SUBCOMMITTEE ON SEDIMENTATION

1. SUBCOMMITTEE ON SEDIMENTATION Report to the ACWI John R. Gray (jrgray@usgs.gov), Chair September 15, 2004

2. SOS Status • Formed in 1939 • ACWI Subcommittee, September 2003 • Last meeting: Yesterday (9/14/2004) • Membership: Non-Federal orgs (ASCE-Environmental and Water Research Institute; Colorado State University) interested, but have yet to petition for membership

3. 12 Current SOS Members* * Past members FERC, TVA, BIA, NOAA, and NRC have not been represented on the SOS for years. * FHWA has missed consecutive meetings. * Currently no non-Federal SOS members, although some are considering membership.

4. SOS Charge (1993) • Identify the Nation’s major sediment-related problems in the 21’st century • Endeavor to coordinate and pool Federal resources to effectively address high-priority problems • Remain the primary mechanism for interagency communication and coordination on national sedimentation issues

5. Workgroup Reports • 8th Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conference (2006): Plans. • Turbidity and Other Sediment Surrogates: Progress with ASTM International on standards. • National Sediment Monitoring and Federal Data Storage and Access: Status and future directions • Reservoir Information System (RESIS) II: Recommendation to the ACWI.

6. Joint 8th Federal Interagency Sedimentation and 3rd Federal Interagency Hydrologic Modeling Conference – April 2-6, 2006 “Interdisciplinary Solutions for Watershed Sustainability.” • Silver Legacy Hotel, Reno • Estimated 400-600 attendees • 6 concurrent sessions, ~270 papers • 60 + poster and computer demonstrations • Commercial Exhibit Hall • Field Trips • Short Courses (may award continuing education units) • Call for Papers due out October 1, 2004; ASCE advertise? (http://water.usgs.gov/wicp/acwi/hydrology/mtsconfwkshops/ann-4-2-2006.html)

7. Workgroup Reports • 8th Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conference (2006): Plans. • Turbidity and Other Sediment Surrogates: Progress with ASTM International on standards. • National Sediment Monitoring and Federal Data Storage and Access: Status and future directions • Reservoir Information System (RESIS) II: Recommendation to the ACWI.

8. TurbidityWorkgroup • Proceedings of the Fed. Interagency Workshop (USGS Circular 1250*) • Propose Federally developed standards for turbidity data-collection and reporting (as many as 10 different reporting units for “turbidity”). • SOS working with ASTM to develop standards (round-robin testing planned, perhaps in 2004) *http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/2003/circ1250/

9. Workgroup Reports • 8th Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conference (2006): Plans. • Turbidity and Other Sediment Surrogates: Progress with ASTM International on standards. • National Sediment Monitoring and Federal Data Storage and Access: Status and future directions • Reservoir Information System (RESIS) II: Recommendation to the ACWI.

10. Nation’s Fluvial-Sediment Data Needs • Historical: Maintenance of reservoirs, channels, and hydraulic structures/bridge piers • Today’s needs include but are not limited to: - Legal requirements – TMDL’s - Contaminated sediment management - BMP Evaluations - Dam decommissioning, rehabilitation, removal - Fire-burn hydrology/sedimentology - Stream restoration/geomorphic assessments - Physical-biotic interactions - Global carbon budget - Sand budget and bar maintenance - Productivity of agricultural lands

11. Declining Sediment-Data Collection *29 in Puerto Rico !!!This graph should be considered qualitatively, not quantitatively!!!

12. Challenge How can the Nation’s fluvial-sediment data needs be met with… • Increased temporal and spatial resolution, • Better – and known – accuracy, • Expanded measured characteristics, • Reduced costs, and • Increased safety, as compared to traditional monitoring techniques?

13. Future: A National Sediment Information Program – NSIP2 …? There has never been a national sediment monitoring network • Core Network of “Sediment Stations” • Subset of Stations for Sediment Research • Equipment & Methods Analytical Component • Data Synthesis Component • Common Database • $4M-$16M/year (scope & methods dependent) • AGU-EOS letter, 9/28/2004 (handout) http://water.usgs.gov/osw/techniques/TSS/gray.pdf

14. National Sediment Monitoring Costs Estimate (USGS, 2004) • Proposal based on a U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy Request to develop “a strategy for improved assessment, monitoring, research, and technology development to enhance sediment management” • $16M annually estimated for a “full-scale” monitoring and synthesis program (linked to QW and biological measurements)

15. National Sediment Monitoring Costs Estimate (USGS, 2004) • Proposal based on a U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy Request to develop “a strategy for improved assessment, monitoring, research, and technology development to enhance sediment management” • $16M annually estimated for a “full-scale” monitoring and synthesis program (linked to QW and biological measurements)

16. New Instruments and Techniques Laser In Situ Scattering and Transmissometry, LISST

17. Data from CO River, Grand Canyon LISST-100 Point Sand Conc. Measurements Integrated Sand Conc. By D-77 Bag Sampler

18. USGS Informal Sediment “SuperGage” Network (past, present) MS, KS, AZ, FL, NY, TX, CA, PA, IL, OR, GA, WA, MD, formerly PR

19. USGS and ARSInternational Journal of Sediment Research, 1998* • Sediment Damages in North America Total $16 Billion Annually • If Program Results Were Used to Better Manage Resources Such That a 1%Decrease in Sediment Damage was Realized, the Program Would Pay for Itself 40 Times Over (annual basis) *http://water.usgs.gov/osw/techniques/Osterkamp.html

20. A National Sediment Information Program • The SOS believes this program is important and needed. • If the ACWI concurs, SOS seeks counsel on how to proceed.

21. Workgroup Reports • 8th Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conference (2006): Plans. • Turbidity and Other Sediment Surrogates: Progress with ASTM International on standards. • National Sediment Monitoring and Federal Data Storage and Access: Status and future directions • Reservoir Information System (RESIS) II: Recommendation to the ACWI.

22. A Brief Description of RESIS Information for 1,819 Federally operated reservoirs • Volumetric data for submerged and aerated deposits • Originated in Soil Conservation Service (now the NRCS), early 1980’s • Nearly 6,000 individual surveys from 1827 to 1992. • Includes various descriptive attributes (e.g., owner, nearest post office, watershed dimensions) • For some reservoirs, contains information on size distribution of bed sediments • Originally maintained on a PC using Paradox 9 • Includes reservoirs with drainage areas ranging from 0.0075 mi2 to over 170,000 mi2

23. Original Data Sheets as Part of RESIS-II

24. RESIS-II: Status • Ported to relational database by USGS • Some geo-referencing issues to be resolved, including those related to Homeland Security • Largely unpopulated since 1980’s • An orphan

25. From Stallard and others, 2001

28. Chronosequence of Dam Construction in the U.S. From Before 1800 to 1993 Based on data in the National Inventory of Dams. Symbol size and darkness correspond to the size of the reservoir. Black and gray symbols correspond to dams older than the indicated time interval. Red symbols correspond to dams constructed during the time interval. Prepared by Robert Stallard US Geological Survey Boulder, CO 80303-1066 e-mail: stallard@usgs.gov

29. NID: 1600-2000 Hit space bar to start sequence.

30. NID: Pre-1800

31. NID: 1801-1810

32. NID: 1811-1820

33. NID: 1821-1830

34. NID: 1831-1840

35. NID: 1841-1850

36. NID: 1851-1860

37. NID: 1861-1870

38. NID: 1871-1880

39. NID: 1881-1890

40. NID: 1891-1900

41. NID: 1901-1910

42. NID: 1911-1920

43. NID: 1921-1930

44. NID: 1931-1940

45. NID: 1941-1950

46. NID: 1951-1960

47. NID: 1961-1970

48. NID: 1971-1980

49. NID: 1981-1990

50. NID: 1991-2000