Sediment transport and channel adjustments associated with dam removal: Field observations

Cheng, Feng; Granata, Timothy C.

doi:10.1029/2005wr004271

Cited by 47 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Despite the number of dams being removed nationwide, few studies have systematically evaluated the effects of dam removal on rivers and their ecosystems. The few existing geomorphic studies of dam removals mainly report on removals of small dams and do not span a wide range of river types, sediment releases, or sediment compositions (Doyle and others, 2003a;Ahearn and Dahlgren, 2005;MacBroom, 2005;Cheng and Granata, 2007;Evans, 2007;Rumschlag and Peck, 2007;Straub, 2007;Walter and Tullos, 2010;Pearson and others, 2011;Sawaske and Freyberg, 2012). …”

Section: ; Us Army Corps Of Engineers 2009)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Concerns over dam removal are sharpened where stored sediment may be contaminated by decades of upstream land-use actions, such as for the recently decommissioned Milltown Dam in western Montana (Wilcox and others, 2008). Consequently, a primary research focus associated with dam removal is the fate of sediment once it is subject to renewed mobilization and fluvial transport others, 2002, 2003a;Cui, 2007;Cheng and Granata, 2007;Cui and Wilcox, 2008;Chang, 2008;Downs and others, 2009). The 2007 removal of Marmot Dam on the Sandy River, Oregon, provided an extraordinary opportunity to study erosion, transport, and deposition of coarse-grained, noncohesive sediment associated with dam removal on a high-gradient river.…”

Section: ; Us Army Corps Of Engineers 2009)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Geomorphic response of the Sandy River, Oregon, to removal of Marmot Dam

Major¹,

O'Connor²,

Podolak³

et al. 2012

Professional Paper

111

177

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This report and any updates to it are available online at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1792/ For more information on the USGS-the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment-visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod To order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Suggested citation: Major, J.J., O'Connor, J.E., Podolak, C.J., Keith, M.K., Grant, G.E., Spicer, K.R., Pittman, S., Bragg, H.M., Wallick, J.R., Tanner, D.Q., Rhode, A., and Wilcock, P.R., 2012, Geomorphic response of the Sandy River, Oregon, to removal of Marmot Dam: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1792, 64 p.Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted material contained within this report. Altitude, as used in this report, refers to distance above the vertical datum.Concentrations of suspended sediment in water are given in milligrams per liter (mg/L). MultiplyBy To obtain Mass AbstractThe October 2007 breaching of a temporary cofferdam constructed during removal of the 15-meter (m)-tall Marmot Dam on the Sandy River, Oregon, triggered a rapid sequence of fluvial responses as ~730,000 cubic meters (m 3 ) of sand and gravel filling the former reservoir became available to a high-gradient river. Using direct measurements of sediment transport, photogrammetry, airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) surveys, and, between transport events, repeat ground surveys of the reservoir reach and channel downstream, we monitored the erosion, transport, and deposition of this sediment in the hours, days, and months following breaching of the cofferdam.Rapid erosion of reservoir sediment led to exceptional suspended-sediment and bedload-sediment transport rates near the dam site, as well as to elevated transport rates at downstream measurement sites in the weeks and months after breaching. Measurements of sediment transport 0.4 kilometers (km) downstream of the dam site during and following breaching show a spike in the transport of fine suspended sediment within minutes after breaching, followed by high rates of suspended-load and bedload transport of sand. Significant transport of gravel bedload past the measurement site did not begin until 18 to 20 hours after breaching. For at least 7 months after breaching, bedload transport rates just below the dam site during high flows remained as much as 10 times above rates measured upstream of the dam site and farther downstream.

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Section: ; Us Army Corps Of Engineers 2009)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: ; Us Army Corps Of Engineers 2009)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Geomorphic response of the Sandy River, Oregon, to removal of Marmot Dam

Major¹,

O'Connor²,

Podolak³

et al. 2012

Professional Paper

111

177

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Despite a large body of research related to aquatic discontinuity effects (e.g., Ward & Stanford, 1983), dam effects vary widely depending on the size and functional characteristics of the dam, such as water retention and hydraulic head (Poff & Hart, 2002). The majority of available decommissioning literature has also come from small dam removal studies in the US Midwest (e.g., Stanley et al, 2002;Doyle et al, 2005;Cheng & Granata, 2007), which differ in climate, species composition, and likely recovery time in comparison to other ecoregions, such as the arid ecosystems of the US Southwest (Hughes et al, 1990). Additionally, studies concerned with the downstream effects of restoration rather than focusing on upstream changes in the former reservoir tend to have emphasized sediment fining (Cheng & Granata, 2007) and varying degrees and timescales of nutrient increases Ahearn & Dahlgren, 2005;Riggsbee et al 2007), but these changes are unlikely to occur in dam decommissionings where the dam stays intact.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The majority of available decommissioning literature has also come from small dam removal studies in the US Midwest (e.g., Stanley et al, 2002;Doyle et al, 2005;Cheng & Granata, 2007), which differ in climate, species composition, and likely recovery time in comparison to other ecoregions, such as the arid ecosystems of the US Southwest (Hughes et al, 1990). Additionally, studies concerned with the downstream effects of restoration rather than focusing on upstream changes in the former reservoir tend to have emphasized sediment fining (Cheng & Granata, 2007) and varying degrees and timescales of nutrient increases Ahearn & Dahlgren, 2005;Riggsbee et al 2007), but these changes are unlikely to occur in dam decommissionings where the dam stays intact. Although these studies provide valuable information on the effects of dam removals (removal of structure, reconnection of upstream and downstream sites, release of sediments, nutrient pulses, and more), it remains difficult to evaluate the restoration potential of site-specific attributes of a dam decommissioning, particularly when the dam is not removed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Short-term responses of decomposers to flow restoration in Fossil Creek, Arizona, USA

et al. 2008

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Dam decommissioning projects, although numerous, rarely include complete sets of data before and after restoration for evaluating the ecological consequences of such projects. In this study, we used a before-after control-impact (BACI) design to assess changes in leaf litter decomposition and associated macroinvertebrate and fungal decomposers following dam decommissioning in Fossil Creek, Arizona, USA. Leaf litterbags were deployed in a relatively pristine site above the dam and a highly disturbed site below the dam where over 95% of the flow was previously diverted for hydropower generation. Leaf litter decomposition was significantly slower below the dam both measurement years (pre-and postrestoration) with no site-year interaction, indicating that decomposition in this stream section was not affected by increased flow. In contrast, both macroinvertebrates and fungi differed significantly above and below the dam prior to restoration but were similar post-restoration, supporting the concept that decomposer communities can quickly rebound following reintroduction of full flow. Our results indicate that some aquatic ecosystem variables can return to a more natural state following ecological restoration activities such as water flow restoration.

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“…The extent to which high flow periods can re-suspend and transport sediment past the dam will depend on the system hydraulics and sediment characteristics. (Cheng and Granata 2007). Sawaske and Freyberg (2012) compared sediment dynamics among 12 small dam removals from highly sediment-impacted systems across the northern U.S.…”

Section: Discharge: Modeling Tools and Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Planning and implementing small dam removals: lessons learned from dam removals across the eastern United States

Tonitto

Riha

2016

Sustain. Water Resour. Manag.

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We review and build on a growing literature assessing small dam removal outcomes to inform future dam removal planning. Small dams that have exceeded their expected duration of operation and are no longer being maintained are at risk of breach. The past two decades have seen a number of small dam removals, though many removals remain unstudied and poorly documented. We summarize socio-economic and biophysical lessons learned during the past two decades of accelerated activity regarding small dam removals throughout the United States. We present frameworks for planning and implementing removals developed by interdisciplinary engagement. Toward the goal of achieving thorough dam removal planning, we present outcomes from well-documented small dam removals covering ecological, chemical, and physical change in rivers post-dam removal, including field observation and modeling methodologies. Guiding principles of a dam removal process should include: (1) stakeholder engagement to navigate the complexity of watershed landuse, (2) an impacts assessment to inform the planning process, (3) pre-and post-dam removal observations of ecological, chemical and physical properties, (4) the expectation that there are short-and long-term ecological dynamics with population recovery depending on whether dam impacts were largely related to dispersion or to habitat destruction, (5) an expectation that changes in watershed chemistry are dependent on sediment type, sediment transport and watershed landuse, and 6) rigorous assessment of physical changes resulting from dam removal, understanding that alteration in hydrologic flows, sediment transport, and channel evolution will shape ecological and chemical dynamics, and shape how stakeholders engage with the watershed.

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Sediment transport and channel adjustments associated with dam removal: Field observations

Cited by 47 publications

References 57 publications

Geomorphic response of the Sandy River, Oregon, to removal of Marmot Dam

Geomorphic response of the Sandy River, Oregon, to removal of Marmot Dam

Short-term responses of decomposers to flow restoration in Fossil Creek, Arizona, USA

Planning and implementing small dam removals: lessons learned from dam removals across the eastern United States

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