ERDC/CHL CHETN-XIV-46 "Flocculation and Settling Velocity Estimates for Reservoir Sedimentation Analysis"

BACKGROUND: Inland waterways provide many benefits to society but serve primarily as conduits of water and sediment. Bank erosion, channel sedimentation, and reservoir infilling remain challenges to the effective management of waterways. Reservoirs have a limited service life, associated in part with the reduced capacity caused by infilling. The USACE manages more than 600 reservoirs, many of which are experiencing reduced flood control or power generation capacity due to sedimentation. Several USACE Districts are seeking solutions to bypass sediment to extend the service life of reservoirs, beneficially use the bypassed sediment, and evaluate the impacts of sediment mobilization during and after dam removal. A key component of successfully evaluating and designing reservoir sediment management plans is numerical modeling of fine-sediment transport processes, particularly those processes related to finesediment aggregate settling and transport.