Flow Model Study for Section 227 Demonstration Project in Allegan County, Michigan. National Shoreline Erosion Control Development and Demonstration Program
Abstract
The National Shoreline Erosion Control Development and Demonstration Program (Section 227) is authorized by Congress under Section 227 of the Water Resources and Development Act of 1996. The program provides funding to research projects for the development and evaluation of innovative methods of shoreline erosion abatement. This report describes a numerical flow model developed for the Allegan County Bluff Stabilization Project within the Section 227 Demonstration Program. The Bluff Stabilization Site is located just north of Southaven, MI, and lies on the east coast of Lake Michigan. Bluff recession and subsequent property loss from bluff erosion is a perpetual process along the coastlines of the Great Lakes. Historically, engineers have protected the toe of the bluff from erosion with seawalls, revetments, dikes, etc., to slow bluff recession. For many bluffs, toe protection helps little because the bluff (slope) frequently fails above the protected toe, at elevations affected by perched water tables exiting at the bluff face. The Bluff Stabilization Project has focused on the study and control of the groundwater within the bluffs and measurement of its effect on slope stability. The project has spanned over 11 years, led by Dr. Ronald Chase at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI. The many years of data exhibit a positive correlation between slope movement, freezing ambient air temperatures, and increased soil pore pressures. Thus, decreasing the pore pressures during freezing temperatures may reduce bluff recession. A dewatering program was started in 2005 to test this hypothesis. This report describes the development of a numerical model of groundwater flow for the purpose of optimizing pumping at the test site. The flow model was constructed using the Groundwater Modeling System (GMS) with the computational code, ADaptive Hydrology/Hydraulics (ADH).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA472127
Entities
People
- Clarissa P. Hansen
- M. E. Glynn
- Stacy E. Howington
Organizations
- Engineer Research and Development Center