Simulating Tidal Flushing Response to the Construction of a Low-Crested Weir Connecting Port Canaveral to the Banana River, Florida

摘要

Indian River Lagoon (IRL) is a restricted estuary along the east coast of Florida. Although Banana River, a 50-km-long subbasin of IRL, has an outlet to the ocean through the Port Canaveral Locks, the locks remain closed when there is no passing vessel, resulting in limited circulation, long flushing time, and poor water quality. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which constructing a low-crested weir adjacent to Port Canaveral can improve flushing in this region. A computer program was used to simulate the hydrodynamic properties of the study area and determine the two-dimensional (2D) depth-averaged velocity field. Then, passive particles were placed in the Banana River, and their movement was tracked using the Lagrangian particle-tracking model (LPTM). Transport timescales were then computed. Results indicate an improvement in flushing in both the Banana River and the central IRL. In the portion of the Banana River to the south of the port complex, the flushing time was decreased from over 200 days down to 38 days as a result of an induced southerly current caused by the proposed low-crested weir.