University of New Orleans ScholarWorks@UNO University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations Dissertations and Theses Spring 5-22-2020 Modeling of Distributary Channels Formed by a Large Sediment Diversion in Broken Marshland Dylan Blaskey University of New Orleans, New Orleans, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td Part of the Civil Engineering Commons, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Hydraulic Engineering Commons, and the Water Resource Management Commons Recommended Citation Blaskey, Dylan, "Modeling of Distributary Channels Formed by a Large Sediment Diversion in Broken Marshland" (2020). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 2728. https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2728 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by ScholarWorks@UNO with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights- holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Modeling of Distributary Channels Formed by a Large Sediment Diversion in Broken Marshland A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of New Orleans in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering Civil and Environmental Engineering by Dylan Blaskey B.S. University of Minnesota, 2015 May, 2020 Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr. John Alex McCorquodale for the constant guidance as we worked through the many difficulties that occur during a master’s program. Your continued support and incredible patience has taught me so much about the field of engineering and the process of researching. None of this would be possible without you. In addition, I would like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Malay Ghose Hajra for guiding me through the process of being a master student and always checking in with me to make sure I was on track. I really appreciate you accommodating me when I was trying to finish my research quickly and then working on a plan to extend my timeline as my life circumstances changed. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Ioannis Georgiou for asking me the tough questions when I was developing the model and making me think critically about the results. I still remember you telling me to fully understand my results before you start to draw conclusion. This is a lesson I learned the hard way but it will be with me as I continue on as a researcher. ii Table of Contents List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... v List of Tables .................................................................................................................. viii List of Acronyms .............................................................................................................. ix Abstract ............................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Caernarvon and Davis Pond....................................................................................... 4 1.3 Bohemia Spillway/Mardi Gras Pass .......................................................................... 5 1.4 West Bay .................................................................................................................... 6 1.5 Wax Lake Delta ......................................................................................................... 7 1.6 Bonnet Carré Spillway ............................................................................................... 9 1.7 Proposed Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion .......................................................... 10 1.8 Previous Models of Barataria Basin ........................................................................ 11 1.9 Objectives of the Research....................................................................................... 12 1.10 Methodology in General ........................................................................................ 12 Chapter 2: Methods ........................................................................................................... 14 2.1 Model Selection ....................................................................................................... 14 2.2 Domain ..................................................................................................................... 14 2.3 Grid Design .............................................................................................................. 15 2.4 Bathymetry ............................................................................................................... 16 2.5 Time Frame .............................................................................................................. 17 2.6 Boundary Conditions ............................................................................................... 18 2.6.1 River and Diversion Discharge .......................................................................... 18 2.6.2 Tidal Flux ........................................................................................................... 20 2.6.3 Salinity ............................................................................................................... 21 2.6.4 Sediment ............................................................................................................ 22 2.7 Wind Forcing ........................................................................................................... 24 2.8 Initial Conditions ..................................................................................................... 25 2.9 Morphology ............................................................................................................. 26 2.10 Changing Conditions ............................................................................................. 27 Chapter 3: Calibration ....................................................................................................... 28 3.1 Calibration Overview ............................................................................................... 28 3.2 Water Depth Calibration .......................................................................................... 29 3.3 Salinity Calibration .................................................................................................. 32 3.4 Calibration Equations .............................................................................................. 36 3.4.1 Root Mean Square Error .................................................................................... 36 3.4.2 Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient ............................................ 37 3.4.3 Bias .................................................................................................................... 38 3.4.4 Critical Model Outputs ...................................................................................... 38 Chapter 4: Results ............................................................................................................. 39 4.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 39 4.2 Water Level .............................................................................................................. 41 4.3 Depth Averaged Velocity ........................................................................................ 50 iii 4.4 Geomorphology ....................................................................................................... 59 4.4.1 Basin Wide ......................................................................................................... 59 4.4.2 Localized Geomorphology................................................................................. 65 4.5 Sediment .................................................................................................................. 72 4.6 Salinity ..................................................................................................................... 74 Chapter 5: Discussion ....................................................................................................... 77 5.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 77 5.2 Development of the Distributary System ................................................................. 77 5.2.1 Diversion Mouth ................................................................................................ 77 5.2.2 Southern Path ..................................................................................................... 78 5.2.2.1 Round Lake .................................................................................................