| Abstract: | Dam removal has emerged in the U.S. as a critical concern for river management. Of particular interest is predicting the quantity of sediment that will be eroded from a reservoir following dam removal, which necessitates predicting the geometry a channel will approach as it forms in the reservoir. The geometry and sediment characteristics of the Koshkonong River were measured as it adjusted to the removal of the Rockdale Dam. Bank stability modeling was used as a tool for predicting the maximum depth of the evolving channel and general agreement was found between depths predicted with the model and those observed up to one year following dam removal. Model sensitivity analysis showed strong control of bank heights by groundwater levels in the reservoir sediment, as well as some control by vegetation established on the sediment surface. Long-term monitoring is needed to assess the accuracy of the model, but preliminary agreement is encouraging for applying this model and similar models to future dam removals. |
