Figure 1: Picture of a warning sign before the Jordan's Point Dam

Objective 

Project Goal:

Understand how the removal of Jordan’s Point Dam changed the hydraulics of the Maury River and evaluate whether the dam removal resulted in improved channel conditions.

1. Can a HECRAS model be used to indicate whether or not a dam should be removed?

2. How will fish be impacted of the dam removal, and is it shown in HECRAS?

3. How will flooding be effected with a dam removal?

The AutoCAD Set Location tool was used to georeference the area surrounding the Maury River and Jordan’s Point Dam. A polyline was then drawn along the selected river reach to measure its length, resulting in a total reach distance of approximately 50,600 feet.

Figure 2: USGS Upstream and Downstream Sites: 02022500 and 02024000

Figure 3: The polyline on the river in AutoCAD

Figure 6: Picture of the steady flow analysis tab in HECRAS

Figure 4: Geometric Data page from HECRAS, showing the river reach that was used

Figure 5: Cross section given: used for the 27800 station in my HECRAS model

Steady flow analysis data were then added using the previously determined flow values. The downstream slope was calculated as 0.002737 based on the difference between upstream and downstream gage elevations obtained from an online elevation tool and the total reach length.

Due to limited data availability, the river reach was manually digitized in HEC-RAS. A single existing cross section from a previous Maury River project was used, and AI tools assisted with unit conversion and the development of upstream and downstream cross sections, which were then interpolated. A uniform Manning’s n of 0.03 was assumed, and cross-sectional shape was held constant along the reach due to the lack of detailed geometry data.

First, two USGS gaging stations were identified, one upstream of the dam (02022500) and one downstream (02024000). These stations were used as the upstream and downstream boundaries of the river reach in HEC-RAS. A third, closer USGS gage near the dam site (02023000) was then identified using the USGS StreamStats tool, and flow data from this gage were used to define the steady-flow inputs for the HEC-RAS analysis:

HECRAS Analysis

Methods

Disclaimer: This website presents an educational analysis of stream and river hydraulics using HEC-RAS. The modeling is based on simplified assumptions, estimated inputs, and limited available data. All results are for academic purposes only and are not intended for design, regulatory, or implementation use.

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