Laserfiche WebLink
sand has the potential to move either in suspension or in contact with the bed, with the threshold <br />occurring at flows between 125 and 150 m3/s (4500-5500 ft3/s). <br />Intensive field measurements, coupled with results from one-dimensional hydraulic <br />model, were used to assess variations in flow properties with discharge in a 0.8-km study reach. <br />The field measurements indicate that there is a relatively abrupt transition in the water-surface <br />width and wetted area of the channel between discharges of 125 and 175 m3/s (4500-6200 Wls). <br />At discharges < 125 m3/s most of the flow is confined to the baseflow channel, and more than <br />half the channel perimeter is dry. At discharges > 125 m3/s flow begins to cover low-lying bar <br />surfaces; width increasing steadily from there until -280 m3/s when most of the channel bed is <br />inundated. This discharge is consistent with flow-modeling results indicating that the threshold <br />for initial motion of the bed material in this reach is exceeded at a discharge of 286 m3/s. That <br />value is within 3% of the value recommended in previous reports. Adjusting the model results to <br />account for spatial variations in grain size increases the threshold slightly, indicating there is <br />very little bed load transport within the reach at flows less than 300 MN (10,600 ftl/s). <br />The results discussed in this report are broadly consistent with the results presented in <br />previous reports, therefore, all of the previous recommendations are retained. It is assumed that <br />periodic movement of the gravel bed material of the Colorado River is important for maintaining <br />habitats used by native fishes and other aquatic organisms. It also assumed that periodic <br />movement of the bed material is important for maintaining a channel with some morphologic <br />complexity or heterogeneity. Finally, it is assumed that the mass balance of sediment carried by <br />the Colorado River must be maintained over the long run, otherwise there will be continued <br />narrowing and simplification of the channel, and a loss of associated, habitats. The following <br />discharges, including frequency and duration, are recommended to achieve these purposes: <br />iii