HEC-EFM and GeoEFM Tools for restoration planning

John Hickey, Hydrologic Engineering Center, USACE

Connections between Flow and Ecology

Postel and Richter, 2003.

HEC-EFM Flow regimes =

daily time series of flow and stage

Relationships link hydrology and ecology using life history info and habitat info and habitat preferences

Statistical results indicate direction of change

Helps determine eco-responses to changes in river and wetland flow

regimes

Example: Splittail SpawningBeginning of Season End of Season

Duration Interval

Advance

Duration Interval

Minimums define the flow levels that support

Currently, EFM picks the highest value within season

Time

F

l

o

w

Minimum Value in Interval

Advance 1 Day

Minimum Value in Interval

flow levels that support egg incubation

Feature has been used for fish spawning and vegetation drowning

HEC-EFM Computes statistics

that are eco-relevant (as defined by users)

Compare management scenarios for multiple eco-relationships

Statistical results investigated spatially with hydraulic models

and GIS

HEC-EFM - from Statistical to Spatial Statistical results are input to hydraulic models to develop:

Water surface profiles Depth and velocity grids Inundation boundary maps Shear stress

Splittail Spawning:

Gaged Conditions

Natural Conditions

Channel Habitat

(not suitable)

500 1000 1500 2000

0

5

10

15

20

25

EFM SJ River Rch 9(2d) 3rd River = San Joaquin Reach = 2d Index Cross Sect

Station (ft)

E

l

e

v

a

t

i

o

n

(

f

t

)

Legend

WS 10yr

WS IIC1

WS 5yr

WS 3yr

WS IIB1

WS IIC3

WS 1.5yr

WS IIE1

WS IA3a

WS IA3b

WS AvgAug

WS IA5

Ground

Levee

Bank Sta

GeoEFM Partnering HEC-ESRIToolbar for Arc 9.2+

set up and manage project

GeoEFM Getting Started

manage connection between EFM and GeoEFM

manage data layers within the GeoEFM project

GeoEFM View Selector

toggle between ecosystem aspect or water management scenarios

Layout controls

create posters and maps

Habitat Area Tabulate

look at changes in area

710

Habitat Connectivity - Patches

corridors, distribution, interaction

1

2

3

9

8

4

1411

13

125

6

7

EFM Applications and Relationships Sandy River Delta, ORChinook salmon Bill Williams River, AZ...............Cottonwood, willow, saltcedar Mississippi River, MO................Waterfowl, bluegill, plants Truckee River, NVMayflies and cottonwood

Ashuelot Rivers, NHMussels, host fish

Savannah River, GA/SC............Shad, bass, shoals lily Savannah River, GA/SC............Shad, bass, shoals lily Sacramento/San Joaquin, CA...Splittail, geomorph, LWD

HEC-EFM now online EFM available online

July 1st, 2008

Homepage: ~10,000 visitors (first eight months)

Downloads: ~1,500 installs (first eight months)(first eight months)

Future Releases HEC-EFM 2.0

~Fall 2009 GeoEFM 1.0

~Spring 2010

EFM Time Linking

Use EFM parameters to simulate dynamics.

Track dynamics temporally and spatially

File Menus

Model Layouts

Data

HEC-EFM

Toolbar

File Edit

Toolbar

File Edit Model Layouts

FutureEFM - Continuous Simulation

Rely on other software tools as external data sources

ModelSetup

Scenario Builder

Model Setup

SimulationMessaging area (messages are color coded)

Study Area Layout #1 Layout #NStudy Area Layout #1 Layout #N