Review of Erosion and Sedimentation Manual by U.S. Department of the Interior

The Erosion and Sedimentation Manual is a brand-new addition to the literature on sedimentation engineering. First published in 2006, it was prepared by hydraulic engineers of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation under the leadership and direction of Chih Ted Yang. He was then Reclamation’s manager of the Sedimentation and River Hydraulics Group, and is now a faculty member at Colorado State University (CSU). A hardcover version of the manual is available for purchase at the U.S. Government bookstore online at http://bookstore.gpo.gov/. A 23-MB PDF version of the manual can also be downloaded for free under “Knowledge Base” at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Web site at http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/sediment/. It can also be downloaded from the CSU Web site at http://www.engr.colostate.edu/ce/facultystaff/yang/index.html.

The Erosion and Sedimentation Manual is intended for engineers with basic background and knowledge in open channel hydraulics, sediment transport, and river morphology. The stated need was to “develop and publish an erosion and sedimentation manual to summarize what we [U.S. Bureau of Reclamation] have learned in the past thirty years for the benefit of practicing engineers and geologists.” The authorship is assumed by chapter and involved C.T. Yang, T. Randle, B.P. Greimann, F.J.M. Simoes, J. Huang, P.W. Makar, L.M. Fotherby, T.R. Bauer, J.A. Bountry, R.C. Hilldale, P.J. Murphy, J. Daraio, R. Ferrari, and K. Collins. All authors of the manual were or are members of the Sedimentation and River Hydraulics Group of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The objectives of writing this manual were to summarize the authors’ experience and knowledge and to share with the public what they have learned and used in solving erosion and sedimentation problems. The manual is also intended to be “used as a reference book for university professors, graduate students, and researchers for solving practical engineering problems.”

The manual is subdivided into nine chapters: (1) Introduction, (2) Erosion and Reservoir Sedimentation, (3) Noncohesive Sediment Transport, (4) Cohesive Sediment Transport, (5) Sedimentation Modeling for Rivers and Reservoirs, (6) Sustainable Development and Use of Reservoirs, (7) River Processes and Restoration, (8) Dam Decommissioning and Sediment Management, and (9) Reservoir Survey and Data Analysis. The book also contains three appendices on notation, conversion factors, and physical properties of water. An author index and a subject index complete this 616-page manual. Each chapter is self-contained, with cross-references to subjects in other chapters. A common notation is used throughout the manual, and each chapter has its own list of references.

This manual should interest practicing hydraulic engineers working in fluvial hydraulics, stream restoration, sediment management, and dam decommissioning. It assumes background knowledge in civil engineering with interest in hydraulics and river engineering.

The manual is a monumental piece of work. The topics have been carefully selected and suit tangible needs of the hydraulic engineering community. Despite the institutional disclaimer, the chapters elaborate on recent trends and methods developed at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The manual specifically covers detailed overviews of the stream power approach to fluvial hydraulics, and presents a suite of numerical models, GSTARS (Generalized Sediment Transport model for Alluvial River Simulation). For instance, the GSTARS models are explained at a substantial level of detail, and the authors integrate the model developments with real-world applications. The approach is quite comprehensive and offers an alternative to the different methods used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, e.g., HEC-RAS (Hydrologic Engineering Centers River Analysis System). As an added value, a strong sense of multidisciplinary team effort permeates the manual. Some examples are cited in the manual, and more information on specific case studies is also available on the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Web site.

The chapters contain a vast amount of information, and the references cited do reflect some of the main developments in the past thirty years. The subjects that are perhaps unique to this manual include the three chapters on cohesive sediment transport, river processes and restoration, and dam decommissioning and sediment management. The presentation of the material is good, and the chapters have gone through several rounds of internal reviews to eliminate most duplications and redundancies. The single nomenclature for this manual also improves readability and strengthens the integration of the various technological components that are presented. The long list of references also seems appropriate.

The editor provided a clear presentation of the text, graphics, equations, tables, and figures. The publisher printed the manuscript on relatively thick and glossy paper, resulting in a fairly heavy (five pounds) hardcover manual. Owing to its weight and volume, it will likely be placed on a bookshelf rather than in a briefcase. The price of the hardcover version is probably right for the intended audience of practitioners, but restrictive for most students. The free downloadable PDF version at the above Reclamation Web site, either by chapter or in its entirety, makes the manual available to all.

In summary, this manual is a welcome addition to the existing literature on erosion and sedimentation. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation offers a unique approach substantiated with recent field applications. The manual features a suite of GSTARS models and their applications. It provides a pragmatic and multidisciplinary approach to river restoration, sediment management problems, and dam decommissioning. The hardcover manual is perhaps a little heavy for the briefcase, but the free downloadable PDF version makes it affordable and highly recommended to all hydraulic engineers.