Two-Dimensional Simulations of Contaminant Currents in Stratified Reservoir
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 124, Issue 7
Abstract
An unsteady two-dimensional (2D) reservoir hydrodynamics and transport model is employed to simulate contaminated density currents in the Shasta Reservoir after a chemical spill into the Sacramento River, Calif. Three flow regimes (plunging flow, underflow, and interflow) and their occurrence are captured by the laterally averaged model. Transport and mixing processes in the temperature-stratified reservoir are analyzed through simulations of flow velocities, water temperature, and contaminant concentration. Flow behavior of the contaminant plume is described by plunge distance, separation depth, intruding thickness, and the spatial and temporal dilution of chemicals. Simulation results are compared with field data for water temperature and contaminant concentration collected in the reservoir during the emergency response to the spill. Relatively good agreement between field measurements and predicted reservoir stratification and chemical dilution is obtained. It is shown that the aeration system installed in the reservoir contributed to the downstream reduction of chemical concentration to a nondetectable level shortly after the spill. The 2D simulations and analyses improve understanding and predictions of the movement of a conservative contaminant plume in a stratified reservoir. The results can assist in contamination control and remediation after a toxic chemical spill, guide field sampling during the spill, and provide information useful for water quality management.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Akiyama, J., and Stefan, H. G.(1984). “Plunging flow into a reservoir: theory.”J. Hydr. Engrg., ASCE, 110(4), 484–499.
2.
Alavian, V., Jirka, G. H., Denton, R. A., Johnson, M. C., and Stefan, H. G.(1992). “Density currents entering lakes and reservoirs.”J. Hydr. Engrg., ASCE, 118(11), 1464–1489.
3.
Alavian, V., and Ostrowski, P.(1992). “Use of density current to modify thermal structure of TVA Reservoirs.”J. Hydr. Engrg., ASCE, 118(5), 688–706.
4.
Barnese, L. E., Neichter, P. L., and Bohanon, J. A. (1993). “Evaluation of water quality in Caesar Creek Lake, Ohio using the CE-QUAL-W2 water quality model.” U.S. Army Corps of Engrs., Louisville, Ky.
5.
Buchak, E. M., and Edinger, J. E. (1984). “Generalized longitudinal-vertical hydrodynamics and transport: development, programming and application.” U.S. Army Corps of Engrs. Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss.
6.
Chaudhry, M. H. (1993). Open-channel flow. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
7.
Chow, V. T. (1959). Open-channel hydraulics. McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y.
8.
Chung, S. W. (1996). “Simulation and analysis of density flows and contaminant transport in a stratified reservoir,” MS thesis, Dept. of Civ. and Constr. Engrg., Iowa State Univ., Ames, Iowa.
9.
Cole, T. M. (1982). “Application of the LARM two-dimensional computer model to canyon reservoir,” MS thesis, Southwest Texas State Univ., San Marcos, Tex.
10.
Cole, T. M., and Buchak, E. M. (1994). “CE-QUAL-W2: a two-dimensional, laterally averaged, hydrodynamic and water quality model, version 2.0 user's manual.” U.S. Army Corps of Engrs., Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss.
11.
Draper, W. M., and Wakeham, D. E.(1993). “Rate constants for metam-sodium cleavage and photodecomposition in water.”J. Agric. Food Chem., 41, 1129–1133.
12.
Edinger, J. E., Buchak, E. M., and Merritt, D. H. (1983). “Longitudinal-vertical hydrodynamics and transport with chemical equilibria for Lake Powell and Lake Mead.”Salinity in watercourses and Reservoirs, R. H. French, ed., Butterworth Publishers, Stoneham, Mass., 213–222.
13.
Environmental and Hydraulics Laboratory (1986). “CE-QUAL-W2: A numerical two-dimensional, laterally averaged model of hydrodynamics and water quality: user's manual.”Instruction Rep. E-86-5, U.S. Army Corps of Engrs., Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss.
14.
Fang, X., and Stefan, H. G. (1991). “Integral jet model for flow from an open channel into a shallow lake or reservoir.”Project Rep. 315, St. Anthony Falls Hydraulic Lab., Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.
15.
Farrell, G. J., and Stefan, H. G.(1989). “Mathematical modeling of plunging reservoir flows.”J. Hydr. Res., 26(5), 525–536.
16.
Fischer, H. B., List, E. J., Koh, R. C. Y., Imberger, J., and Brooks, N. H. (1979). Mixing in inland and coastal waters. Academic Press, Inc., New York, N.Y.
17.
Ford, D. E., and Johnson, M. C. (1983). “An assessment of reservoir density currents and inflow processes.”Tech. Rep. E-83-7, U.S. Army Corps of Engrs., Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss.
18.
Gu, R., McCutcheon, S. C., and Wang, P.(1996). “Modeling reservoir density underflow and interflow from a chemical spill.”Water Resour. Res., 32(3), 695–705.
19.
Hebbert, B., Imberger, J., Loh, I., and Patterson, J.(1979). “Collie river underflow into the Wellington reservoir.”J. Hydr. Div., ASCE, 105(5), 533–545.
20.
Imberger, J. (1982). “Reservoir dynamics modeling.”Prediction in water quality, O'Loughlin, E. M. and Cullen, P., ed., Australian Acad. of Sci., Canberra, Australia, 223–248.
21.
Imberger, J., and Hamblin, P. F.(1982). “Dynamics of lakes, reservoirs and cooling ponds.”Ann. Rev. Fluid Mech., 14, 153–187.
22.
Johnson, T. R., Ellis, C. R., and Stefan, H. G.(1989). “Negatively buoyant flow in a diverging channel. IV: Entrainment and dilution.”J. Hydr. Engrg., ASCE, 115(4), 437–456.
23.
Johnson, T. R., Ellis, C. R., Farell, G. J., and Stefan, H. G.(1987). “Negatively buoyant flow in a diverging channel. Part 2: 3-D flow field descriptions.”J. Hydr. Engrg., 113(6), 731–742.
24.
Lide, D. R. (1992). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. CRC Press, Inc., Ann Arbor, Mich.
25.
Martin, J. L. (1987). “Application of a two-dimensional model of hydrodynamics and water quality (CE-QUAL-W2) to DeGray Lake, Arkansas.”Technical Rep. E-87-1, U.S. Army Engrs. Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss.
26.
McKee, C. P., Thackston, E. L., Speece, R. E., Wilson, D. J., and Cardozo, R. J. (1992). “Modeling of water quality in Cheatham Lake.”Technical Rep. 42, Envir. and Water Resour. Engrg., Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, Tenn.
27.
Mossman, D. J., Schnoor, J. L., and Stumm, W.(1988). “Predicting the effects of a pesticide release to the Rhine River.”J. Water Pollution Control Federation, 60(10), 1806–1812.
28.
Orlob, G. T. (1983). “Mathematical modeling of water quality: stream, lakes, and reservoirs.”International series on applied system analysis, Vol. 12, John Wiley & Sons, New York, N.Y.
29.
Rosario, A., Remoy, J., Soliman, V., Dhaliwal, J., Dhoot, J., and Perera, K.(1994). “Monitoring for selected degradation products followingp a spill of VAPAM into the Sacramento River.”J. Envir. Qual., 23, 279–286.
30.
Schnoor, J. L., Mossman, D. J., Borzilov, V. A., Novitsky, M. A., Voszhennikov, O. I., and Gerasimenko, A. K. (1992). “Mathematical model for chemical spills and distributed source runoff to large rivers.”Fate of pesticides and chemicals in the environment, J. L. Schnoor, ed., John Wiley & Sons, New York, N.Y., 347–370.
31.
Van Gils, J. A. (1988). “Modeling of accidental spills as a tool for river management.”Proc., 1st Int. Conf. on Chemical Spills and Emergency Mgmt. at Sea, Kluwer Academic Publishers Group, Norwell, Mass., 405–414.
32.
Worthing, C. R. (ed.). (1987). The pesticide manual. 8th Ed., The British Crop Protection Council, U.K.
33.
Zepp, R. G., and Cline, D. M.(1977). “Rates of direct photolysis in aquatic environment.”Envir. Sci. and Technol., 11(4), 359–366.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: Jul 1, 1998
Published in print: Jul 1998
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.