Reclamation Information Sharing Environment (RISE)

A scoping proposal sought to evaluate the use of underwater acoustic sensors, or hydrophones, for detecting incipient motion in the Wild and Scenic Rio Chama. This river reach experiences fine sediment inflows that smother the gravel streambed and negatively impact brown trout habitat. Using hydrophones, incipient motion can be detected, and that data correlated to a range of flow rates. These flow rates can be used by water managers in planning environmental flows that remove fine sediments from the coarse, gravel bed of the Chama. A conducting proposal for an in-river study has been prepared in collaboration with the USGS and submitted to the Science and Technology Program.