Author(s): Edwin Wang; Ken Christison; Ryan P. Mulligan
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Plume; Dilution; Mixing; Dispersion; Fraser river; Estuary; Salt wedge; Numerical model
Abstract: The lower Fraser River flows through metropolitan Vancouver in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia where over two million residents reside. Similar to many other large cities, wastewater treatment plants are permitted to discharge treated effluent at various locations along the river channel. The hydraulic conditions in the channel are strongly influenced by seasonal changes in river flows and tides, which control the location of the salt wedge and greatly affects effluent mixing processes. An effluent dilution and dispersion analysis was conducted using a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model, Delft3D, to simulate the processes in the Fraser River estuary and to assess the potential impacts of the wastewater discharge on the receiving environment. This study examines the far-field effluent dilution and dispersion processes under a range of tidal and river flow conditions.
Year: 2016