Entrainment, Transport, and Fate of Sediments during Storm Events in Urban Canals and Rivers: Case Study on Bubbly Creek, Chicago
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 147, Issue 8
Abstract
Bubbly Creek is the historical name given to the West Fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River (SBCR). Even though its base flow is small, during extreme storm events Bubbly Creek becomes an important tributary to the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS). During extreme storm events, combined sewer overflows (CSOs) discharged by the Racine Avenue pumping station (RAPS), located at the head of the creek, can result in large flow velocities, potentially entraining into suspension bottom sediments, which contain abundant organic muck and buried waste. Under normal storm flow conditions, the flow discharge from Bubbly Creek flows first into the SBCR and then is conveyed by the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) towards Lockport, Illinois. However, during extreme rainfall events the conveyance capacity of the CSSC is exceeded, so there is a flow reversal, and Bubbly Creek water and sediments flow north, along the SBCR and then towards Lake Michigan via the Chicago River controlling works (CRCW). Due to lack of field observations during storms, the entrainment, transport, and fate of sediments from Bubbly Creek during reversed-flow conditions, cannot be easily assessed. This motivated the use of numerical modeling to evaluate the erosion, transport, and deposition of sediments from Bubbly Creek on the CAWS. The public-domain three-dimesional (3D) environmental fluid dynamics code (EFDC) was used to simulate hydrodynamics and sediment transport for two storm events with normal and reversed flow directions and high CSO discharge. Results show that RAPS discharge picks up sediment from Bubbly Creek, causing high-suspended sediment concentrations due to high rates of bottom material resuspension. In the September 2008 storm, approximately 8% the sediment reached CRCW and went into Lake Michigan during flow reversal, while 83% of the sediment went south along the CSSC towards Lockport, Illinois. Herein, the novelty is in shedding light on applying a 3D cohesive sediment module to evaluate the erosion, transport, and fate of organic muck and cohesive sediments originating in Bubbly Creek along the CAWS. The flow and sediment partitioning, bed morphology, and its potential impact on the system could be analyzed under normal and reversed flow conditions for both recently deposited as well as legacy sediments accumulating since RAPS went into operation almost a century ago. Capping of legacy sediments together with periodic dredging of sediments deposited after a CSO event could be an alternative worthwhile considering for urban streams like Bubbly Creek, where flow only takes place after extreme rainfall events.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
Data for the hydrodynamic boundary conditions, precipitation data, and sediment characteristics that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Additional data can be obtained directly upon request from the ISWS, MWRD, and the USGS.
Acknowledgments
The financial support of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC) through a research grant to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) is gratefully acknowledged. The data provided by the ISWS, MWRDGC and USGS, are also acknowledged. The authors would like to thank Dr. Viviana Morales and Dr. Hao Luo for CSO data simulated by CS-TARP. Also, the help of Dr. Zhenduo Zhu and Yifan He is acknowledged for helping with initial model setup in EFDC. Specially thanks to Dr. Davide Motta and Dr. David Waterman for the discussions on modeling results and measurement data in Bubbly Creek. The conclusions and results presented herein about the impact of historical events, are solely those of the authors of the manuscript and do not represent the opinion and views of the MWRDGC or any of the state and federal agencies mentioned in the manuscript.
References
Abad, J. D., G. C. Buscaglia, and M. H. Garcia. 2008. “2D stream hydrodynamic, sediment transport and bed morphology model for engineering applications.” Hydrol. Process. 22 (10): 1443–1459. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.6697.
Alp, E., and C. Melching. 2006. Calibration of a model for simulation of water quality during unsteady flow in the Chicago Waterway System and application to evaluate use attainability analysis remedial actions. Milwaukee: Marquette Univ.
Bernard, R. S. 1993. STREMR: Numerical model for depth-averaged incompressible flow. Vicksburg, MS: US Army Corps of Engineering.
Blumberg, A. F., B. Galperin, and D. J. O’Connor. 1992. “Modeling vertical structure of open-channel flows.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 118 (8): 1119–1134. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9429(1992)118:8(1119).
Brownlie, W. R. 1981. Prediction of flow depth and sediment discharge in open channels. Pasadena, CA: California Institute of Technology.
Brownlie, W. R. 1983. “Flow depth in sand-bed channels.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 109 (7): 959–990. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9429(1983)109:7(959).
Cantone, J., and A. Schmidt. 2011. “Improved understanding and prediction of the hydrologic response of highly urbanized catchements through development of the Illinois Urban Hydrologic Model.” Water Resour. Res. 47 (8).
Galperin, B., L. Kantha, S. Hassid, and A. Rosati. 1988. “A quasi-equilibrium turbulent energy model for geophysical flows.” J. Atmos. Sci. 45 (1): 55–62. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1988)045%3C0055:AQETEM%3E2.0.CO;2.
Garcia, M. H. 2008. Sedimentation engineering: Processes, measurements, modeling, practice. Manuals and Reports of Engineering Practice No. 110, 1150. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Hamrick, J. 1992. “Estuarine environmental impact assessment using a three-dimensional circulation and transport model.” In Estuarine and coastal modeling, 292–303. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Hamrick, J., and T. Wu. 1997. “Computational design and optimization of the EFDC/HEM3D surface water hydrodynamic and eutrophication models.” In Next generation environmental models and computational methods, 143–161. Philadelphia: Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.
Hamrick, J. M., and W. B. Mills. 2000. “Analysis of water temperatures in Conowingo Pond as influenced by the Peach Bottom atomic power plant thermal discharge.” Supplement, Environ. Sci. Policy 3 (S1): 197–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1462-9011(00)00053-8.
Hill, L. 2019. The Chicago River: A natural and unnatural history. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.
Hwang, K.-N. 1989. “Erodibility of fine sediment in wave-dominated environments.” Master’s thesis, Dept. of Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering, Univ. of Florida.
Hwang, K.-N., and A. J. Mehta. 1989. Fine sediment erodibility in Lake Okeechobee, Florida. Gainesville, FL: Univ. of Florida.
Ji, Z.-G. 2017. Hydrodynamics and water quality: Modeling rivers, lakes, and estuaries. New York: Wiley.
Ji, Z.-G., J. H. Hamrick, and J. Pagenkopf. 2002. “Sediment and metals modeling in shallow river.” J. Environ. Eng. 128 (2): 105–119. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9372(2002)128:2(105).
Kim, S. J., A. R. Waratuke, J. M. Mier, and M. H. Garcia. 2014. Chicago River controlling works: Discharge rating curves for hydraulic structures obtained through 3D CFD simulations.. Urbana, IL: Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Luo, H., A. Schmidt, A. Robertson, V. Morales, and M. Garcia. 2014. Hydrologic and hydraulic analysis of Mainstream/Des Plaines TARP system. Ven Te Chow Hydrosystems Laboratory. Champaign, IL: Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Mehta, A., T. Parchure, J. Dixit, and R. Ariathurai. 1982. “Resuspension potential of deposited cohesive sediment beds.” In Estuarine comparisons, 591–609. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier.
Mehta, A. J., E. J. Hayter, W. R. Parker, R. B. Krone, and A. M. Teeter. 1989. “Cohesive sediment transport. I: Process description.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 115 (8): 1076–1093. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9429(1989)115:8(1076).
Mellor, G. L., and T. Yamada. 1982. “Development of a turbulence closure model for geophysical fluid problems.” Rev. Geophys. 20 (4): 851–875. https://doi.org/10.1029/RG020i004p00851.
Morales, V., J. Quijano, A. Schmidt, and M. Garcia. 2016. “Innovative framework to simulate the fate and transport of nonconservative constituents in urban combined sewer catchments.” Water Resour. Res. 52 (11): 9164–9181. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016WR018807.
Morales, V. M., J. M. Mier, and M. H. Garcia. 2017. “Innovative modeling framework for combined sewer overflows prediction.” Urban Water J. 14 (1): 97–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/1573062X.2015.1057183.
Motta, D. 2008. “Two-dimensional hydrodynamic, sediment transport and water quality model for Bubbly Creek, Chicago, Illinois.” Ph.D. thesis, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Motta, D., J. D. Abad, and M. H. Garcia. 2010. “Modeling framework for organic sediment resuspension and oxygen demand: Case of Bubbly Creek in Chicago.” J. Environ. Eng. 136 (9): 952–964. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0000228.
Motta, D., J. D. Abad, X. Liu, and M. H. Garcia. 2009. “Two-dimensional BOD and DO water quality model for Engineering applications: The case of Bubbly Creek in Chicago, Illinois.” In World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, 1–15. Reston, VA: ASCE. https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/41036%28342%29373.
Motta, D., S. Soares Frazao, and M. Garcia. 2007. “Hydrodynamic modeling of Bubbly Creek, Chicago, Illinois: Flow patterns during combined-sewer-overflow events.” In Proc., 5th Int. Symp. on Environmental Hydraulics (ISEH V). Madrid, Spain: International Association for Hydraulic Research.
Moustafa, M., and J. Hamrick. 1993. “Modeling circulation and salinity transport in the Indian River Lagoon.” In Estuarine and coastal modeling, 381–395. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Oberg, N., A. R. Schmidt, B. J. Landry, A. S. Leon, A. R. Waratuke, J. M. Mier, and M. H. García. 2017. “Improved understanding of combined sewer systems using the Illinois conveyance analysis program (ICAP).” Urban Water J. 14 (8): 811–819. https://doi.org/10.1080/1573062X.2016.1269811.
Quijano, J. C., Z. Zhu, V. Morales, B. J. Landry, and M. H. Garcia. 2017. “Three-dimensional model to capture the fate and transport of combined sewer overflow discharges: A case study in the Chicago Area Waterway System.” Sci. Total Environ. 576 (Jan): 362–373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.08.191.
Santacruz, S., and M. H. Garcia. 2014. Hydraulic modeling of Chicago Area Waterways System (CAWS) to assess the impact of hydrologic separation on water levels and potential flooding during extreme rainfall events in Chicago, Illinois. Civil Engineering Studies, Hydraulic Engineering No. 101. Urbana, IL: Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Sinha, S., X. Liu, and M. Garcia. 2012. “Three-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling of the Chicago River, Illinois.” Environ. Fluid Mech. 12 (5): 471–494. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10652-012-9244-5.
Sinha, S., X. Liu, and M. H. Garcia. 2013. “A three-dimensional water quality model of Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS).” Environ. Model. Assess. 18 (5): 567–592. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10666-013-9367-1.
Smagorinsky, J. 1963. “General circulation experiments with the primitive equations: I. The basic experiment.” Mon. Weather Rev. 91 (3): 99–164. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(1963)091%3C0099:GCEWTP%3E2.3.CO;2.
Smith, J. D., and S. McLean. 1977. “Spatially averaged flow over a wavy surface.” J. Geophys. Res. 82 (12): 1735–1746. https://doi.org/10.1029/JC082i012p01735.
Tetra Tech. 2007. The environmental fluid dynamics code theory and computation volume 2: Sediment and contaminant transport and fate. Pasadena, CA: Tetra Tech.
USACE. 2005. Collection and analysis of sediment samples from the South Fork South Branch, Chicago River. Chicago: USACE.
USACE. 2014. The Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin study (GLMRIS) report. Chicago: USACE.
Waterman, D., A. Waratuke, D. Motta, Y. Cataño-Lopera, and M. H. Garcia. 2009. Bubbly Creek sediment oxygen demand (SOD) study with the U of I hydrodynamic SOD sampler. Urbana, IL: Univ. of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
Waterman, D. M., A. R. Waratuke, D. Motta, Y. A. Cataño-Lopera, H. Zhang, and M. H. Garcia. 2011. “In situ characterization of resuspended-sediment oxygen demand in Bubbly Creek, Chicago, Illinois.” J. Environ. Eng. 137 (8): 717–730. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0000382.
Yang, Z., and J. M. Hamrick. 2003. “Variational inverse parameter estimation in a cohesive sediment transport model: An adjoint approach.” J. Geophys. Res. Oceans 108 (C2): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JC001423.
Yin, K., P. Viana, X. Zhao, and K. Rockne. 2007. Active capping remediation project: Bubbly Creek turning basin bore LOG. Chicago: Univ. of Illinois at Chicago.
Zhu, Z., V. Morales, and M. H. Garcia. 2017. “Impact of combined sewer overflow on urban river hydrodynamic modelling: A case study of the Chicago waterway.” Urban Water J. 14 (9): 984–989. https://doi.org/10.1080/1573062X.2017.1301504.
Zhu, Z., N. Oberg, V. M. Morales, J. C. Quijano, B. J. Landry, and M. H. Garcia. 2016. “Integrated urban hydrologic and hydraulic modelling in Chicago, Illinois.” Environ. Modell. Software 77 (Mar): 63–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2015.11.014.
Zhu, Z., D. M. Waterman, and M. H. Garcia. 2018. “Modeling the transport of oil–particle aggregates resulting from an oil spill in a freshwater environment.” Environ. Fluid Mech. 18 (4): 967–984. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10652-018-9581-0.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 147 • Issue 8 • August 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 12, 2020
Accepted: Feb 9, 2021
Published online: Jun 9, 2021
Published in print: Aug 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Nov 9, 2021
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.
Cited by
- Hanna Haddad, Cédric Legout, Magali Jodeau, Spatial variability of erodibility of fine sediments deposited in gravel river beds: from field measurements to 2D numerical models, Journal of Soils and Sediments, 10.1007/s11368-023-03438-6, (2023).