Channel Stability Analysis

Sediment loads from Great Lakes tributary rivers and watersheds are a chronic source of pollution to the Great Lakes. These sediments may also transport contaminants and excess nutrients to the lakes, blanket spawning habitats and aquatic plants, and reduce navigation capacity of navigation channels and harbors. The U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1987 identified severely degraded waters within the Great Lakes Basin as areas of concern (AOC). Section 516(e) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to develop sediment transport models and tools for major Great Lakes tributaries contributing sediment to federal navigation projects or AOCs. These models and tools assist watershed stakeholders with watershed management approaches to sediment management, including reduction of sediment loads, dredging costs and the need for other sediment-based remediation activities.