Effects of flow diversion on downstream channel form in mountain streams

Effects of flow diversion on downstream channel form in mountain streams Ryan, Sandra ; Caine, Nel Water diversion -- Environmental aspects -- Colorado Streamflow -- Colorado Geomorphology -- Colorado "December 1993" "Completion Report No. 176" "GrantNo. 14-08-0001-2008, ProjectNo. 13" "... was financed in part by the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Geological Survey, through the Colorado Water Resources Research Institute ..." 64 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 61-64) This paper reports on a study of regime, bedload transport, and channel morphology in diverted and free-flowing segments of mountain streams in Colorado where flow has been diverted, in some cases, for up to one hundred years. The goal of the project was to determine whether differences in channel form and processes could be detected and linked to changes in flow regime from diversion. The effect of diversion on flow fegime can very considerably between individual steams. Typically, the total annual water yield is drastically reduced by diversion, though, where storage is limited, occasional high flows, with a five-to-ten year return frequency, move thought the natural channel. These larger events have the potential to reset changes in morphology incurred during the intervening dry years, such as channel narrowing and fining of bed size distribution. In general, changes in channel capacity were quite subtle, and the most apparent change was a decrease in channel width due to vegetation and the development of low bank beneath a former cut bank. No change in morphology was apparent in constrained channels. The results here are preliminary as of December 1993. Final results will be presented in subsequent publications. Colorado State University. Libraries Colorado Water Resources Research Institute Geological Survey (U.S.) 1993 text ; image application/pdf COMP176.pdf CCRICWRI100027CRPT eng Completion report (Colorado Water Resources Research Institute) ; no. 176 Colorado c1993 Colorado Water Resources Research Institute

Effects of flow diversion on downstream channel form in mountain streams

Ryan, Sandra ; Caine, Nel

Water diversion -- Environmental aspects -- Colorado

Streamflow -- Colorado

Geomorphology -- Colorado

"December 1993"

"Completion Report No. 176"

"GrantNo. 14-08-0001-2008, ProjectNo. 13"

"... was financed in part by the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Geological Survey, through the Colorado Water Resources Research Institute ..."

64 p.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 61-64)

This paper reports on a study of regime, bedload transport, and channel morphology in diverted and free-flowing segments of mountain streams in Colorado where flow has been diverted, in some cases, for up to one hundred years. The goal of the project was to determine whether differences in channel form and processes could be detected and linked to changes in flow regime from diversion. The effect of diversion on flow fegime can very considerably between individual steams. Typically, the total annual water yield is drastically reduced by diversion, though, where storage is limited, occasional high flows, with a five-to-ten year return frequency, move thought the natural channel. These larger events have the potential to reset changes in morphology incurred during the intervening dry years, such as channel narrowing and fining of bed size distribution. In general, changes in channel capacity were quite subtle, and the most apparent change was a decrease in channel width due to vegetation and the development of low bank beneath a former cut bank. No change in morphology was apparent in constrained channels. The results here are preliminary as of December 1993. Final results will be presented in subsequent publications.

Colorado State University. Libraries

Colorado Water Resources Research Institute

Geological Survey (U.S.)

1993

text ; image

application/pdf

COMP176.pdf

CCRICWRI100027CRPT

eng

Completion report (Colorado Water Resources Research Institute) ; no. 176

Colorado

c1993 Colorado Water Resources Research Institute