Jeffry YonSenior Project Compilation

CHANNEL EVOLUTION OF THE LOWER SAN JUAN RIVER, SE UTAH

IntroductionThe San Juan River is one of the major tributaries to the Colorado River system. It serves as a popular

recreation corridor, and a portion of it lies within the boundaries of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The area boasts a rich environmental history that includes numerous conflicting uses of the river basin over several hundred years. The lower San Juan River in southeastern Utah exposes outcrops of the Paradox Formation, which is a major oil producer in the nearby Aneth field. Also, Laramide deformation is beautifully exposed at the Comb Ridge and Raplee Ridge anticlines. After the completion of the Navajo Dam in northwestern New Mexico in 1962, stream morphology has been controlled on the lower San Juan River. This study addresses channel evolution through spatially opulent photography by cross referencing current and archival spatial photography to show how stream flow has affected the channel width.

Similar to other rivers in the Colorado River drainage basin, the San Juan River experienced Tamarisk establishment during the 20th century. Scientific studies concerning other rivers have made strong correlations between the influences of dams on channel width and Tamarisk establishment. Recent precipitation and discharge data, as well as spatial, aerial, and archival photograph data, have been documented for the lower San Juan River and combined with existing data. These four data sources have been integrated to describe their effect on channel evolution.

A river’s profile is greatly affected by its peak annual flow. Like the Green River to the north, the San Juan has seen a significant decrease in peak annual flow since the Navajo Dam was built in 1962. The hydrology has been affected over time, narrowing the channel in several areas. This study focuses on one key area, where the river cuts through the Comb Wash Anticline. The spatial data, both historical and recent, show that the channel has narrowed drastically from 1952 to 2015.

Geologic Setting Tributary to CO River Drainage Mesozoic and PaleozoicGeo Structure (folds)

This project has been a compilation effort of multiple semesters of college as well as many hours during the summer and different times of a time period spanning 2 years. The completion of this project is still on-going. The amount of man hours, compilation hours, and overall project hours is way too many to count.Research Strategy

1. Analyze historical precipitation and discharge data available from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

2. Analyze historical aerial photographs, archival photographs of specific locations, and satellite images where appropriate. Focus on tamarisk establishment and development. Also focus on channel patterns through time.

3. Field check and compare current conditions with historical records. 4. Measure several stream transects to compare channel morphology of areas with tamarisk against areas

without tamarisk to determine the effect of tamarisk on channel banks.

Hypotheses- There is a clear connection between the construction of Navajo Dam and the establishment of tamarisk along

the San Juan River.

- Tamarisk establishment has substantially changed the San Juan River’s channel pattern.

Research Questions to Test the Hypotheses1. How have precipitation and dam construction influenced San Juan River discharge through time?2. When were tamarisk first established?3. What is the rate of tamarisk development?4. How has the establishment of tamarisk affected channel patterns through time?5. How does spatial and aerial photogrammetry show channel evolution?6. How does the channel flow pattern change with respect to stream discharge per year?7. What will the river look like in 10 years?

This is the tentative schedule I started out with. It has changed somewhat over the past few semesters.Schedule

- Summer 2013 – Compile existing data Flow data from USGS Historical aerial photos Archival photos of specific locations

- Fall 2013 – Based on existing data, select sites for new data collection Field check aerial and archival photographs Complete channel transect measurements

- Spring 2014 – Field work Spring break river trip

- Summer 2014 Complete and interpret initial results Possible field trip to gather missing data Prepare to present initial results and interpretations in fall 2014 Based on initial results, plan future research

- Fall 2014 Present initial findings at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting Possibly complete a manuscript for publication in the Compass or another journal

- Spring & Fall 2015 Present at GSA, Maryland 2015 Manuscript completion, send to Compass for publication

MethodsHistoricSpatial photographsAerial PhotosVegetation Density Figures (Remote Sensing)Peak Flow Discharge DataGage Height DataStream ProfileThis study addresses channel evolution through spatially opulent photography by cross referencing current and archival spatial photography to show how stream flow has affected the channel width.

Similar to other rivers in the Colorado River drainage basin, the San Juan River experienced Tamarisk establishment during the 20th century. Scientific studies concerning other rivers have made strong correlations between the influences of dams on channel width and Tamarisk establishment. Precipitation and discharge data as well as spatial, aerial, and archival photograph data, have been documented for the lower San Juan River. These four data sources have been integrated to describe their effect on channel evolution.

Using Esri ArcMap 10.3, USGS databases, and Google Earth, channel widths have been analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively to show that channel narrowing has resulted from manmade factors. The study area consists of one location along the Comb Ridge Anticline directly below Comb Wash. Temporal data for

this study begins from the pre-dam era in 1952 and ends with the most recent data from 2015. It has been possible to show changes in channel width by using spatial photographs from 1952, 1998, and 2015, along with aerial and satellite photographs from 1952, 1993, and 2015. Photogrammetry, along with hydrological data, were temporally correlated to substantiate that the dam has affected channel evolution. This in turn has affected the density of vegetation that has also aided in channel narrowing.1. What skills did you use (or what new skills did you gain) from your work on this project?Skills:

1. Hydrology testing equipment experience through stream flow patterns, velocity collection, & channel profile extraction in the field and in the lab.

2. Stream profile measuring techniques, both in the field and on ArchGIS software.3. GIS data compilation: Spatial, Archival, & Areial Photogrammetry Compilation Experience4. Esri ArcGIS 10.3 Spatial Data Manipulation Experience5. ArcMapper10; Photogrammetry experience through comparing spatial photos to archival photos.6. Microsoft Excel; extensive data compilation and comparing spatial data to archival data from different

sites and collections. Manipulating the data to show what years, stream flow patterns, discharge rates, and any other characteristics I wanted to show through different figures in my manuscript.

7. Presenting a project on a national stage to professional and educational peers in a talk and project completion format. GSA 2014 (Poster) and GSA 2015 (Oral Presentation), COSE Oral Presentation Fall 2014, Geology Club Meeting Oct 2014 Oral Presentation.

8.Statistical Analyses of Discharge Measurement Data

Annual Peak Flow San Juan River 1916-2012. Data collected from USGS website.

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Stream Flow Chart from 19152012. Shows the overall pattern that the flow rate has been declining since the dam went in at 1952. Post dam flow was restricted, causing a decrease in sediment flow, which in turn form suitable habitat for riparian vegetation to overtake the channel.

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Gage Height vs Year

Gage Height (ft)

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ResultsStream OverlayData Collected

HistoricSpatial photographsAerial PhotosVegetation Density Figures (Remote Sensing)Peak Flow Discharge DataGage Height DataStream Profile

Data Collection (Comb Wash) How far back should we go? Historical Flow Data? Precipitation? Do we want to do Annual?

By Century? How much of the river should we include in the study area? How much in depth should we go on the tamarisk information? Does it need to be included in the data collection? Other possible River Systems to look at for comparison?

Field Check Possible Plane Ride, Aerial reconnaissance of specific spots How many Spots should we use for Data collection? How to fairly determine tamarisk areas and non-tamarisk areas Glen Canyon Goosenecks Very confusing system (USGS) Time series Surface series Water quality

Spatial analysis of vegetation Through Aerial Photography

1952Name: GS-WI_22-63Project: 1952 GS-WI Date: Oct 01, 1952Roll: 22 Line: N/A Frame: 63Other ID: N/A Scale: 20000Source: USGS Scan Resolution: 800 dpihttps://geodata.geology.utah.gov/imagery/

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2015

Channel width analysis Through Spatial Photography

(March 1953). The photographer is standing on "San Juan Hill," a promontory just upstream from the confluence of Comb Wash (right foreground), and the view of the San Juan River is downstream. The Mule's Ear diatreme is at left center, and the entrance to San Juan Canyon is at right center; Chinle Wash joins the San Juan River at about the point where the river disappears from view. The channel of the San Juan, which was obviously much wider, has narrowed recently; note the sharp cutbank across the river in the center of the photograph and low cutbanks and floodplains. Low-statured riparian vegetation is becoming established along both drainages; a lone cottonwood appears at lower center (Gregory C. Crampton PO197:52:1:36, courtesy of the University of Utah Marriott Library).

(March 23, 1998). The channel of both the San Juan River and Chinle Wash have narrowed considerably. In this reach, the channel of the San Juan is divided through a series of islands densely covered with riparian vegetation. Cottonwood trees are difficult to identify in this late-winter view, but they are present along most of the channel, particularly along river right (Dominic Oldershaw, Stake 3558).

(March 15, 2014). The channel of both the San Juan River and Chinle Wash have narrowed considerably. In this reach, the channel of the San Juan is not divided anymore, but densely covered with riparian vegetation.

Cross area view North East of San Juan River, adjacent to the Comb Wash Anticline. (March River trip, 2014)DiscussionPre-Dam vs Post Dam

Channel NarrowingVegetation & Sediment supply (Channel Narrowing)

1952 Pre Dam 1993 Post Dam

2009 Post Dam 2015 Post Dam

Aerial Photos showing time lapse with measurements of the cross section and how the channel has evolved from 1952-2015.

I think SUU decided to put the EDGE project program into effect for many different reasons. I am a geology major and we already have to do a senior project to graduate. We have to present our project at a national level and do so with the intent of publishing something if we plan on going to graduate school. I like being able to put my project out there and let others know there is more to your college education then just passing yourt classes and moving on. Edge is an outlook for a undergraduate to express something they are pationate about. You can showcase anything you want that gives back to society as a whole. I think the Edge program is good. The various projects and

Justification

The San Juan River is one of the major tributaries to the Colorado River system. It serves as a popular recreation corridor, and a portion of it lies within the boundaries of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The area boasts a rich environmental history that includes numerous conflicting uses of the river basin over several hundred years. Some uses include farming, ranching, mining, and energy development.The lower San Juan River in southeastern Utah exposes outcrops of the Paradox Formation, which is a major oil producer in the nearby Aneth field. Also, Laramide deformation is beautifully exposed at the Comb Ridge and Raplee Ridge anticlines.Since the completion of Navajo Dam in northwestern New Mexico in 1962, Navajo Reservoir has controlled flow on the lower San Juan River.Changes in precipitation also have affected, and continue to affect, flow. Similar to other rivers in the Colorado River drainage basin, the San Juan River experienced tamarisk establishment during the 20th century. Tamarisk establishment decreases channel width and biodiversity. Channel width affects stream velocity, which impacts erosion rates.Temporally rich precipitation and discharge data, as well as spatially rich aerial and archival photograph data, are available for the lower San Juan River, but I have found no studies that integrate all three data types to describe their effect on channel evolution.

Works Cited (in-progress)

Waterdata.usgs.govhttp://www.sanjuanflows.info/http://www.airpano.ru/files/Goosenecks-Utah-USA/2-2 (3D View of San Juan)http://geology.utah.gov/maps/topomap/1x2Quads/images/1x2Cortez.jpg (Map of Cortez/Bluff Area)http://thenaturalhistorian.com/2013/08/22/photography-goosenecks-san-juan-river-utah/ (Pics)