Traveltime and reaeration characteristics for Salt Creek basin in northeastern Illinois, June–October 1995

Abstract

Traveltime and reaeration measurements were made in the Salt Creek Basin, a tributary to the Des Plaines River, in northeastern Illinois during three study periods from June through October 1995. The measurements were made in representative lengths on three reaches of Salt Creek: upper reach, middle reach, and lower reach. During the measurement periods the streamflows of Salt Creek ranged from 22 3 to 36 cubic feet per second (ft /s) in the upper o reach, 48 to 57 ft /s in the middle reach, and 52 to 61 ft3/s in the lower reach. Traveltimes ranged from 2.1 to 2.3, 5.3 to 6.1, and 1.4 to 1.9 hours in the upper, middle, and lower reaches, respectively. Measured reaeration coefficients adjusted to 20 °C ranged from 0.033 to 0.397, 0.011 to 0.036, and 0.115 to 0.306 per hour, in the upper, middle, and lower reaches, respectively. Representative measurements also were made in lengths on two reaches of major tributaries to Salt Creek, Spring Brook and Addison Creek. During the study periods the streamflows of Spring Brook ranged from 2.2 to 2.8 ft3/s and Addison Creek ranged from 9.6 to 30 ft3/s. Traveltimes for Spring Brook were 3.7 and 5.0 hours and Addison Creek was 1.6 hours. Measured reaeration coefficients in Spring Brook were 0.093 and 0.218 per hour and Addison Creek were 0.169 and 0.287 per hour.

Simulation of water quality for Salt Creek in northeastern Illinois

“…In the study of water quality in the Salt Creek watershed, four water-quality sampling efforts were done by the IEPA and the USGS. The USGS measured traveltime and reaeration-rate coefficients in selected reaches in Salt Creek, Spring Brook, and Addison Creek as described in detail in Turner (1996). The IEPA measured SOD rates at selected locations and performed monthly and diel sampling of 15 water-quality constituents and properties at the locations are listed in table 1.…”

“…Therefore, many of the biological and chemical reaction coefficients utilized in the Salt Creek watershed were transferred from the Du Page River QUAL-II model (an earlier version of QUAL2E developed for the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments by the National Council of the Paper Industry for Air and Stream Improvement (1982)) developed by Freeman and others (1986). Also, measured values of SOD; the CBOD decay rate, Kx ; and the reaeration-rate coefficient, K2 , (Turner, 1996) were utilized where available. The input for QUAL2E corresponding to the calibration to August 29-30, 1995, dielsurvey data is listed in appendix A.…”

“…Traveltime measurements were made on Salt Creek between river miles 29.3 and 29.9 (reach 1 between Thorndale Road and Devon Avenue) on August 29, 1995; 14.9 and 16.4 (reaches 8 and 9 between 22nd Street at Oakbrook and Drury Lane) on August 30, 1995; 0.3 and 1.1 (reach 17 between Circle Drive and Washington Avenue-Brookfield) on August 31, 1995 (Turner, 1996). Traveltime measurements were made on Spring Brook between river miles 1.5 and 2.0 (reach 2 between Walnut Avenue and Valley Road) on September 1, 1995, and on Addison Creek between river miles 0.06 and 0.5 (reach 16 between 18th Avenue and 19th Avenue at Broadview) on August 28, 1995 (Turner, 1996). For the reaches where traveltime data were available, Manning's n was adjusted to match the measured traveltimes.…”

“…The primary parameters remaining for matching the simulated and measured concentration profiles of dissolved oxygen are the reaeration-rate coefficient (K2 ), and SOD rate, which may be set for each reach. Field measurements of K2 values (Turner, 1996) and SOD rates (Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, 1996b) are available for a limited number of reaches (K2 ) and sites (SOD rate) in the Salt Creek watershed. In the calibration of K2 values and SOD rates, measured values were used in the sampled reaches and hydraulically similar adjacent reaches, wherever possible.…”

“…Volume 2 (Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, 1996b) contains details concerning the Salt Creek watershed and the IEPA water-quality sampling program for the Salt Creek watershed. Volume 3 is the USGS report on the reaeration and traveltime measurements in the Salt Creek watershed (Turner, 1996). Volume 4 is this report summarizing development and application of a water-quality model suitable for waste-load allocation in the Salt Creek watershed.…”