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The proposed research aims to develop a reach scale numerical model to simulate long-term vegetation establishment, growth, and desiccation while avoiding the limitation of the 1D model that can only represent the vegetation at limited locations. The model will bridge the gap between a 1D numerical model that is over simplified to cover a reach as long as 100 miles over decades and a vegetation map that needs detailed information regarding each vegetation zone.

How can ecohydraulic modeling capabilities be improved by enhancing capability to predict scour in support of habitat and riparian rehabilitation projects? Multi-dimensional hydraulic, sediment, and habitat modeling are now routinely requested by project offices in order to meet demands for quantitative evaluation of alternative restoration designs. The complexity of ecohydraulic processes requires improvements in ability to predict interactions that effect localized patterns. Ability to better predict scour that will affect vegetation recruitment and removal, to the benefit or detriment of habitat rehabilitation projects, is vitally important to guide designers in order to ensure long-term success. The benefit of the project will be in producing a more useful tool for restoration practitioners to use in evaluating alternative designs.

The goal of this project is to better to determine whether deltas and backwaters represent significant areas of riparian and wetland habitat on a landscape scale, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Further, we hypothesize that early successional woody riparian species, which are declining along many regulated river reaches below dams, will be comparatively abundant where reservoirs experience large fluctuations in pool elevations. Understanding the drivers of delta-backwater vegetation can facilitate a predictive understanding of these habitats in response to, for example, changes in water management or in hydrology upstream from reservoirs.

River restoration projects are complex structures involving a multitude of hydraulic approaches to develop a river ecosystem that is intended improve habitat for targeted species (animal and plant). These designs are often put together with extensive modeling and design efforts. It has been noticed during water up and operation of constructed river restoration projects that water surfaces through the system are often higher than the designs and models predict. The research question this proposal addresses is how different are the water surface elevations between design and actual? It is assumed that these water surface elevations are typically higher than designs and numerical models predict for the low flows and the difference decreases at higher floodplain flows. Little post construction data has been collected and analyzed making selecting an acceptable freeboard for channel and stream design difficult.

The proposed research will test the following hypotheses and conclusions from previous work: (1) the wetted perimeter of the Bighorn River continues to remain relatively stable since dam emplacement, as found in a previous study; (2) geomorphic diversity within the channel is likely stable since the previous study and any recent erosion within the channel does not fall outside of historic fluctuations (3) physical excavation is required to reconnect many endangered and disconnected side channels along the Bighorn River, as model predictions indicate that the side channels will not be reconnected with high flows alone; (4) once restored, high flow releases can help prevent aggradation at side channel entrances.