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<br />2017 <br /> <br />behaved and consistent for the Arkansas River at Las Animas (and the Purgatoire River, as well,) <br />there is considerably more scatter fur the Arkansas River below the dam. The correlation coefficient <br />for the AIkansas River below the dam is considerably less, 0.69, compared to the Arkansas River at <br />Las Animas, 0.85, and the Purgatoire River at Las Animas, 0.86 for the total data sets. For the <br />monthly analyses, the Arkansas and Purgatoire Rivers at Las Animas show reasonable curve fits, with <br />correlation coefficients of 0.65 to 0.95 and 0.77 to 0.90, respectively, while the Arkansas River below <br />John Martin Dam values range from 0.00 to 0.78. The graphs further illustrate this latter point - for <br />the months of May through September the fitted lines show a marked difference in slope, with May <br />and July sloping in the opposite direction from the others (Qss decreasing for increasing Q) and <br />September showing a near -horizontal line. This indicates that the suspended load is being dispersed <br />in a different manner during the summer months. Additionally, Colby showed a correlation between <br />suspended sediment concentration and bed material transport capacity. The reduction in the wash <br />load component could be having an impact on the sands carried by the river downstream of the dam. <br />This, coupled with a reduction in the peak discharges in the river as a result of operation of the dam <br />for flood control, would be expected to cause .deposition without an equa1izing change in the river <br />hydraulics (e.g. channel geometry) or bed material load. It is assumed that the reservoir also traps <br />a significant quantity of bed material, but it is not readily apparent whether the reduced peak <br />discharges or reduced sediment load is dominant. Furthermore, the scour which generally occurs <br />immediately downstream of a dam often causes deposition at some point farther downstream. <br /> <br />All of these factors indicate that the river has been placed in a state of non -equilibrium as a result of <br />John Martin Dam. <br /> <br />Additionally, Degradation Range Surveys were analyzed from nine survey periods ranging from <br />December 1943-February 1944 to March 1987. The cross-sectional areas were compared by <br />choosing an arbitraIy elevation above all of the section points and calculating the areas between this <br />line and the ground surface. These were then compared to get changes in area. The resulting areas <br />were also multiplied by the channel distances between ranges using the average-end-area method to <br />arrive at volumes. These were also compared to get volume changes. <br /> <br />The results of these analyses show the areal changes for Degradation Ranges 1 through 3 alternate <br />between aggradation and degradation. Ranges 4 and 5 show only degradation. Ranges 6 and 7 <br />indicate predominantly aggradation, and Range 8 alternates between aggradation and degradation. <br />Range 9 shows aggradation for all surveys. Range 10 shows degradation for all surveys except 1972. <br />Range 11 shows all aggradation Ranges 12 and 13 alternate between aggradation and degradation. <br /> <br />The volwnetric changes for the individual sub-reaches between adjacent Degradation Ranges show <br />low magnitude (=100 acre feet) changes in both directions for John Martin Dam to Range I, Ranges <br />I to 2, and Ranges 2 to 3. Ranges 3 to 4, 4 to 5, and 5 to 6 all show degradation, up to a maximum <br />of about 600 acre feet between Ranges 4 and 5. Ranges 6 to 7, 7 to 8, and 8 to 9 show <br />predominantly aggradation, up to a maxinmm of approximately 1,200 acre feet between Ranges 7 and <br />8. BetWeen Ranges 9 and 10, there was mostly degradation to a maximum of about 600 acre feet, <br />although net aggradation ofapproximately 800 acre feet was indicated from the 1972 survey. The <br />sub-reaches between Ranges 10 and II, II and 12, and 12 and 13 show mostly aggradation to a <br />maximum of about 3,700 acrefeet between 11 and 12. <br />