Sediment Characteristics and Transport in the Kootenai River White Sturgeon Critical Habitat Near Bonners Ferry, Idaho
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Prepared in cooperation with the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho Sediment Characteristics and Transport in the Kootenai River White Sturgeon Critical Habitat near Bonners Ferry, Idaho Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5228 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover: Kootenai River below Moyie River at river kilometer 257.41 looking upstream towards the left bank. (Photograph taken by Robert J. Kasun, Wildland Hydrology, May 2008) Sediment Characteristics and Transport in the Kootenai River White Sturgeon Critical Habitat near Bonners Ferry, Idaho By Ryan L. Fosness and Marshall L. Williams Prepared in cooperation with the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5228 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior KEN SALAZAR, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Suzette M. Kimball, Acting Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2009 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 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 materials contained within this report. Suggested citation: Fosness, R.L., and Williams, M.L., 2009, Sediment characteristics and transport in the Kootenai River white sturgeon critical habitat near Bonners Ferry, Idaho: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific-Investigations Report 2009-5228, 40 p. iii Contents Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1 Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................................................2 Description of Study Area ...................................................................................................................2 Previous Investigations........................................................................................................................2 Methods...........................................................................................................................................................5 Selection of Sediment Sampling Sites ..............................................................................................5 Kootenai River below Moyie River ............................................................................................5 Kootenai River below Fry Creek ................................................................................................5 Kootenai River above Shorty’s Island .......................................................................................6 Sampling Frequency .............................................................................................................................6 Winter Ramping ...........................................................................................................................6 Spring Freshet ..............................................................................................................................7 Sturgeon Pulse .............................................................................................................................7 Sampling Methods ................................................................................................................................7 Suspended Sediment ..................................................................................................................8 Bedload Sediment .......................................................................................................................8 River Discharge, Stage, and Slope ...........................................................................................8 Data Analysis ..................................................................................................................................................8 Suspended Sediment ..................................................................................................................8 Bedload Sediment .......................................................................................................................8 Total Sediment Loading ...............................................................................................................9 Sediment Characteristics, Supply, and Transport ....................................................................................................................10 Suspended-Sediment Transport .......................................................................................................10 Bedload-Sediment Transport ............................................................................................................15 Total Sediment Transport ...................................................................................................................21 Quality Assurance........................................................................................................................................24 Summary........................................................................................................................................................24 Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................................24 References Cited..........................................................................................................................................25 Appendix A. Annual Peak Flow Frequency Analysis for Fisher and Yaak Rivers, Montana ........27 Appendix B. Wolman Pebble Count Data .............................................................................................36 Appendix C. Suspended-Sediment Data ..............................................................................................38 Appendix D. Bedload-Sediment Data ...................................................................................................39 Appendix E. Quality Assurance ..............................................................................................................40 iv Figures Figure 1. Map showing location of study area in the Kootenai River drainage basin, northern Idaho …………………………………………………………………… 3 Figure 2. Map showing location of the Kootenai River white sturgeon critical habitat in the study reach, near Bonners Ferry, Idaho ……………………………………… 4 Figure 3. Graph showing discharge at Kootenai River at Libby Dam and Kootenai River at Tribal hatchery near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, water year 2008 …………………… 6 Figure 4. Diagram showing example of stationing for sediment sample collection, Kootenai River below Moyie River, near Bonners Ferry, Idaho …………………… 7 Figure 5. Graph showing historical suspended-sediment and river discharge, Kootenai River below Libby Dam, Montana, 1968–71 and 1999–2004 ……………………… 10 Figure 6. Graph showing estimated tributary discharge and total suspended-sediment concentration in the study reach, Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, April–June 2008 …………………………………………………………………… 11 Figure 7. Graphs showing estimated tributary discharge and sediment transport curves for suspended sediment silt and clay and sand concentration, Kootenai River below Moyie River, Kootenai River below Fry Creek, and Kootenai River above Shorty’s Island, near Bonners Ferry, Idaho ……………………………………… 12 Figure 8. Graphs showing bedload discharge for class 1 (diameter less than 0.5 mm), class 2 (diameter greater than or equal to 0.5 millimeters and less than 2 millimeters), and class 3 (diameter greater than or equal to 2 millimeters) compared with total discharge, for the Kootenai River below Moyie, below Fry Creek, and above Shorty’s Island, near Bonners Ferry, Idaho …………………… 16 Figure 9. Graph showing bedload discharge and extent of backwater from Kootenay Lake during sediment sampling in the Kootenai River study reach near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, December 2007 to August 2008 …………………………… 19 Figure 10. Screen captures of acoustic Doppler current profiler measurements from May 9 and June 3, 2008 showing change in flow characteristics due to backwater from Kootenay Lake at Kootenai River below Fry Creek, near Bonners Ferry, Idaho ……………………………………………………………………………… 20 Figure 11. Graphs showing total suspended-sediment discharge compared with total river discharge and estimated tributary discharge at Kootenai River below Moyie, below Fry Creek, and above Shorty’s Island, near Bonners Ferry, Idaho … 22 Figure 12. Graphs showing total bedload sediment discharge compared with total river discharge and mean channel velocity for the Kootenai River below Moyie, below Fry Creek, and above Shorty’s Island, near Bonners Ferry, Idaho ………… 23 v Tables Table 1. Sediment sampling sites on the Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry, Idaho ……… 5 Table 2. Particle-size