Location: Sustainable Water Management Research
Project Number: 6066-13000-006-004-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2018
End Date: Jul 31, 2023
Objective:
The main goal of the work is to test a full-scale experimental floating wave barrier in an irrigation reservoir and quantify the relationship between wave energy and erosion with and without protection from the wave barrier. A secondary goal is to investigate wave erosion of vegetated embankments in a laboratory flume and in an aquaculture pond.
Approach:
Increasing demands on limited groundwater resources have created a growing need for the development of surface water resources for irrigation. On-farm irrigation reservoirs offer an alternative practice for reducing dependence on groundwater supplies, but the earthen embankments surrounding the reservoirs are susceptible to erosion by wind-driven waves. Wave erosion of cohesive embankments is also an important issue for aquaculture ponds and coastal marshes. The ability to predict and mitigate wave erosion are hampered by a lack of understanding of the processes involved; therefore, both field and laboratory research are needed for the development of predictive formulations, low-cost embankment protection, and improved mechanistic understanding.
