Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


BiroC.the (final comments 1).pdf (4.23 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

An Assessment of the Short-Term Response of the Cuyahoga River to the Removal of the LeFever Dam, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Biro, Christopher J
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1447429263

Abstract Details

2015, Master of Science, University of Akron, Geology.
In recent years, the removal of dams from U.S. rivers has become a more frequent method of river restoration. The August 2013 removal of the 4.1-m-tall LeFever Dam in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio was the fourth dam removed on the middle Cuyahoga River in an attempt to improve water quality. The LeFever Dam removal has also provided an excellent opportunity to study the effects of low head dam removal on the fluvial environment. Previous studies on the middle Cuyahoga River have provided a comprehensive characterization of the former LeFever dam pool and the pre-LeFever removal conditions. Previous studies have also quantified the effect of the 2005 Munroe Falls Dam removal which served as predictive tool for the LeFever Dam removal located ~ 5.5 km downstream. This study has incorporated new findings from 2011 through 2015 to quantify the rate and magnitude of the geomorphic, sedimentologic and hydraulic changes induced by the LeFever Dam removal. These new findings furthered the understanding of the long-term channel adjustments induced by the Munroe Falls Dam removal as well. The six stage channel evolution model of Doyle et al. (2003) was used as the framework for describing the first-order changes brought about by the LeFever Dam removal and the long-term changes caused by the Munroe Falls removal. However, this study has found site-specific dissimilarities in the channel evolution model that have greatly influenced channel morphology. In addition, the former LeFever Dam pool has progressed through channel evolution at a faster rate than the former Munroe Falls Dam pool because the Cuyahoga River has more slope energy near the former LeFever Dam. The presence of large woody debris and the occurrence of high discharge events have significantly increased the rate of channel erosion in the study reach. Channel coarsening has resulted from both dam removals as well as pronounced degradation of the former LeFever Dam pool sediment and prolonged channel widening upstream of the former Munroe Falls Dam. Based on the river response to the Munroe Falls and LeFever Dam removals, the future conditions within the former LeFever Dam pool have been predicted.
John Peck, Dr. (Advisor)
344 p.
Geology
Dam Removal, Channel Evolution Model, Geomorphology, River Restoration, Sediment Dynamics, Hydrology, Cuyahoga River, Ohio, Bedrock Channel, Fluvial Processes, Anthropogenic Impacts, Geology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Biro, C. J. (2015). An Assessment of the Short-Term Response of the Cuyahoga River to the Removal of the LeFever Dam, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio [Master's thesis, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1447429263

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Biro, Christopher. An Assessment of the Short-Term Response of the Cuyahoga River to the Removal of the LeFever Dam, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. 2015. University of Akron, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1447429263.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Biro, Christopher. "An Assessment of the Short-Term Response of the Cuyahoga River to the Removal of the LeFever Dam, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio." Master's thesis, University of Akron, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1447429263

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

akron1447429263
921
© 2015, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Akron and OhioLINK.