Scott W Anderson
Scott Anderson is a hydrologist and geomorphologist in the Watersheds and Fluvial Systems Section at the Washington Water Science Center.
My work has focused on sediment transport and channel change in rivers of the Pacific Northwest, combining direct sediment sampling, high-resolution topographic differencing, and historical records to understand reach- to watershed-scale sediment dynamics. Much of this work has revolved around understanding how geologic history, human impacts, and contemporary climate interact to influence those sediment dynamic, and how they, in turn, influence flood hazards, habitat, and restoration efforts.
Science and Products
Hoh geomorphology
The Issue: Glaciers in the Hoh River watershed are expected to largely disappear by 2050, while flooding is expected to become more intense. Understanding if or how this will impact sediment transport and channel change in the watershed is relevant for salmon habitat, restoration efforts, and flood hazard management. However, there is relatively little information about historical channel...
Nooksack geomorphology
The Issue: Changes in channel geometry in the Nooksack River can reduce flood conveyance capacity, and so increase local flood hazards. Near Everson, WA, sand and gravel accumulations have increased the likelihood that major floods will spill overbank, sending water north over a low drainage divide where it may cause substantial damage to communities in both Washington and British Columbia. Major...
Channel Change and Sediment Transport in the Puyallup River Watershed
The Issue: Sediment loads in the Puyallup River and its major tributaries, the White River and Carbon River, are high and river channels are dynamic. While there is a relatively rich history of sediment transport and channel change studies in the Puyallup River and its tributaries, there has not been an integrated assessment of channel-elevation trends in nearly a decade. This lack of up-to-date...
Chehalis Watershed Suspended Sediment Monitoring
The Issue: The Chehalis River deposits sediment in Grays Harbor, which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regularly dredges to maintain shipping access. The sources and overall volumes of sediment transport in the lower river were last assessed in the 1960s. Given substantial changes in land-use and watershed regulations over the subsequent half-century, there is an open question as to if or how...
Channel change monitoring following the Pilchuck Dam removal
The issue: In the summer of 2020, the Pilchuck Dam will be removed, allowing salmon access to the upper third of the Pilchuck River watershed for the first time in over a century. This removal will be associated with a short period increased sediment delivery, as the river re-works material trapped behind the dam. While the volume of impounded sediment is small and major changes in the downstream...
Coarse sediment delivery and routing in the White River
The Issue: Ongoing channel aggradation has reduced flow conveyance along the lower White River, increasing the flood risk in urban-suburban areas. A refined understanding of the delivery, transport and deposition of sediment in the White River, and how those processes may be influenced by climate and existing dam operations, is necessary in order to plan for future flood hazard in the lower White...
Sediment Transport in Vance Creek
The Issue: Streamflow in the lower 3.6 miles of the gravel-bedded Vance Creek often goes subsurface in the summer, limiting potential utilization by fish. There is an interest in stream restoration projects that might improve low-flow habitat conditions and connectivity, but their design and implementation are limited by a lack of knowledge about sediment transport conditions in the reach. How...
Sauk River Sediment
Fine-grained sediments in the lower reach of the Sauk River are adversely affecting the health and spawning of Chinook salmon. Climate change and forestry practices have been proposed as suspected causes of a reported increase in sediment loading to the river. To determine the amount and timing of suspended-sediment loading to the river and possible connections to adverse effects on Chinook salmon...
SR 530 Slide
In the immediate aftermath of the SR530 Landslide, the USGS supported first responders and decision-makers as a key member of the collaborative effort to monitor the stability of the landslide deposit and the associated impoundment of the North Fork Stillaguamish River during rescue operations. With the initial disaster response now over, longer-term questions have arisen regarding the stability...
Science and Products
Hoh geomorphology
The Issue: Glaciers in the Hoh River watershed are expected to largely disappear by 2050, while flooding is expected to become more intense. Understanding if or how this will impact sediment transport and channel change in the watershed is relevant for salmon habitat, restoration efforts, and flood hazard management. However, there is relatively little information about historical channel...
Nooksack geomorphology
The Issue: Changes in channel geometry in the Nooksack River can reduce flood conveyance capacity, and so increase local flood hazards. Near Everson, WA, sand and gravel accumulations have increased the likelihood that major floods will spill overbank, sending water north over a low drainage divide where it may cause substantial damage to communities in both Washington and British Columbia. Major...
Channel Change and Sediment Transport in the Puyallup River Watershed
The Issue: Sediment loads in the Puyallup River and its major tributaries, the White River and Carbon River, are high and river channels are dynamic. While there is a relatively rich history of sediment transport and channel change studies in the Puyallup River and its tributaries, there has not been an integrated assessment of channel-elevation trends in nearly a decade. This lack of up-to-date...
Chehalis Watershed Suspended Sediment Monitoring
The Issue: The Chehalis River deposits sediment in Grays Harbor, which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regularly dredges to maintain shipping access. The sources and overall volumes of sediment transport in the lower river were last assessed in the 1960s. Given substantial changes in land-use and watershed regulations over the subsequent half-century, there is an open question as to if or how...
Channel change monitoring following the Pilchuck Dam removal
The issue: In the summer of 2020, the Pilchuck Dam will be removed, allowing salmon access to the upper third of the Pilchuck River watershed for the first time in over a century. This removal will be associated with a short period increased sediment delivery, as the river re-works material trapped behind the dam. While the volume of impounded sediment is small and major changes in the downstream...
Coarse sediment delivery and routing in the White River
The Issue: Ongoing channel aggradation has reduced flow conveyance along the lower White River, increasing the flood risk in urban-suburban areas. A refined understanding of the delivery, transport and deposition of sediment in the White River, and how those processes may be influenced by climate and existing dam operations, is necessary in order to plan for future flood hazard in the lower White...
Sediment Transport in Vance Creek
The Issue: Streamflow in the lower 3.6 miles of the gravel-bedded Vance Creek often goes subsurface in the summer, limiting potential utilization by fish. There is an interest in stream restoration projects that might improve low-flow habitat conditions and connectivity, but their design and implementation are limited by a lack of knowledge about sediment transport conditions in the reach. How...
Sauk River Sediment
Fine-grained sediments in the lower reach of the Sauk River are adversely affecting the health and spawning of Chinook salmon. Climate change and forestry practices have been proposed as suspected causes of a reported increase in sediment loading to the river. To determine the amount and timing of suspended-sediment loading to the river and possible connections to adverse effects on Chinook salmon...
SR 530 Slide
In the immediate aftermath of the SR530 Landslide, the USGS supported first responders and decision-makers as a key member of the collaborative effort to monitor the stability of the landslide deposit and the associated impoundment of the North Fork Stillaguamish River during rescue operations. With the initial disaster response now over, longer-term questions have arisen regarding the stability...