Applying 1D Sediment Models to Reservoir Flushing Studies: Measuring, Monitoring, and Modeling the Spencer Dam Sediment Flush with HEC-RAS

Abstract

Purpose: The purposes of this Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) are (1.) to summarize the effort to model a real-time reservoir flush with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC), River Analysis System (HEC-RAS), and (2.) to determine the model’s applicability for flushing applications. HEC-RAS is a one-dimensional (1D) numerical hydraulics and sediment model. Reservoir flushing events generally have no historic precedent, so they cannot be calibrated. If HEC-RAS performs well on a carefully measured reservoir flushing event, it can be applied to other reservoir flushing studies with greater confidence.