NUMERICAL MODELING FOR THE CHINOOK RIVER WETLANDS RESTORATION PROJECT

摘要

The Chinook River estuary is located near the mouth of the Columbia River. The Chinook River has historically supported populations of anadromous salmon and is likely an important rearing habitat for juvenile salmonids from the Columbia River basin. A tide gate at the river's mouth limits tidal flows into the estuary. The Chinook River Restoration Project's goal is the recovery of the natural estuarine wetlands habitat by restoring tidal flows. Bathymetric, current velocity, and salinity data have been collected to develop a hydrodynamic model of the Chinook River estuary for evaluation of restoration alternatives. The calibrated model (RMA10) presented here is being applied to the proposed alternatives to predict the flows, velocities, water surface elevations, and salinities to help identify the best restoration alternative. The model results will be used to evaluate the effect of the tide gate on tidal estuarine function, the system's ability to move floodwater out, and salinity intrusion.