SUBCOMMITTEE ON SEDIMENTATION

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SUBCOMMITTEE ON SEDIMENTATION

• Report to the ACWI
• John R. Gray (jrgray_at_usgs.gov), Chair
• September 15, 2004

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SOS Status

• Formed in 1939
• ACWI Subcommittee, September 2003
• Last meeting Yesterday (9/14/2004)
• Membership Non-Federal orgs (ASCE-Environmental
  and Water Research Institute Colorado State
  University) interested, but have yet to petition
  for membership

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12 Current SOS Members
Past members FERC, TVA, BIA, NOAA, and NRC have
not been represented on the SOS for years. FHWA
has missed consecutive meetings. Currently no
non-Federal SOS members, although some are
considering membership.
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SOS Charge (1993)

• Identify the Nations major sediment-related
  problems in the 21st century
• Endeavor to coordinate and pool Federal resources
  to effectively address high-priority problems
• Remain the primary mechanism for interagency
  communication and coordination on national
  sedimentation issues

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Workgroup Reports

• 8th Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conference
  (2006) Plans.
• Turbidity and Other Sediment Surrogates
  Progress with ASTM International on standards.
• National Sediment Monitoring and Federal Data
  Storage and Access Status and future directions
• Reservoir Information System (RESIS) II
  Recommendation to the ACWI.

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Joint 8th Federal Interagency Sedimentation and
3rd Federal Interagency Hydrologic Modeling
Conference April 2-6, 2004

• Interdisciplinary Solutions for Watershed
  Sustainability.
• Silver Legacy Hotel, Reno
• Estimated 400-600 attendees
• 6 concurrent sessions, 270 papers
• 60 poster and computer demonstrations
• Commercial Exhibit Hall
• Field Trips
• Short Courses (may award continuing education
  units)
• Call for Papers due out October 1, 2004 ASCE
  advertise?

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Workgroup Reports

• 8th Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conference
  (2006) Plans.
• Turbidity and Other Sediment Surrogates
  Progress with ASTM International on standards.
• National Sediment Monitoring and Federal Data
  Storage and Access Status and future directions
• Reservoir Information System (RESIS) II
  Recommendation to the ACWI.

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Turbidity Workgroup

• Proceedings of the Fed. Interagency Workshop
  (USGS Circular 1250)
• Propose Federally developed standards for
  turbidity data-collection and reporting (as many
  as 10 different reporting units for turbidity).
• SOS working with ASTM to develop standards
  (round-robin testing planned, perhaps in 2004)
• http//water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/2003/circ1250/

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Workgroup Reports

• 8th Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conference
  (2006) Plans.
• Turbidity and Other Sediment Surrogates
  Progress with ASTM International on standards.
• National Sediment Monitoring and Federal Data
  Storage and Access Status and future directions
• Reservoir Information System (RESIS) II
  Recommendation to the ACWI.

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Nations Fluvial-Sediment Data Needs

• Historical Maintenance of reservoirs, channels,
  and hydraulic structures/bridge piers
• Todays needs include but are not limited to
• - Legal requirements TMDLs
• - Contaminated sediment management
• - BMP Evaluations
• - Dam decommissioning, rehabilitation, removal
• - Fire-burn hydrology/sedimentology
• - Stream restoration/geomorphic assessments
• - Physical-biotic interactions
• - Global carbon budget
• - Sand budget and bar maintenance
• - Productivity of agricultural lands

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Declining Sediment-Data Collection
29 daily sediment stations in Puerto Rico
!!!This graph should be considered
qualitatively, not quantitatively!!!
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Challenge

• How can the Nations fluvial-sediment data needs
  be met with
• Increased temporal and spatial resolution,
• Better and known accuracy,
• Expanded measured characteristics,
• Reduced costs, and
• Increased safety,
• as compared to traditional monitoring
  techniques?

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Future A National Sediment Information Program
NSIP2 ?

• There has never been a national sediment
• monitoring network
• Core Network of Sediment Stations
• Subset of Stations for Sediment Research
• Equipment Methods Analytical Component
• Data Synthesis Component
• Common Database
• 4M-16M/year (scope methods dependent)
• AGU-EOS letter, 9/28/2004 (handout)
• http//water.usgs.gov/osw/techniques/
  TSS/gray.pdf

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National Sediment Monitoring Costs Estimate
(USGS, 2004)

• Proposal based on a U.S. Commission on Ocean
  Policy Request to develop
• a strategy for improved assessment, monitoring,
  research, and technology development to enhance
  sediment management
• 16M annually estimated for a full-scale
  monitoring and synthesis program (linked to QW
  and biological measurements)

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National Sediment Monitoring Costs Estimate
(USGS, 2004)

• Proposal based on a U.S. Commission on Ocean
  Policy Request to develop
• a strategy for improved assessment, monitoring,
  research, and technology development to enhance
  sediment management
• 16M annually estimated for a full-scale
  monitoring and synthesis program (linked to QW
  and biological measurements)

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New Instruments and Techniques
Laser In Situ Scattering and Transmissometry,
LISST
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Data from CO River, Grand Canyon
LISST-100 Point Sand Conc. Measurements
Integrated Sand Conc. By D-77 Bag Sampler
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USGS Informal Sediment SuperGage Network (past,
present)
MS, KS, AZ, FL, NY, TX, CA, PA, IL, OR, GA, WA,
MD, formerly PR
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USGS and ARSInternational Journal of Sediment
Research, 1998

• Sediment Damages in North America Total 16
  Billion Annually
• If Program Results Were Used to Better Manage
  Resources Such That a 1 Decrease in Sediment
  Damage was Realized, the Program Would Pay for
  Itself 40 Times Over (annual basis)
• http//water.usgs.gov/osw/techniques/Osterkam
  p.html

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A National Sediment Information Program

• The SOS believes this program is important and
  needed.
• If the ACWI concurs, SOS seeks counsel on how to
  proceed.

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Workgroup Reports

• 8th Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conference
  (2006) Plans.
• Turbidity and Other Sediment Surrogates
  Progress with ASTM International on standards.
• National Sediment Monitoring and Federal Data
  Storage and Access Status and future directions
• Reservoir Information System (RESIS) II
  Recommendation to the ACWI.

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A Brief Description of RESIS

• Information for 1,819 Federally operated
  reservoirs
• Volumetric data for submerged and aerated
  deposits
• Originated in Soil Conservation Service
  (now the NRCS), early 1980s
• Nearly 6,000 individual surveys from 1827 to
  1992.
• Includes various descriptive attributes (e.g.,
  owner, nearest post office, watershed dimensions)
• For some reservoirs, contains information on size
  distribution of bed sediments
• Originally maintained on a PC using Paradox 9
• Includes reservoirs with drainage areas ranging
  from 0.0075 mi2 to over 170,000 mi2

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Original Data Sheets as Part of RESIS-II
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RESIS-II Status

• Ported to relational database by USGS
• Some geo-referencing issues to be resolved,
  including those related to Homeland Security
• Largely unpopulated since 1980s
• An orphan

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From Stallard and others, 2001
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(No Transcript)
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(No Transcript)
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Chronosequence of Dam Construction in the U.S.
From Before 1800 to 1993
Based on data in the National Inventory of Dams.
Symbol size and darkness correspond to the size
of the reservoir. Black and gray symbols
correspond to dams older than the indicated time
interval. Red symbols correspond to dams
constructed during the time interval.
Prepared by Robert Stallard US Geological
Survey Boulder, CO 80303-1066 e-mail
stallard_at_usgs.gov
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NID 1600-2000
Hit space bar to start sequence.
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NID Pre-1800
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NID 1801-1810
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NID 1811-1820
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NID 1821-1830
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NID 1831-1840
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NID 1841-1850
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NID 1851-1860
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NID 1861-1870
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NID 1871-1880
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NID 1881-1890
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NID 1891-1900
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NID 1901-1910
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NID 1911-1920
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NID 1921-1930
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NID 1931-1940
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NID 1941-1950
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NID 1951-1960
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NID 1961-1970
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NID 1971-1980
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NID 1981-1990
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NID 1991-2000
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NID 1600-2000
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Some RESIS-II Findings

• The use of a GIS has enabled a more detailed
  study of reservoir sedimentation data and rates.
• Soil erodibility was found to be the most
  influential factor affecting reservoir
  sedimentation rates A proxy for land-use?
• A negative relation was found between mean annual
  rainfall and sedimentation rates Annual
  rainfall a proxy for land cover?
• A positive relation exists between storm
  intensity and sedimentation rates

From Stallard and others, 2001
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RESIS-II General Steps

• Establish ownership MOU
• Form data-entry QA protocols
• Update GUI, place on-line
• Maintain and update database
• Perform data synthesis
• Future Sed-quality information?

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RESIS-II Cost Sum.

• Year 1 250k
• Year 23 150k/yr
• Year 4 75k/yr
• to be refined on request

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RESIS-II SOS Resolution

• Recognize importance of implementing,
  updating, and maintaining an existing national
  reservoir sedimentation survey database as an
  interactive, web-based application.
• Seek ACWI concurrence and support to develop
  ways and means for implementation

See 2-page handout to the ACWI,
Implementation of the Reservoir Information
System (RESIS-II)
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http//water.usgs.gov/wicp/acwi/sos/
Questions?