Geomorphic Response of the Sandy River, Oregon, to Removal of Marmot Dam
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Geomorphic Response of the Sandy River, Oregon, to Removal of Marmot Dam Professional Paper 1792 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey COVER: Breaching of the temporary cofferdam standing in place of Marmot Dam on October 19, 2007. View is from the headgate house along the canal that diverted water around the dam as part of the Portland General Electric Bull Run Hydropower Project. Geomorphic Response of the Sandy River, Oregon, to Removal of Marmot Dam By Jon J. Major, Jim E. O’Connor, Charles J. Podolak, Mackenzie K. Keith, Gordon E. Grant, Kurt R. Spicer, Smokey Pittman, Heather M. Bragg, J. Rose Wallick, Dwight Q. Tanner, Abagail Rhode, and Peter R. Wilcock Professional Paper 1792 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior KEN SALAZAR, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Marcia K. McNutt, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2012 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 Mar- mot 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. iii Contents Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction, Purpose, and Scope ..............................................................................................................2 Sandy River Basin—Physiography, Geology, and Hydrology ................................................................4 Marmot Dam Setting and Removal .............................................................................................................9 Context ....................................................................................................................................................9 Preremoval Studies ............................................................................................................................10 Dam Removal .......................................................................................................................................10 Reservoir Erosion .........................................................................................................................................13 Knickpoint Migration and Initial Sediment Erosion .......................................................................13 Longer Term Reservoir Erosion and Bed Coarsening ...................................................................13 Sediment Deposition ...................................................................................................................................19 Initial Sediment Deposition Following Breaching .........................................................................20 Longer Term Sediment Deposition near the Dam Site ..................................................................25 Deposition Farther Downstream ......................................................................................................25 Deposition and Channel Geometry ..................................................................................................29 Sediment Transport .....................................................................................................................................29 Sediment-Transport and Water-Discharge Measurements ........................................................31 Suspended-Sediment Transport .......................................................................................................31 Prebreach Transport .................................................................................................................32 Transport at the Time of Breaching ........................................................................................34 Transport by Subsequent High Flows .....................................................................................34 Annual Sediment Fluxes ...........................................................................................................34 Bedload Sediment Transport ............................................................................................................37 Transport at the Time of Breaching ........................................................................................39 Transport by Subsequent High Flows .....................................................................................40 Annual Sediment Fluxes ...........................................................................................................41 Estimated Sediment Budget .......................................................................................................................42 Discussion .....................................................................................................................................................45 Timing, Rate, and Processes of Reservoir-Sediment Erosion .....................................................46 Knickpoint Evolution ...........................................................................................................................47 Spatial and Temporal Trends in Sediment Transport ....................................................................47 Spatial and Temporal Trends in Sediment Deposition ..................................................................50 Observations and Measurements Compared to Prebreach Modeling ......................................51 Implications for Monitoring Dam Removals ...................................................................................53 Conclusions...................................................................................................................................................55 Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................................56 References Cited..........................................................................................................................................56 Appendix—Methods for Assessing Sediment Erosion, Deposition, Water Discharge, and Sediment Transport ................................................................................................................62 Sediment Erosion and Deposition ....................................................................................................62 Data ..............................................................................................................................................62 iv Analysis ...................................................................................................................................... 63 Water Discharge ................................................................................................................................63 Computation of Annual Sediment Fluxes and Their Uncertainties ............................................64 Figures 1. Location map of Sandy River Basin, Oregon, showing Marmot Dam and various sampling sites, gaging stations, and geographic locations discussed in text............................................3 2. Mean and maximum heights of dams removed in the United States per decade from the 1920s through 1990s ........................................................................................................................4 3. Characteristic longitudinal profile, channel gradient, and floodplain width of the Sandy River ...........................................................................................................................6 4. Photographs of reaches of Sandy River discussed in text .............................................................7 5. Regional climate and hydrology for the Sandy River Basin ...........................................................8 6. Views of Marmot Dam before breaching ...........................................................................................9 7. Time-lapse images of breaching of the temporary earthen cofferdam and underlying reservoir sediment after removal of the concrete Marmot Dam structure .........................11 8. Erosion at crest of the earthen cofferdam during breaching of Marmot Dam on October 19, 2007 .......................................................................................................................12 9. Longitudinal-profile development of the Sandy River within tens of minutes following breaching of the earthen cofferdam standing in place of Marmot Dam on October