐supply limited when the bed‐load discharge of a given sediment particle‐size class is functionally related to the energy that is available to transport that fraction of the total bed‐load. The method was applied to 22 alluvial stream channels in the USA to determine whether a channel reach had a supply‐limited or non‐supply‐limited bed‐load transport regime. The non‐supply‐limited transport regime was further subdivided into two groups on the basis of statistical tests. The results indicated the pattern of bed‐load sediment transport in alluvial channels depends on the complete spectrum of sediment particle sizes available for transport rather than individual particle‐size fractions represented by one characteristic particle size. The application of the method developed in this paper should assist reservoir managers in selecting bed‐load sediment transport equations to improve predictions of bed‐load discharge in alluvial streams, thereby significantly increasing the efficiency of management options for maintaining the storage capacity of waterbodies.