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HSPF
Modeling Laurel Saito (PI); Graduate Student: Karin Peternel (Hydrology) Funded by: Cities of Reno and Sparks
* 2004-2006 * Unraveling the mysteries of the Truckee Link to Nevada News (1/11/2006) This work involved the application of the Hydraulic Simulation Program - FORTRAN (HSPF) model to test the hypothesis that restoration of the Truckee River from McCarran Ranch downstream will improve the nitrogen assimilative capacity of the river in those reaches. We parameterized the model from Lockwood to Tracy using 2004 data to simulate restoration that occurred at McCarran Ranch in Summer 2003, and calibrated the model to 2004 water quality data. We then developed a pre-restoration scenario and additional scenarios that simulated alternative restoration scenarios of the Truckee River through the modeled reaches. We calculated the nitrogen uptake and nitrogen assimilative capacity of the Truckee River for the different modeling scenarios. Nitrogen loads that resulted in meeting or exceeding pre-restoration minimum dissolved oxygen concentrations were used to assess assimilative capacity. Model results showed that increased habitat for algae growth did increase nitrogen uptake without detrimentally affecting oxygen concentrations up to a threshold beyond which water quality declined. However, evaluation of the modeling approach revealed some critical limitations of the benthic algae algorithms used in the model and further work is recommended before management decisions are made based on the results of the HSPF model. The McCarran Ranch reach of the Truckee River is an 8-km (5 mile) stretch that is owned by The Nature Conservancy, which has implemented a five-year restoration plan to raise the river bed, reestablish meanders and oxbow wetlands, narrow the channel, revegetate the floodplain, and other modifications. The pilot phase of the project was completed in Summer 2003, in which approximately 1.5 km (1 mile) of the river was restored. Publications: Peternel K*, Saito L, Fritsen CH. 2008. Evaluation of a modeling approach to assess nitrogen assimilative capacity due to river restoration. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management 134(5):474-489. Peternel K*, Saito L. 2004. Truckee River restoration modeling preliminary investigation: brief technical memorandum. Prepared for the City of Reno and City of Sparks. Click here to see a presentation prepared by Karin Peternel about her work as of December 2005 (caution: large file ~15 MB). For further information contact Dr. Saito, lsaito@cabnr.unr.edu
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