In 2009, the USGS completed a comprehensive study of gravel transport and storage along the lower Chetco River.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Chetco River is a steep, gravel-bed river in southwestern Oregon that drains 914 km2 (354 mi2) of the rugged Klamath Mountains before emptying into the Pacific Ocean 5 km (3.1 mi) north of the California-Oregon border. The lower 18 km (11.2 mi) of the channel is a wandering gravel bed river flanked by abundant, large gravel bars.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies charged with permitting instream gravel extraction in Oregon requested that the USGS conduct studies to characterize channel processes and gravel transport on the Chetco River and to also evaluate possible effects of gravel extraction on physical channel and aquatic habitat conditions. The study area for this project spans the lower 18 km (11.25 mi) of the Chetco River corridor, including the USGS streamflow gage at river kilometer 16.9 (river mile 10.7) and the extent of commercial gravel extraction.
In 2009, the USGS completed a comprehensive study of gravel transport and storage along the lower Chetco River. The objectives of the study were to:
- Determine the annual influx of bed-material sediment.
- Evaluate spatial and temporal variation in bed-material transport rates.
- Assess planform and vertical changes to the river channel.
- Provide digital maps of floodplain geomorphology and general vegetation conditions for different time periods.
In 2009, the USGS completed a comprehensive study of gravel transport and storage along the lower Chetco River.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Chetco River is a steep, gravel-bed river in southwestern Oregon that drains 914 km2 (354 mi2) of the rugged Klamath Mountains before emptying into the Pacific Ocean 5 km (3.1 mi) north of the California-Oregon border. The lower 18 km (11.2 mi) of the channel is a wandering gravel bed river flanked by abundant, large gravel bars.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies charged with permitting instream gravel extraction in Oregon requested that the USGS conduct studies to characterize channel processes and gravel transport on the Chetco River and to also evaluate possible effects of gravel extraction on physical channel and aquatic habitat conditions. The study area for this project spans the lower 18 km (11.25 mi) of the Chetco River corridor, including the USGS streamflow gage at river kilometer 16.9 (river mile 10.7) and the extent of commercial gravel extraction.
In 2009, the USGS completed a comprehensive study of gravel transport and storage along the lower Chetco River. The objectives of the study were to:
- Determine the annual influx of bed-material sediment.
- Evaluate spatial and temporal variation in bed-material transport rates.
- Assess planform and vertical changes to the river channel.
- Provide digital maps of floodplain geomorphology and general vegetation conditions for different time periods.