Water Temperature Modeling in the Middle Fork Willamette and South Santiam River Basins Completed
Hills Creek, Lookout Point, and Dexter Dams are located on the Middle Fork Willamette River upstream of Eugene in western Oregon, and are important resources managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for flood control, hydroelectric power, recreation, navigation, and irrigation. On the South Santiam River east of Albany in western Oregon, Green Peter and Foster Dams provide functions and resources that are similar to those of the Middle Fork Willamette River dams. The dams on both of these river systems are under scrutiny because the Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives listed in the 2008 Willamette Basin Biological Opinion requires USACE to assess the feasibility of developing project-specific alternatives for achieving fish passage as well as improved long-term temperature control downstream of these dams. To support that effort, USACE asked the USGS Oregon Water Science Center to model water flow and temperature through the dam complexes on the Middle Fork Willamette and South Santiam Rivers to assess the effects of potential structural and operational changes at the dams.
Hills Creek, Lookout Point, and Dexter Dams are located on the Middle Fork Willamette River upstream of Eugene in western Oregon, and are important resources managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for flood control, hydroelectric power, recreation, navigation, and irrigation. Hills Creek and Lookout Point Dams impound large reservoirs (234,300 and 336,400 acre-feet of usable storage, respectively), whereas Dexter Dam is smaller and serves primarily as a re-regulating dam for releases from Lookout Point Dam. On the South Santiam River east of Albany in western Oregon, Green Peter and Foster Dams provide functions and resources that are similar to those of the Middle Fork Willamette River dams. Green Peter Lake has 312,500 acre-feet of usable storage and is much larger and deeper than Foster Lake, a downstream re-regulating project that holds 28,300 acre-feet at full pool.
The dams on both of these river systems are under scrutiny because the Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives listed in the 2008 Willamette Basin Biological Opinion (National Marine Fisheries Service, 2008) requires USACE to assess the feasibility of developing project-specific alternatives for achieving fish passage as well as improved long-term temperature control downstream of these dams. The goal of improved temperature management is to provide suitable water temperatures for endangered Upper Willamette River (UWR) Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and UWR winter steelhead (O. mykiss). USACE must prepare an Alternatives Report addressing these issues. To support that effort, USACE asked the USGS Oregon Water Science Center to model water flow and temperature through the Hills Creek/Lookout Point/Dexter dam complex on the Middle Fork Willamette River and the Green Peter/Foster dam complex on the South Santiam River to assess the effects of potential structural and operational changes at the dams.
To help USACE determine the ways in which structural and/or operational changes to dams on the Middle Fork Willamette and South Santiam River systems can improve downstream water temperature and flow conditions for endangered fish species, the USGS is using existing models to simulate the effects of structural and operational scenarios and follow the effects downstream. On the Middle Fork Willamette River, results from the Hills Creek model feed into the Lookout Point/Dexter model. For the South Santiam River, results from the Foster model feed into a South Santiam River model.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Development of CE-QUAL-W2 models for the Middle Fork Willamette and South Santiam Rivers, Oregon
Simulating potential structural and operational changes for Detroit Dam on the North Santiam River, Oregon, for downstream temperature management
Simulating potential structural and operational changes for Detroit Dam on the North Santiam River, Oregon-Interim Results
Thermal effects of dams in the Willamette River basin, Oregon
Modeling Hydrodynamics, Water Temperature, and Suspended Sediment in Detroit Lake, Oregon
Modeling Streamflow and Water Temperature in the North Santiam and Santiam Rivers, Oregon, 2001-02
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
Hills Creek, Lookout Point, and Dexter Dams are located on the Middle Fork Willamette River upstream of Eugene in western Oregon, and are important resources managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for flood control, hydroelectric power, recreation, navigation, and irrigation. On the South Santiam River east of Albany in western Oregon, Green Peter and Foster Dams provide functions and resources that are similar to those of the Middle Fork Willamette River dams. The dams on both of these river systems are under scrutiny because the Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives listed in the 2008 Willamette Basin Biological Opinion requires USACE to assess the feasibility of developing project-specific alternatives for achieving fish passage as well as improved long-term temperature control downstream of these dams. To support that effort, USACE asked the USGS Oregon Water Science Center to model water flow and temperature through the dam complexes on the Middle Fork Willamette and South Santiam Rivers to assess the effects of potential structural and operational changes at the dams.
Hills Creek, Lookout Point, and Dexter Dams are located on the Middle Fork Willamette River upstream of Eugene in western Oregon, and are important resources managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for flood control, hydroelectric power, recreation, navigation, and irrigation. Hills Creek and Lookout Point Dams impound large reservoirs (234,300 and 336,400 acre-feet of usable storage, respectively), whereas Dexter Dam is smaller and serves primarily as a re-regulating dam for releases from Lookout Point Dam. On the South Santiam River east of Albany in western Oregon, Green Peter and Foster Dams provide functions and resources that are similar to those of the Middle Fork Willamette River dams. Green Peter Lake has 312,500 acre-feet of usable storage and is much larger and deeper than Foster Lake, a downstream re-regulating project that holds 28,300 acre-feet at full pool.
The dams on both of these river systems are under scrutiny because the Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives listed in the 2008 Willamette Basin Biological Opinion (National Marine Fisheries Service, 2008) requires USACE to assess the feasibility of developing project-specific alternatives for achieving fish passage as well as improved long-term temperature control downstream of these dams. The goal of improved temperature management is to provide suitable water temperatures for endangered Upper Willamette River (UWR) Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and UWR winter steelhead (O. mykiss). USACE must prepare an Alternatives Report addressing these issues. To support that effort, USACE asked the USGS Oregon Water Science Center to model water flow and temperature through the Hills Creek/Lookout Point/Dexter dam complex on the Middle Fork Willamette River and the Green Peter/Foster dam complex on the South Santiam River to assess the effects of potential structural and operational changes at the dams.
To help USACE determine the ways in which structural and/or operational changes to dams on the Middle Fork Willamette and South Santiam River systems can improve downstream water temperature and flow conditions for endangered fish species, the USGS is using existing models to simulate the effects of structural and operational scenarios and follow the effects downstream. On the Middle Fork Willamette River, results from the Hills Creek model feed into the Lookout Point/Dexter model. For the South Santiam River, results from the Foster model feed into a South Santiam River model.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Development of CE-QUAL-W2 models for the Middle Fork Willamette and South Santiam Rivers, Oregon
Hydrodynamic (CE-QUAL-W2) models of Hills Creek Lake (HCL), Lookout Point Lake (LOP), and Dexter Lake (DEX) on the Middle Fork Willamette River (MFWR), and models of Green Peter Lake and Foster Lake on the South Santiam River systems in western Oregon were updated and recalibrated for a wide range of flow and meteorological conditions. These CE-QUAL-W2 models originally were developed by West ConsAuthorsNorman L. Buccola, Adam J. Stonewall, Annett B. Sullivan, Yoonhee Kim, Stewart A. RoundsSimulating potential structural and operational changes for Detroit Dam on the North Santiam River, Oregon, for downstream temperature management
Detroit Dam was constructed in 1953 on the North Santiam River in western Oregon and resulted in the formation of Detroit Lake. With a full-pool storage volume of 455,100 acre-feet and a dam height of 463 feet, Detroit Lake is one of the largest and most important reservoirs in the Willamette River basin in terms of power generation, recreation, and water storage and releases. The U.S. Army CorpsAuthorsNorman L. Buccola, Stewart A. Rounds, Annett B. Sullivan, John C. RisleySimulating potential structural and operational changes for Detroit Dam on the North Santiam River, Oregon-Interim Results
Prior to operational changes in 2007, Detroit Dam on the North Santiam River in western Oregon had a well-documented effect on downstream water temperature that was problematic for endangered salmonid fish species. In this U.S. Geological Survey study, done in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, an existing calibrated CE-QUAL-W2 model of Detroit Lake (the impounded waterbody behindAuthorsNorman L. Buccola, Stewart A. RoundsThermal effects of dams in the Willamette River basin, Oregon
Methods were developed to assess the effects of dams on streamflow and water temperature in the Willamette River and its major tributaries. These methods were used to estimate the flows and temperatures that would occur at 14 dam sites in the absence of upstream dams, and river models were applied to simulate downstream flows and temperatures under a no-dams scenario. The dams selected for this stAuthorsStewart A. RoundsModeling Hydrodynamics, Water Temperature, and Suspended Sediment in Detroit Lake, Oregon
Detroit Lake is a large reservoir on the North Santiam River in west-central Oregon. Water temperature and suspended sediment are issues of concern in the river downstream of the reservoir. A CE-QUAL-W2 model was constructed to simulate hydrodynamics, water temperature, total dissolved solids, and suspended sediment in Detroit Lake. The model was calibrated for calendar years 2002 and 2003, and foAuthorsAnnett B. Sullivan, Stewart A. Rounds, Steven Sobieszczyk, Heather M. BraggModeling Streamflow and Water Temperature in the North Santiam and Santiam Rivers, Oregon, 2001-02
To support the development of a total maximum daily load (TMDL) for water temperature in the Willamette Basin, the laterally averaged, two-dimensional model CE-QUAL-W2 was used to construct a water temperature and streamflow model of the Santiam and North Santiam Rivers. The rivers were simulated from downstream of Detroit and Big Cliff dams to the confluence with the Willamette River. Inputs to tAuthorsAnnett B. Sullivan, Stewart A. Roundsk - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.