Delta Morphodynamics from River Sediment Input: Dam Removal, Elwha River, Washington, USA.

Abstract:

Sediment supply plays an important role in river delta morphodynamics and sustainability, and it is important to evaluate how deltas respond to the restoration or enhancement of sediment supplies. Here we report on the morphodynamic responses of the Elwha River delta to large increases in river sediment loads from the removal of two large dams beginning in 2011. The dam removal project exposed ~30 million tonnes of sediment stored within the former reservoirs to natural erosion by the river, and roughly half of this reservoir sediment was eroded during the first four years of the project. Coastal surveys with GPS-based mapping systems, sonar, and aerial photography have revealed that the Elwha River mouth has expanded seaward by ~500 m with the introduction of new supplies of sediment. Approximately 3.5 million cubic meters (or ~5 million tonnes) of sediment were deposited at the river mouth delta between 2011 and 2015. This newly deposited sediment has been shaped by waves and currents into a series of dynamic bars that have greatly expanded the estuarine habitats of the delta.