SEDIMENT BEDLOAD TRANSPORT, DEPOSITION, AND FISH HABITAT IN THE UPPER SAN JOAQUIN RIVER

Restoration efforts are underway for 55.14 kilometers downstream of Friant Dam. Currently, this 55.14 km is treated as a homogenous unit. From preliminary data collected, there is evidence to believe that this 55.14 km stretch is a very heterogeneous area, and restoration efforts may need to adapt their plans to this heterogeneous environment. There are five sites downstream of Friant Dam where sediment samples are collected. At each of these five sites data is collected by: river cross sections, collecting sediment accumulation rate, comparing the results across all five sites, and predicting sediment trends by comparing historic and current data. The river cross-section includes a sediment size correlation between pebble and vegetative count for each individual transect, acquiring percent slope across all transects, and identification of river and artificial structures. The sediment accumulation rate is collected by both a Helly Smith Bedload Sampler and Nalgene bottles. The information collected overall will describe how bedload sediment is spatially moving 55.14 km downstream of Friant Dam, and predict future sediment trends. The project will show the spatial heterogeneity of river habitats and structures that are present 55.14 km downstream of Friant Dam.