H2. Waterway Dynamics and Sediment Transport Modeling

Training for Engineering, Hydrology or IT students.

Before its dredging and straightening, Caloosahatchee river was a small winding river that snaked its way from Ft. Thomson to its estuary at Ft. Myers. After its complete engineering rebuild in past decades, the river became just one straight channel. SDS/III, in cooperation with Watershed Council and CRCA/Riverwatch, have been working for many years on projects, related to restoring remaining original oxbows and saving at least last pieces of the river legacy. Supporting various ongoing technical projects related to restoration of the river oxbows, collecting and incorporating quality field data and mostly improving computer simulation models of flow and sustainable resuspension of sediments in original and restored river oxbows are main objectives of this training assignment.

List of main tasks: Research methodology used in similar modeling projects; Conduct field trips to collect site-specific input data; Document measurable parameters (e.g. sediments quality and quantity, pollutants dispersion rate, flow speed and direction, etc.) Create estimation maps showing flow and sediments pathways in main river and site oxbows; Incorporate surface and subsurface water influence on sediments movements; Monitor measurable hydrological erosion processes; Model sediments movement in 2-D and 3-D projections, incorporating all collected and estimated data; Test and calibrate your sediments movements and flow models; Document your findings in comprehensive website; Present your results to interested parties.