Lin Li, Karl-Erich Lindenschmidt, Carl Gutwin, Tim Jardine, Markus Brinkmann (2022). Mitigation strategies for sediment transport issues in the Saskatchewan River, river delta, and their management. Proceedings of the GWF Annual Open Science Meeting, May 16-18, 2022.

The construction of dams, while beneficial for many reasons, can interrupt the transport of sediments downstream, leading to sediment accumulation in reservoirs and changes in erosional patterns and the sediment supply downstream of river deltas. In Northern Canada, the Saskatchewan River Delta is under threat by upstream dam construction, resulting in declining sediment downstream. Since these effects can cause adverse outcomes for humans and ecosystems, design strategies are required to mitigate the interception of deposits in reservoirs. Erosion and sediment deposition are of particular concern along a 108-kilometer reach of the Saskatchewan River between the E.B. Campbell Dam and Cumberland Lake. This paper aims to explore strategies for mitigating sediment transport problems in the Saskatchewan River due to upstream dam construction that interferes with downstream sediment transport. First, this paper provides an overview of sediment transport issues in the Saskatchewan River and its delta associated with human activities. It then discusses the current situation regarding mitigating sedimentation in reservoirs on the Saskatchewan River. Finally, this paper analyzes management methods, determining the mitigation strategies that can be applied and demonstrating how these strategies are carried out along the Saskatchewan River. Several relevant case studies illustrate a range of different strategies and environmental settings.

First Author: Lin Li University of Saskatchewan
Additional Authors: Karl-Erich Lindenschmidt, Carl Gutwin, Tim Jardine, Markus Brinkmann, University of Saskatchewan