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Conventional Hydro
A Methodology for Rockwad Velocity and Predator Habitat
Lead Companies
USBR
Lead Researcher (s)
- Jenna Paul
A continuous sequence of velocity and predator refugia is imperative to the survival of out-migrating juvenile salmonids on the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. Gaps in habitat along the river corridor increase the risk of predation, fatigue, stress, and reduced growth rates, and therefore, necessitate mitigation actions. However, traditional habitat enhancement methods, such as side-channel restoration, are not applicable on all reaches or during all flow conditions. Areas confined by levees, steep banks, or other topographical constraints require new methods to supplement migration habitat where it is missing or insufficient. A rockwad is a tree trunk (with root cluster) anchored to a large boulder. The boulder and root mass provide velocity and predator refugia, and therefore, allow juveniles to safely rest and eat during their emigration. Through hydrodynamic simulations, physical modeling, and fish behavior algorithms, this project will determine the optimum quantity and placement patterns to achieve suitable migration habitat conditions. It is expected that the results from this research lead to design recommendations for future habitat projects.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2022
Marine Energy
A Miniaturized Long-Life Low Frequency Acoustic Transmitter for Fish Tracking in Marine Enviroments
Lead Companies
PNNL
Lead Researcher (s)
- Huidong Li
The JSATS low-frequency acoustic transmitter will provide government agencies, researchers and marine energy operators a more capable tool to gain insights into marine animals’ behavior related to marine and hydrokinetic energy operations, contributing to producing environmentally sustainable, cost-effective marine energy and ensuring U.S. energy security. The development of this technology directly supports WPTO’s efforts to accelerate MHK project deployments and development of the MHK market.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
Conventional Hydro
A Real-Time and Autonomous Water Quality Monitoring System
Lead Companies
PNNL
Lead Researcher (s)
- Daniel Deng
PNNL is developing an enhanced real-time and autonomous water quality monitoring system to advance water quality measurement technologies for challenging locations, resulting in more informed management decisions regarding new and existing hydroelectric facilities that minimize or avoid environmental impacts and maximize operational efficiency.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Water Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
Conventional Hydro
Aging Reservoirs, Climate, Operations, and Potential Cumulative Impacts to Water Quality, Clarity and Fisheries and Recreation
Lead Companies
USBR
Lead Researcher (s)
- Mike Horn
Can Reclamation develop a set of tools and techniques that will allow researchers to gain a better understanding of benthic turbidity layers, their composition, what causes them, and why in some areas have they only recently been observed? If this is potentially becoming a bigger problem, and if we can describe the cause, can we identify other reservoirs that are likely susceptible to this same phenomenon over time, and through mechanistic and modelling approaches provide solutions for Clark Canyon and other reservoirs?
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Water Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2020
Conventional Hydro
Alternate Control Strategy for Dreissinids Using Carbon Dioxide
Lead Companies
USBR
Lead Researcher (s)
- Kevin Kelly
Can carbon dioxide be used as an environmentally neutral molluscicide for mitigation of zebra and quagga mussel macrofouling? Carbon dioxide is a natural chemical that does not require a separate or specialized production (e.g. fermentation), is already produced in large quantities, is recycled from initial combustion waste streams for good environmental stewardship, has an indefinite shelf life, nonflammable, is easy to handle and store, does not require electrical or mechanical power to deliver, and can be distributed easily and evenly in water, including hard-to-reach confined water. Through the carbonic acid/bicarbonate buffer, the change in pH of the water is limited. Addition of carbon dioxide also reduces the bioavailability of calcium in the water, thereby inhibiting shell growth. Only species that has taken up residence in the confined water (i.e. Dreissinids) would be exposed long enough to reach mortality levels. Once the water is freely exposed to the air at the outlet, purged, or the CO2 is stripped and reused, equilibrium is quickly re-established and PCO2 goes back to ambient pressure, so that it will not affect the downstream water ecology.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2020
Conventional Hydro
Alternate Control Strategy for Dreissinids Using Electrical Methods
Lead Companies
USBR
Lead Researcher (s)
- Kevin Kelly
Since the discovery of zebra mussels in the Laurentian Great Lakes in 1986 on natural gas well head and well markers, zebra and quagga mussels (Dreissena spp.) have spread across large areas of the continental United States. In industrial systems, control of Dreissena spp. biofouling has primarily concentrated on oxidizing and nonoxidizing chemicals. However, chemical treatments are usually not viable options in Reclamation facilities. There is a need for economical and environmentally safe control strategies for these major biofouling mussels in Reclamation raw water delivery systems. Alternative methods utilizing electricity has been shown to impact mussel behavior, including mortality and a reduction in the rate of byssogenesis (byssus attachment). Methods include electrified fields which inhibited passage of live veligers (larval life stage) and electrical currents which prevented attachments to metallic surfaces. This project proposes to carry out well established electrical testing procedures to investigate the effectiveness of electrical control methods under field conditions similar to those found in Reclamation facilities. The goals of this project are to determine and compare the electrical dosage and electrical power consumption of AC and DC applied at different waveforms (sinusoidal AC, squared DC, cycle rates, etc.) to induce quagga mussel mortality and inhibition of byssogenesis in the raw water parameters typically found in Reclamation facilities on the Lower Colorado River (LCR). Electrical dosage or power density can be determined by the measured ambient conductivity and the applied voltage gradient.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2021
Conventional Hydro
Analysis of environmental DNA from sediments for detection of invasive dreissenid mussels
Lead Companies
USBR
Lead Researcher (s)
- Yale Passamaneck
The proposed work will test the utility of DNA analysis on sediments for detection of low abundance populations of invasive dreissenid mussels. Many reservoirs considered to be at low risk for establishment of invasive dreissenid mussels are sampled infrequently due to allocation of limited resources. Such infrequent sampling decreases the probability of detecting an introduction of mussels should it occur. Because DNA is expected to have a longer persistence in sediments that in open water, sampling and analysis of sediments should provide an additional means for detection of invasive dreissenid introductions in infrequently samples waters.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2022
Conventional Hydro
Assessing potential future changes in atmospheric rivers over the western coast of the U.S
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- 1816
Do dynamically downscaled, higher-resolution regional climate model simulations from the North American Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (NA-CORDEX) offer clear, stakeholder-relevant benefit to the understanding of current causes and future projections of precipitation amount, type, and distribution for the Western United States? The proposed research would reduce uncertainty in regional climate projections, particularly with regard to downscaling (7.02). In short, the proposed research offers insight into issue after issue which has been identified as a "gap" impeding effective utilization of temperature and precipitation projections by water resource managers.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Water Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2020
Conventional Hydro
Assessing the impact of physically realized hydro-climate extremes on water supply
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- 20082
This scoping proposal seeks to develop a detailed collaborative experiment to advance our understanding of the impacts of extreme hydro-climate events on water management of Reclamation's reservoirs. A particular focus will be the roles of climate variability versus long-term trends in producing extreme events. We plan to leverage the joint expertise/interests at the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU), the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), and possibly elsewhere, to investigate atmospheric/climate drivers of hydrologic and land surface processes during drought periods and/or wet (i.e. pluvial) periods to understand the likelihood of acute or prolonged extremes.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Water Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2021
Conventional Hydro
Autonomous acoustic receiver system for 3D tracking and monitoring real-time fish survival
Lead Companies
PNNL
Lead Researcher (s)
- Jayson Martinez
This project is developing two technologies related to JSATS autonomous acoustic receivers: 1) a system which can be used to estimate fish survival in near real-time for optimizing hydropower operations, hereafter referred to as the Real-time Autonomous Acoustic Detection System (RAADS); 2) an advanced machine learning based 3D acoustic-tagged fish tracking system, hereafter referred to as the Machine Learning Autonomous Tracking System (MLATS).RAADS will allow detection information from acoustic-tagged fish to be broadcast from underwater autonomous acoustic receivers to a surface-based receiver that would then transmit the data to an offsite location. This will generate timely information that can be input into models that would allow metrics of fish survival and behavior to be calculated and displayed on a dashboard.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
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