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Effects of Dam Removal on Fluvial Sediment Load

Elwha River Project

Chris Baish - GEOG 4230

Outline
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Introduction
Background
Dam removal project
Effects
Conclusion

Introduction
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Dam removal is becoming a significant component of river restoration projects

Dams can trap large amounts of sediment

Sediment released in large fluxes during removal

> 1,100 in the last 30 years

Ex. Elwha River Project: ~30 M tonnes

Large-scale geomorphic responses occur downstream

How does sediment load ultimately affect landscape evolution?


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Background
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Heads in Olympic Mountains

Two dams built in the early 1900s

Flows 74 km to the Strait of Juan de Fuca

Elwha Dam (river km 7.4)


Glines Canyon Dam (river km 7.4)
Eliminated sediment supply downstream
Single, meandering, gravel-bed channel

USGS

(Warrick, J., et al.)

Background
Elwha Dam

Glines Canyon Dam

Northwest Fisheries Science Center

David Woodcock

Dam Removal Project


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Began fall 2011

Phased (3-5m) top-down deconstruction

Restore flow along mainstem channel - Olympic NP

Meter release of impounded sediment - largest in history

Elwha Dam

(Warrick, J., et al.)

Glines Canyon Dam

(Warrick, J., et al.)

Effects
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Sediment load
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Year one: ~1,100,000 t - Elwha Dam


Year two: ~8,900,000 t - Glines Canyon Dam
Annual mean: 340,000 t/y

(Magirl, C., et al.)

Effects
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Discharge

River transported ~90% of the reservoir sediment to coastal waters

Slightly greater than normal over study period (~7-8%)


Peak flows relatively benign

(Warrick, A., et al.)

Effects
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Channel morphology
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~1-2 m mainstem channel aggradation


Formation of numerous bars
Increase in channel braiding index

(East, A., et al.)

(East, A., et al.)

Effects

(Warrick, J., et al.)

Effects
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Channel morphology (contd)


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~0.5 m floodplain channel aggradation


Occurred even during low flows

(Warrick, J., et al.)

Conclusion
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Reservoir sediment that remains in the Elwha River will likely affect its hydrologic and
ecological characteristics for several decades

Despite the recent progression in dam removals, our understanding of geomorphic


response to them is still very limited

With thousands of more dams likely to be removed or repaired in the future, studies
like this should be considered, and would likely lead to better planning in order to
minimize both the short-term, and long-term effects of such projects

Sources
East, A., et al. (2015). Large-scale dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA: River channel and floodplain
geomorphic change. Geomorphology, 228, (765-786).
Gartner, J., et al. (2015). Predicting the type, location and magnitude of geomorphic responses to dam removal: Role of
hydrologic and geomorphic constraints. Geomorphology, 251, (20-30).
Magilligan, F., et al. (2016). Immediate changes in stream channel geomorphology, aquatic habitat, and fish assemblages
following dam removal in a small upland catchment. Geomorphology, 252, (158-170).
Magirl, C., et al. (2015). Large-scale dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA: Fluvial sediment load.
Geomorphology, 246, (669-686).
Warrick, J., et al. (2015). Large-scale dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA: Source-to-sink sediment budget
and synthesis. Geomorphology, 246, (729-750).

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