Effects of Flaming Gorge Dam hydropower operations on downstream flow, stage, and sediment transport

Technical Report · Fri Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1996

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/405153· OSTI ID:405153

Yin, S C.L.; Tomasko, D; Cho, H E; Williams, G ^[1]; McCoy, J; Palmer, C ^[2]

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1. Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
2. USDOE Western Area Power Administration, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

Hydropower operations at Flaming Gorge Dam, located on the Green River in Utah, can produce rapid downstream changes in flow and stage. These changes can in turn affect sediment transport and ecologic resources below the dam. To evaluate these effects, four hydropower operational scenarios with varying degrees of hydropower-release fluctuations were examined. This study demonstrates that the combined use of river-flow routing, water-surface profile, and sediment-transport models can provide useful information for evaluating the potential impacts of hydropower-operations on ecological and other resources downstream of the dam. Study results show that flow fluctuations may or may not persist for a long distance, depending on the initial magnitude of fluctuation and the duration of hydropower peaking. Stage fluctuations depend not only on flow fluctuations but also on river channel characteristics, such as channel width and longitudinal slope.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 405153
• Report Number(s): ANL/EA/PP--83550; ON: DE97000547
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

13 HYDRO ENERGY
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
DAMS
ECOLOGY
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANTS
OPERATION
POWER GENERATION
SEDIMENTS