thumbnail

Time of travel and dispersion study in the Androscoggin River basin, Maine

Water-Resources Investigations Report 83-4232
By: , , , and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/wri834232

Links

Abstract

In a series of dye tracer studies at discharge ranging from 45 to 212 cubic meters per second, time of travel and dispersion characteristics were determined at 12 sampling sites along 123 kilometers of the Androscoggin River (Rumford to Prejepscot Dam). Dye-cloud centroid traveltimes ranged from approximately 120 hours at high discharge to 410 hours at flows approaching 95 percentile duration. Longitudinal dispersion coeficients ranged from 21.3 to 76.7 square meters per second. In the 37.2 kilometer unsteady flow reach from Gulf Island Dam to Prejepscot Dam, the concept of mass flow versus time was applied to relate centroid traveltime to average discharge at five sites. This information was used to develop traveltime versus discharge relationships, traveltime versus distance relationships, and longitudinal dispersion coefficients. In Gulf Island Pond, a 70.4 million cubic meter impoundment, three complete dye clouds were traced. The range of observed centroid traveltime through the pound was 110 hours at a mean discharge of 84 cubic meters per second to 260 hours at 59 cubic meters per second. Traveltimes are dependent upon reservoir stratification and mixing as well as discharge. During 1981, inflowing dye-tagged water at 19.0 and 19.5 degrees Celsius was observed to seek its own temperature density level during movement along the thalweg. (USGS)
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Time of travel and dispersion study in the Androscoggin River basin, Maine
Series title Water-Resources Investigations Report
Series number 83-4232
DOI 10.3133/wri834232
Edition -
Year Published 1983
Language ENGLISH
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey,
Description vii, 135 p. :ill., maps ;28 cm.
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details