High-water Years Research Articles

THE NEW APPROACH TO INCREASING OF ECOLOGICAL SAFETY OF THE EXPLOITED EARTH HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING STRUCTURES

The state of operated low-pressure hydroengineering complexes with earth dams constructed on small rivers is analyzed. It is shown that many of earth dams have poor condition and are in need of repair work. For increasing of ecological security it is offered to install crest and downstream slope in order to enable passing of rare floods at high-water years directly via an earth dam without the risk of its destruction. The design of earth water retaining structures is proposed. Its advantages are summarized.

Investigation of Internal Pollutant Loading for a Tide‐Influenced Waterbody

Based on laboratory experiments and field investigations, the relationship between internal pollutant release intensity and water velocity was determined for Neijiang, a representative waterbody. A two-dimension, unsteady hydrodynamic water quality model coupled with internal pollutant release was established and validated to assess Neijiang in different, typical years and at different tidal cycles. The internal-to-external pollutant loading ratio (IEPLR) was proposed in this paper for the first time to identify the temporal distribution of the effect induced by internal pollutant loading on the water environment. It was found that the annual internally released amounts of total nitrogen, total phosphorous, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the high-water year (1998) was 484.0 Mg, 405.3 Mg, and 1928.3 Mg, respectively, which was 27% greater than levels found in the typical-water year (2001) and the dry-water year (2004). Internal pollutant loading in the three typical years showed marked temporal variation; the high-water year displayed the most asymmetrical distribution. Internally released total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and COD during the tidal cycle of flood season was 1.374 Mg, 1.059 Mg, and 4.456 Mg, respectively, which was approximately 55.9% higher than dry season. External pollutant loading on Neijiang was the significant factor influencing water quality because the mean IEPLRs in the three typical years and the tidal cycles were less than one. However, because of the enhanced intensity of internal pollutant release, there were still 124 d in 1998, 22 d in 2001, and 38 d in 2004 when IEPLRs were greater than one; during these days a sudden algae bloom or water quality saltation might occur in Neijiang.

The seasonal and interannual dynamics of centric diatoms in the Kuibyshev Reservoir

Samples of centric diatom algae from the plankton of the Kuibyshev Reservoir collected in years with different hydro-meteorological conditions (1989 and 1990) have been studied using light and scanning electron microscopy technique. Twenty-nine species, varieties, and forms of Centrophyceae, including two species new for the algoflora of the Volga River plankton, have been discovered. The main body of the dominant species is formed by algae with a high frequency of occurrence. The seasonal dynamics of abundance is characterized by spring peaks formed mainly by small-celled algae and less regular late fall maximums formed by large-celled forms. During these periods the abundance of Centrophyceae determines the level of phytoplankton development in general. Under stable species richness of algae and seasonal dynamics of their abundance, the average number of Centrophyceae during the hot and low-water year of 1989 reached 3.6 million cells/l; during the cold and high-water year of 1990, there were twice as few: 1.9 million cells/l.

Numerical Simulations of the Transparency of Waterfront Bodies

Measured field data was used to analyze the factors which influence the transparency of the Nei River and to develop a multi-factor correlation for the transparency. A 2-D unsteady model which coupled analyses of the water flow, water quality, suspended sediments, and Chl-a was developed to simulate the changes in the transparency for various conditions. The model was then used to forecast the transparency of the Nei River. The suspended sediment concentration (SSC) was found to be the most important factor influencing the transparency, with high concentrations of COD Mn and Chl-a also reducing the transparency to some extent. The transparency model is stable and precise, with relative errors between measured and calculated values of less than 15%. With the environmental scheduling schemes, the Nei River transparency can be significantly improved with a mean transparency in high-water years of 69.3 cm, normal-water years of 70.8 cm, and low-water years of 69.8 cm.

Ecological strategies for managing tamarisk on the C.M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, Montana, USA

Tamarisk ( Tamarix ramosissima) is an introduced shrub or small tree associated with the loss of biological diversity in riparian habitat throughout much of western North America. Control measures are often expensive and ineffective, so land managers need site-specific information to guide cost-effective integrated management strategies. We sampled 12 randomly selected tamarisk-infested inlets on Fort Peck Reservoir on the C.M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge stratified by stream basin size. At each site we sampled 2–5 stands of riparian vegetation, recording plot elevation, canopy cover of vascular plants, density of woody species and age estimates for representative woody plants. Tamarisk plants 1–3 years old were abundant in the drawdown zone along the shore of Fort Peck Reservoir. The lack of plants older than three years indicates that tamarisk in the drawdown zone were destroyed during a recent two summers of inundation and suggests that three months of inundation will kill tamarisk plants. The oldest (17–22 years) and largest tamarisk plants in the study area were found in the full-pool zone and were recruited in periods of significant drawdown following high-water years. Tamarisk was uncommon in cottonwood and silver sagebrush stands on stream terraces above full pool. Only the largest streams in our study area appeared capable of supporting tamarisk and significant native riparian vegetation. Tamarisk plants at or above full pool level should be removed in these drainages to prevent upstream invasion and loss of native species. The level of the reservoir should be raised to the level of full pool for three consecutive months during the growing season every 3–5 years to prevent development of extensive stands of tamarisk in the drawdown zone capable of producing large quantities of seed.

Diversity Comparisons Between Diked and Undiked Coastal Freshwater Marshes on Lake Erie During a High-water Year

The effect of high water on floristic composition and diversity was compared at a diked, managed marsh, and an undiked, unmanaged marsh. Species richness and alpha diversity were determined for Cells A through D at Pipe Creek Wetland (PCW), a restored, managed marsh, and MHD Wetland, an undiked, unmanaged marsh. Both wetlands are located on Sandusky Bay in the western basin in Lake Erie, Ohio. Water levels were unusually high during 1997 when this study was conducted. Thus, the flora of Cells C and D at PCW in 1997 were compared to results from a vegetation survey of these cells conducted in 1994, a low-water year. Values for species richness in 1997 ranged from 25 (Cell A) to 42 (Cell D). Pipe Creek Wetland, and Cell D in particular, had higher species richness than MHD Wetland. Average alpha diversity values in 1997 ranged from 0.95 to 1.34; Cell D had significantly higher alpha diversity than Cell C at PCW and MHD Wetland. Species richness of Cells C and D at PCW declined substantially between 1994 and 1997 and species composition changed considerably. These findings reflect the combined effects of the very different marsh surfaces, hydrologic regimes, and human influences at Pipe Creek and MHD Wetlands. It is suggested that species richness and alpha diversity at Pipe Creek Wetland would be even higher in a low-water year. However, MHD Wetland would not become more diverse if water levels dropped due to the extreme dominance of stress-tolerant, aggressive plant species at MHD.

Floodplain Wetland Suitability, Access, and Potential Use by Juvenile Razorback Suckers in the Middle Green River, Utah

Abstract In the upper Colorado River basin, razorback suckers Xyrauchen texanus primarily occur as adults in low-gradient reaches of rivers or as juveniles or subadults in adjoining floodplain depressions. During the high-water years of 1995 and 1996, a number of habitat variables—zooplankton density, water temperature, quality, and depth, and vegetative cover—in a Green River floodplain depression were favorable to age-0 razorback suckers and other fishes. Conversely, main-channel habitats were not suitable as rearing sites due to lower temperatures, less food, and ineffective cover. During the spring runoff in 1995 and 1996, larval razorback suckers were found in the river after floodplains were isolated from the Green River. Although favorable nursery sites are located off-channel, the connectivity of the river and floodplain did not last long enough for all razorback sucker larvae to access these areas. Maintaining the connectivity of the floodplain to the river via levee removal and adequate flood du...

Changes on Streambanks in the Sierra Nevada Mountains: Perspectives from a Dry and a Wet Year

AbstractWe summarize the findings of a two‐year study of vegetation and streambank erosion on incised streams. We conducted the first year of the research during the sixth year of a drought. During the second year of study, precipitation totals ranged from normal to 200% of normal. The focus of the study was to determine if vegetation established on a bank affects the erosion of or deposition on that bank. During the drought year, most banks showed relatively little change. During the high water year, 27% of all vegetated and 32% of all bare lower banks retreated more than 250 mm. This similarity between vegetated and unvegetated banks indicates that, on the streams studied, vegetation had little effect on bank erosion. Bank retreat was not related to near‐bank velocities or to bank steepness. It is possible that herbaceous vegetation showed no effect on the incised streams because the streams were too far from a new dynamic equilibrium. The energy of the hydraulic system may have been greater than the vegetation could withstand.

Largemouth Bass Hatching Success and First-Winter Survival in Two Illinois Reservoirs

Abstract Water level regimes affected periodicity of hatching success of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides in two central Illinois reservoirs, Carlyle Lake and Lake Shelbyville. Periodicity of hatching success was determined from daily rings on otoliths of young-of-the-year largemouth bass collected each July during 1988–1990. Hatching success was disrupted during rapid water level rises and drops. Peak hatching success occurred when water levels were relatively stable. No relationship existed between timing of peak hatching success and abundance or sizes attained in first year. Little evidence was found for size-related winter mortality. Largemouth bass recruitment was considerably higher in high-water years than in low-water years, and appeared to be unrelated to water level fluctuations during the spawning season. However, we suggest that water-level-influenced hatching disruptions could be critical to year-class strength if water levels were to fluctuate over most of the spawning season.

Effects of Impoundment and Diversion on the Crustacean Plankton of Southern Indian Lake

Planktonic crustaceans in Southern Indian Lake were surveyed in 1972 before impoundment, during 1975 when water levels rose above the recorded high level, and then annually from 1977 to 1980 after full impoundment and diversion. Synoptic data were collected in each of these years in midsummer during July or August from a set of 53 stations covering all regions of the lake. Vertical hauls were made at each station using twin nets of 77-μm mesh and 25-cm mouth diameter. In 1972, the crustacean plankton fauna of Southern Indian Lake was composed mainly of 15 copepod and 15 cladoceran species. At least 25 of these species were truly pelagic, while 5 were littoral. Cyclopoids comprised 46% of total crustacean abundance, calanoids 33%, and cladocerans 21%. Dominant species within these three groups were Cyclops bicuspidatus thomasi (37.6% of total abundance), Diaptomus ashlandi (20.1%), and Chydorus sphaericus (8.9%). Total abundance averaged 76 individuals (ind)∙L−1, comparable to more southerly waters such as Lake Ontario (80 ind∙L−1) and Lake Winnipeg (53–108 ind∙L−1) (K. Patalas. 1975. Int. Ver. Limnol. Verh. 19: 504–511). Throughout the lake, total crustacean abundances varied from 10 ind∙L−1 near the Churchill River inflow to between 100 and 200 ind∙L−1 in a few well protected areas. From 50 to 100 ind∙L−1 occurred within the main body of Southern Indian Lake. In 1975, an unusually high water year, lake mean plankton abundance was 61 ind∙L−1. Following diversion in 1976, no dramatic changes in species composition were observed. However, the mean abundance of crustaceans decreased to 40–46 ind∙L−1 during the period 1977–80. Regional zooplankton responses were varied. No significant changes occurred in areas adjacent to the Churchill River inflow, with pre- and post-diversion densities being 35 and 36 ind∙L−1, respectively. In the main water bodies north of the diversion route, abundances declined by 60% and biomass by 50%. A 2–3 °C drop in northern basin water temperatures, related to diversion, reduced growth rates by approximately 20% and resulted in a 60% decline in crustacean production. Not all groups of crustaceans responded similarily to impoundment and diversion. Lakewide average numbers of cladocerans declined from 16 to 4 ind∙L−1 and the area of their distribution was reduced particularly in northern regions of the lake following impoundment. Cyclopoids declined from 35 to 16 ind∙L−1 but showed no change in their distribution. These reductions were related to decreased water temperatures, lower midsummer chlorophyll a concentrations, and decreased water transparencies. The mean abundance of calanoids as a group did not change, but the abundance and distribution of individual species were variably altered. Smaller calanoid species showed either no change or a decrease in their numbers and distribution. Larger species, e.g. Limnocalanus macrurus, Senecella calanoides, and Diaptomus sicilis, were significantly more abundant and widespread following diversion. Similar increases in Mysis relicta were also observed. These large species, preferred food items for both whitefish and cisco, are cold stenotherms, inhabiting deeper water layers. Their increased abundance is likely associated with decreased water transparency offering better protection against predatory fish, decreased water temperature creating more favorable conditions, and increased water depth enlarging the volume of deeper waters suitable for these species.

Spring and Summer Water Levels in a Missouri River Reservoir: Effects on Age-0 Fish and Zooplankton

The effects of water level on the early life history of fish in Lake Francis Case, South Dakota, were studied by comparing the abundance, growth, diet, and food supply (zooplankton) of selected species in a low-water year (1974) and a high-water year (1975). Young of 21 fish species were collected. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens), white bass (Morone chrysops), buffaloes (two Ictiobus species), and centrarchids were significantly more abundant in net catches in 1975 than 1974. Flooded shoreline vegetation in 1975 apparently enhanced spawning success by providing a more suitable substrate and protective cover for early life stages. First-summer growth of the four most abundant fishes (yellow perch, buffaloes, and white bass) did not change significantly between years. Standing crops of the larger zooplankton (calanoids and daphnids) decreased during the high-water year, perhaps because of predation by age-0 fish. Standing crops of the smaller zooplankton species such as Bosmina longirostris and Chydorus sphaericus increased during the high-water year, as did the overall diversity of the zooplankton community. We conclude that management of water levels in Missouri River main-stem reservoirs to include one high-water year out of every three would greatly enhance the lakeˈs fishery resources.

An Electrofishing Survey of the Illinois River, 1959-1974


 The upper Illinois River is warmer than the lower River, as a result of warm municipal and industrial effiuents.
 The upper river is less turbid, because the bottom is generally rocky, whereas Peoria, La Grange, and Alton Pools contain flocculent muds that have entered the river and are kept in suspension by the river current and by wave action resulting from wind, towboats, and pleasurecraft.
 Dissolved oxygen levels at the surface and the bottom of the river were virtually the same in the fall of 1974, and dissolved oxygen levels were 77-97 percent of saturation in Alton Pool, 65-122 percent of saturation in La Grange and Peoria Pools, and 47-104 percent of saturation in the upper Pools of Starved Rock, Marseilles, and Dresden. Local areas of super-saturation occurred where plankton blooms appeared to be in progress. In two areas that provided good physical habitat for largemouth bass, Lower Bath Chute, La Grange Pool (mile 107) and Chillicothe Island Chute, Peoria Pool (mile 180), midsummer oxygen levels were at 35 percent saturation or below for 4-5 years out of the 8-year period 1963---1970. Laboratory experiments have shown that oxygen levels below 35 percent saturation reduce the survival of larval largemouth bass and levels below 70 percent retard their growth.
 The number of fish species taken by electrofishing in the Dresden Pool, Des Plaines River portion of the Illinois Waterway during the period 1959-1974 was consistently low (Tables 29 and 30). Only carp and goldfish and hybrids of these two pollution-tolerant species were commonly taken.
 The following species showed a trend of increasing abundance in the downstream direction, away from Chicago, with the largest number occurring in Alton Pool: shortnose gar, bowfin, goldeye, mooneye, channel catfish, flathead catfish, and white bass.
 Goldfish showed a trend of increasing abundance in the upstream direction, toward Chicago.
 The following species were most abundant in one or both of the two middle pools of the river, La Grange and Peoria Pools, which have the most connecting lake area: gizzard shad, carp, river carpsucker, smallmouth buffalo, bigmouth buffalo, black buffalo, yellow bullhead, green sunfish, bluegill, largemouth bass, white crappie, black crappie, and freshwater drum.
 Gizzard shad and carp were generally abundant throughout the river.
 Black bullheads were abundant at one atypical station, Ballard Island Chute, Marseilles Pool (mile 247.8- 248.2), which apparently provides preferred habitat for this species.
 Gamefish populations declined during the low water years 1962-1964, and recovered following the high water years 1971- 1973. Largemouth bass populations did not recover to 1959- 1962 levels. The recovery appears attributable to improved oxygen levels in the river, and perhaps to increased dilution of toxic materials, and demonstrates how rapidly fish populations respond to improved conditions in the river.
 The commercial and sport fisheries in the Illinois River have generally declined from levels around the turn of the century. The decline is attributable to a loss of habitat and increasing pollution. Habitat was lost due to leveeing and draining of bottomland areas in the period 1903-1926 and due to sedimentation in the remaining areas. Sedimentation has resulted in undesirable habitat modification, as well as habitat reduction.
 Northern pike, yellow perch, and walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) were once abundant in the river but are now rare or limited in their distribution. Yellow perch populations have declined probably as the result of the disappearance of beds of aquatic plants and disappearance of clean sand or pebble substrates perch use for spawning.
 In the past the bottomland lakes and backwater areas offered havens for fish and fish food organisms, as the river became increasingly polluted. Now dissolved oxygen levels in the river seem to have improved, while the lakes have filled with sediment that apparently exerts an oxygen demand, keeps aquatic plants from growing, and does not support an abundance of food organisms.
 More and better waste treatment facilities are being constructed by industries and municipalities in the drainage basin of the Illinois River. However, the production of fish and wildlife in the Illinois River and its bottomland lakes is not likely to improve unless sediment pollution is also brought under control.
 The consequences of future uses of land in the drainage basin and the consequences of future uses of the river must be predicted, so that a wise selection of alternatives can be made. If the river is to be managed in the future for a variety of beneficial uses, then the various state, federal, and private agencies charged with managing land and water within the drainage basin must work in a coordinated fashion, rather than at cross purposes.