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Dec-Q4-01 O2:23P • • P-04 <br />Mr. Jeft'Schwarz <br />December 4, 2001 <br />Page 3 <br />My geomorphic analysis concludes that the construction of the Branmer grade control (1948) •rttd in- <br />channel mining (through 1980) upstream of tltc "point of failure" resulted in flow being directed at the <br />reconstructed bank, adjacent to the Aull Sccp Slough. In-channel mining and construction of the Rrantncr <br />Diversion T)am influence on the system increased the channel's tendency to meander and resulted in the <br />development of a Icfl bank point bar (west side and opposite tYom the May 5, 2001 point of failure). This <br />bar developed to be a more significant f"eature thmugh the 19ROs and 1990x. As it grew and becerrte mare <br />pronounced, it served to redirect even minor Flood flows against the reconstructed channel bank and as <br />such, strongly inllucnccd the bank failure ofNlay 5, 2001. <br />The above analysis suggests that the bank, which isolates the Bull Seep Slough fmm the river, would <br />continue to be amcked by the river, and in the absence of additional reinforcement, would ultimately fail. <br />A review of several aerial photos prior to Mohilc Premix COnCTI'll''J reali6mmenl of the Bull Seep Drain <br />Ditch to its present location shows the presence of water near the Bull Seep Slough inlet. The continued <br />presence of water at this location would indicate that the levee was being overtopped on a fairly regular <br />basis. T'he continued attack on the levee by freytrently recurring flows as well as regular overtopping <br />indicate that at some point in time the levee would fail due to natural processes, thus making the existing <br />alignmen! of the Bull Sccp Drain irrelevant to such failure. <br />Photo~aphic data from January, 2001 (Figure 3.1) inclicale that the "reconstructed" channel bank which <br />isolates the Bull Seep Slough from the river had been overtopped and breached prior to Januarv 2001. <br />The presence of apre-existing breach may have been the direct cause of failure during the May 5, 2001 <br />event. <br />Part B HydrolugidAydraalic Analyses <br />As part nt' our forensic analysis of the bank failure, i.A developed flood hydrology data. Annual peak <br />flow data fur the Henderson Gagc were obtained via the lntcmct and a Lug !'earsan 'Type Ili Analysis was <br />pertormed to establish a tood tTequency curve. The Public Domain software FRf•.QMAN was utili~cd <br />for tlrc analysis. The analysis indicated that tl+c 2-year, ,S-ycaz, and 10-year events wero approximately <br />5,800 cfs, 9,200 cfs, and 12,700 cfs, respectively. Therefore, the event of May 5, 2001 of G,100 cfs had a <br />return period of approximately 2 years. <br />LA contacted Lpp Associates (CA) to survey cross sections et the locations of the north and south <br />breaches as well as to dctcrrninc the elevation at the top of [Ire Metro Aeration Wcir and the Arantncr <br />Diversion llam. Survey data cullecled by !;A was augmented using topographic mapping obtained from <br />ICON (Urban Drainage's consultant). These data indicated that the top of the levee ranged in clevatiort <br />from SU38.5 to SU39.9 feet at the northern breach and approximately SU38.5 to SU41 feet at the southern <br />hn:ach. <br />Several cross sections will be discussed in the following pt+ragraplts. The cross section location map is <br />presented s5 Figure 3.2. Cross section dale for the north and south breach areas were entered into the <br />computer progretns XSPRO and Plowrttaster Versiart 6.1. XSPRO is a DOS Rased pmgram [list was <br />developed by the Bureau of Reclamation to evaluate flow in irregular channels. Flowrnasrer is a <br />Windows based program, which calculates nomtal depth hydraulics t'Dr tlow in irregular channels. <br />The roughness coel3icient utilized in the normal depth analysis was taken from the HF.C:-2 Iloodplain <br />modeling performed by Gingery and Associates in 1977 and Was StT at 0.035. The slope was set at <br />