Upper Grande Ronde Sediment Study and Restoration Prioritization
W2r delivered a watershed-scale, model-based sediment study to inform a strategy for salmon recovery and restoration priorities in the 525-square mile Upper Grande Ronde basin. Our services involved tailored analytical methods using Python programming for sediment budgeting and floodplain analysis to inform watershed-scale production and connectivity of coarse sediment (a key limiting factor on fish habitat and stream recovery in incised systems). The team presented findings to multiple co-manager groups within the UGR, including the Atlas Team and the State of the Science Meeting. W2r also published a paper for the national SEDHYD in 2023.
To work within budget constraints, W2r collaborated with GRMW and the Bonneville Power Administration to assemble large existing datasets, collect additional sediment data in the field, and to develop hydraulic models needed for the study. W2r then adapted the planning-level sediment budget model (Sediment Impact Analysis Methods originally developed by USACE), to inform and map the reach-scale sediment transport, supply, and storage dynamics over 100+ stream miles. The results informed sediment-related connections between reach-scale restoration projects planned for implementation at various watershed positions.
