CAREER: Ecological Engineering and the Sustainability of Dams: Evaluating Ecohydraulic Outcomes of Climate Change and Mitigation Opportunities in a Regulated River

Oregon State University, Corvallis OR

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) 0846360 Tullos This CAREER award applies ecological engineering to the management of environmental systems. It involves application and extension of the Willamette Collaborative Model, being developed and used by federal agencies for water resources planning in the Willamette River Basin in Oregon. The study will also address uncertainty analysis and stakeholder-driven planning processes. As such, the fundamental research activity of this work is the integration of existing modeling tools with the addition of components for better evaluation of outcomes in terms of ecosystem health (fish habitat). The hypothesis is that the impact of climate change on ecosystems can be mitigated by dam reoperation. An integrated modeling approach will be developed for predicting and managing habitat for endangered salmon with connection to endangered species and the threat of climate change. Dam reoperations to be studied by this proposed project will-- be an important measure for climate change adaptation. The educational objective is to enhance the ecological engineering program in the PI's university and to activate stakeholder participation in sustainable river management. A large number of students, including under-represented students in engineering, will be involved in the educational plan. Engaging stakeholders will extend the impact beyond education of graduate and undergraduate engineering students.