A Novel Approach to Managing Riverine Sediment Deposition in Sand Dam Reservoirs

Sand dams are small, reinforced barriers constructed across seasonal and ephemeral streams which trap water in sediments deposited s. For these reservoirs to provide sustainable and dependable water supplies or valuable sand for other purposes, they should primarily fill with coarse sand rather than fine sediments. Excessive accumulation of fine sediments in sand dam reservoirs limits recharge and recoverable water. We describe a novel approach to preventing the accumulation of fine sediments in sand dam reservoirs by geomorphic management of reservoir sedimentation. We propose building sand dams with outlets at the foot of the dam to selectively trap coarse sediments (>0.125 mm; Rouse number = 2.5) across a range of flows and sediment transport rates. An optimal outlet had an “Eiffel Tower” shape which maintains the desired Rouse number, ensuring finer particles will pass out of the reservoir remaining suspended, while coarser particles settle. HEC-RAS simulations confirm that these designs promote uniform coarse sediment deposition within the reservoir and perform effectively, with minimal deviation (with an MSE value of less than 1%) from the target Rouse number. Alternative circular and rectangular base cutouts were also found to provide good performance across a wide range of flows and would be easier to construct and have less impact of the strength of the dam. Supplementary Material File (hp_sanddampaper_finalmanuscript_gulduren_et_al.docx) - Download - 62.32 KB Information & Authors Information Version history Peer review timeline Published Hydrological Processes Version of Record22 Oct 2025Published Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Collection

Authors Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 314views 246downloads Citations Download citation Sevval Gulduren, Joe M. Ellingson, Jonathan M.G. Viducich, et al. A Novel Approach to Managing Riverine Sediment Deposition in Sand Dam Reservoirs. Authorea. 23 May 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.174801095.59862322/v1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.174801095.59862322/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.