Identification of Study Approaches to Determine Physical Impacts of Commercial Navigation on the Upper Mississippi River System

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Bed Material Characteristics of the Mississippi River Within Pool 19

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Sediment Control from Surface Facility Construction

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Kankakee Dam Discharge Characteristics

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Adequacy and Economics of Water Supply in Northeastern Illinois, 1985-2010

Plans were developed for optimal use of available groundwater and surface water resources for adequate and dependable water supply to all towns in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties. An efficient water-demand model, based on a town's population and industrial employment, was used for future demand projections. The potential yield of sand and gravel and Silurian dolomite aquifers was investigated. Cost functions were developed in terms of July 1980 dollars for wells, pumps, water conveyance system components, reservoirs, and treatment plants. Out of a total of 273 towns, 96 are presently served with lake water either directly or from Chicago. The groundwater supply from shallow aquifers is adequate for 85 towns. Thus, 92 towns need other sources of water if the safe yield of the deep sandstone aquifer is not to be exceeded. Six optimal regional systems to meet these demands were developed. The Fox Valley system considers conjunctive use of groundwater, as well as direct supply from Lake Michigan. The Kankakee River system considers water withdrawal from the river near Wilmington. The other four systems — Lake County, Northwestern Cook County, DuPage County, and Southern Cook County — obtain water from the lake directly or from Chicago. With the proposed individual groundwater and regional surface water systems, there is ample water for all towns in northeastern Illinois to meet their water demands for the next 30 or more years, without mining of the deep aquifer.publishedpeer reviewedOpe

Water Resources Availability, Quality, and Cost in Northeastern Illinois

This report summarizes studies of the water resources of northeastern Illinois, a 3700–square–mile area including Cook, Du Page, Kane, McHenry, Lake, and Will Counties. Water resources consist of Lake Michigan water, surface water, and groundwater. Because the use of Lake Michigan water is limited by the U.S. Supreme Court and deep sandstone groundwater resources are being overdeveloped, future water shortages are expected. All available water resources in addition to Lake Michigan were estimated by township and compared with projected future water demands for 1980–2010 to determine the amount and location of deficits. Alternative sources to meet the specific shortages were studied and compared, where possible, by cost. Extensive water quality data also were summarized. Water shortages, depending on resource use schemes, in the area may approach 200 million gallons per day by the year 2000. Feasible plans for meeting these needs are described as a guide to allocation of Lake Michigan water and future planning for water resources.publishedpeer reviewedOpe

Physical Changes Associated with Navigation Traffic on the Illinois and Upper Mississippi Rivers

Physical changes associated with navigation traffic in a large river environment such as the Illinois or Mississippi River are many and varied. Some of these changes are related to basic hydraulic and physical factors, and can be measured using available instrumentation. Other changes are not quantifiable by direct measurement in the field, and their effects can only be observed over a long period of time. Relationships between barge-tow movements and the hydraulic and physical characteristics of specified reaches of a river are not fully understood at the present time. This scientific area of large river fluvial hydrodynamics has not been addressed fully with a detailed and comprehensive plan of action. Moreover, because changes in the hydraulic parameters of a river are normally associated with changes in the river's biological activities and/or habitats, a clear understanding of the ambient or original hydrauliccharacteristics of the river is needed before management decisions can be made. The present investigation is one of the first attempts to quantify the hydraulic changes associated with the movement of navigation traffic within the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS). Work is also being done by researchers from the Waterways Experiment Station (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) on laboratory simulation of flows in the near field of a barge-tow. This report outlines the research that has been completed by engineers and scientists from the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) on physical changes associated with navigation traffic. In addition to research results, materials showing the basic hydraulic structure of large river systems such as the UMRS are included in the appendices.U.S. Geological Survey Environmental Management Technical CenterOpe

Hydrology, Hydraulics, and Sediment Transport, Kankakee and Iroquois Rivers

The hydrology, sediment transport, and hydraulics of flow were investigated for the Kankakee and Iroquois Rivers in Illinois and Indiana. The hydrologic analysis of flood and low flows showed that the Kankakee River near Wilmington, which reflects the combined flows from the Iroquois and the upper Kankakee Rivers, is strongly influenced by the Iroquois River during flood flows and by the upper Kankakee River during low flows. The presence of wetlands and the sandy soils in the upper Kankakee River were identified as among the major reasons for such influences. The sediment transport characteristics of the Kankakee and Iroquois were investigated based on three years of suspended sediment data at four gaging stations. Sediment transport curves and relationships between annual sediment load and water discharge were developed. Transport of sediment during storm events was analyzed by developing cumulative sediment transport curves. Impacts of channel clearing and snagging were investigated by using two computer programs to calculate water surface profiles and to route floods on the Iroquois River. Flow resistance on the main stem of the Kankakee River was also analyzed.publishedpeer reviewedOpe

Sediment Transport and Water Quality Characteristics of Two Streams in Kane County

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Test Results of a Settling Basin Hydraulic Model

The Illinois State Water Survey in cooperation with the City of Chicago studied the flow characteristics in a hydraulic model of one of the sixteen settling basins in the Central Water Filtration Plant (CWFP). The study objective was improvement of flow conditions in the prototype settling basins in order to improve the quality of the settled water applied to filters. A l-to-24 scale model of one of the prototype settling basins was constructed. The model includes the raw water supply channel, the mixing basin with four end around mixing channels including paddle flocculators in each channel, the upper and lower settling basins and the settled water collector. The model performance was evaluated by making slug tracer studies, obtaining velocity distributions in the upper settling basin and taking time-lapse color photographs of the advance of dye in the upper settling basin. The original model and several modifications were tested. Modifications ested included turning vanes at a bend in the mixing channels, reduced open area in the slotted baffle wall, various types and locations of screen grids in the upper settling basin, additional outlet ports from the lower settling basin and varied numbers of paddle flocculators in the fourth mixing channel. Test results are discussed for all modifications. Specific test results are presented for the original model and selected modifications. Results are also given for a dispersion test and for an investigation of turbulent velocity fluctuations in the upper settling basin. Model test results showed that slug tracers were not sensitive to most of the modifications investigated. Paddle flocculators prevent short circuiting in the mixing channels as well as promote flocculation. An inclined screen at the downstream end of the upper settling basin was not advantageous and can not be recommended for use. Recommendations for installation in prototype basins are: 1) turning vanes at abrupt channel bends, 2) open area less than 5 percent in slotted baffle walls, 3) full depth screen baffles if three are used in series and if sludge removal equipment is properly designed and 4) training walls in wide basins. Modifications recommended for trial in CWPP are turning vanes in the bend between mixing channels 3 and 4, and reduction of open area in the slotted baffle wall to 2.6 percent. Four additional outlet valves from the lower settling basin are suggested for reduction of head loss only. A deaeration system was installed to supply partially degasified water to the model. Deaerated water was required for operation of the thermistor velocity meter which was developed to measure the very low velocity flow in the settling basin.publishedpeer reviewedOpe