Instability of Sandbars in Grand Canyon
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 120, Issue 8
Abstract
The Glen Canyon Dam, located in the northeastern corner of Arizona, is operated to satisfy peak power demands of neighboring states. The discharge regime of the dam is such that the river stage in the Colorado River downstream of the dam varies diurnally as much as 4 m in some sections. It is alleged that these fluctuations of the river stage are responsible for the destruction of sandbars and, as a result, the loss of the extant biomass and the reduction of recreational facilities. In this paper, an analysis is developed to determine the equilibrium slope below which slope failures (mass wasting, bank failures) due to seepage of bank‐stored water would be unlikely. The sediments enclosed by the equilibrium seepage slope (range 11°–14° for the sediments downstream of the Glen Canyon Dam) and the maximum slope angle (range from 26° to 32°) is subjected to ongoing aggradation and erosion. Field data from ground surveys support the analysis described in this paper.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 120 • Issue 8 • August 1994
Pages: 919 - 933
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 1, 1993
Published online: Aug 1, 1994
Published in print: Aug 1994
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