Methodology for predicting maximum velocity and shear stress in a sinuous channel with bendway weirs using 1-D HEC-RAS modeling results

Abstract

As with every natural process, river morphology incorporates a complex and nuanced set of processes that combine to produce an infinite set of possible outcomes. Natural laws that govern natural systems cause rivers to react to changes in the environment in order to maintain equilibrium. Changes in hydraulics, sediment transport, and habitat help keep natural systems in balance. Natural reactions can be predictable, such as seasonal variations in weather patterns, or quite unpredictable, such as major flooding events or tectonic activity. Human impact to the environment is rarely subtle and often times can produce catastrophic changes to natural ecosystems. Virtually all watersheds within the continental United States have been impacted by increasing human population and development (Knighton 1998, Wohl 2004). As a result of such profound alterations to the environment, humans have been subjected to flooding, mudslides, droughts, and other extreme environmental processes.

Citation

Sclafani, Paul; Thornton, Christopher I.; Cox, Amanda L.; Abt, Steven R. 2012. Methodology for predicting maximum velocity and shear stress in a sinuous channel with bendway weirs using 1-D HEC-RAS modeling results. Prepared for U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Albuquerque Area Office. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University, Engineering Research Center. 313 p.