Tim Randle to Present AAWRE Webinar on Elwha River Restoration and Sediment Management |
Please join us for a free 60-minute webinar on Elwha River Restoration and Sediment Management on Wednesday, November 16 at 1pm EST, which will be presented by Dr. Tim Randle, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, M.ASCE. This is a free webinar provided only to AAWRE Diplomates.
Description:
Elwha Dam and Glines Canyon Dams, near Port Angeles, WA, were removed from the Elwha River to restore passage for anadromous salmon and steelhead fish and the linkages of these fish to the ecosystem of the upstream watershed. These two hydroelectric dams were the largest dams ever removed and together they had trapped 27 million cubic yards of sediment. The project represented unique engineering challenges because neither dam had a low-level outlet and the reservoir sedimentation volume represented an 80-year supply of sediment from the upstream watershed. Both dams were removed incrementally and concurrently over a three-year period and reservoir sediments were allowed to transport downstream to the sea. The reservoir areas, downstream river channel, and coastal beach areas were all restored and salmon and steelhead fish are now present in the upstream watershed for the first time in a century.
Learning outcomes:
Learn how engineering Ingenuity was used to accomplish a first-of-its-kind project. New alternative plans had to be formulated, new analysis methods and models had to be created, and a monitoring and adaptive management plan had to be formulated for implementation.
Presenter:
Dr. Tim Randle was formerly Manager of the Bureau of Reclamation's Sedimentation and River Hydraulics Group. Dr. Randle retired from Reclamation after 40 years of service. He developed several computer models and studied many rivers throughout the western United States. He led an EIS for the reoperations of Glen Canyon Dam to deliver water, generate power, and improve environmental conditions in Grand Canyon. He provided sediment management expertise for the Elwha River Restoration Project. He was Reclamation’s “Engineer of the Year” in 1997 and named one of the top ten federal engineers by the National Society of Professional Engineers. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2016.
Tim is a registered professional engineer and is an active member in the U.S. Society on Dams, American Society of Civil Engineers, and a founding AAWRE Diplomate. He presently chairs the National Reservoir Sedimentation and Sustainability Team, serves on SEDHYD Board of Directors and SEDHYD Sedimentation Committee. He received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Utah and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado.
