Sediment and Metals Modeling in Shallow River

Abstract

It is a challenge to apply coupled hydrodynamic, sediment process, and contaminant fate and transport models to the studies of surface water systems. So far, there are few published modeling studies on sediment and metal transport in rivers that simulate storm events on an hourly basis and use comprehensive data sets for model input and model calibration. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in 1997 emphasized the need for credible modeling tools that can be used to quantitatively evaluate the impacts of point sources, nonpoint sources, and internal transport processes in 1D/2D/3D environments. A 1D and time-dependent hydrodynamic, sediment, and toxic model, within the framework of the 3D Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC), has been developed and applied to Blackstone River, Mass. The Blackstone River Initiative (USEPA) in 1996, a multiyear and multimillion-dollar project, provided the most comprehensive surveys on water quality, sediment, and heavy metals in the river, and served as the primary data set for this study. The model simulates three storm events successfully. The river flow rates are well calculated both in amplitude and in phase. The sediment transport and resuspension processes are depicted satisfactorily. The concentrations of sediment and five metals (cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, and lead) during the three storm events are also simulated very well. Numerical analyses are conducted to clarify the impacts of contaminant sources and sediment resuspension processes on the river. While point sources are important to sediment contamination in the river, other sources, including nonpoint sources from watershed and bed resuspension, were found to contribute significantly to the sediment and metals in the river. Point sources alone cannot account for the total metals in the river. The model presented in this paper can be a useful tool for studying sediment and metals transport in shallow rivers and for water resource management.