Santa Clara River Soft Bottom Channel Analysis

Los Angeles County, CA

PACE conducted the hydraulic analysis and prepared a technical assessment report for the engineered earthen-bottom flood control channels located within the Santa Clara River and Antelope Valley Watersheds. The hydraulic analysis determined the existing flood control capacity of the soft bottom channel (SBC) reaches and determined the potential for native vegetation to remain with the soft-bottom portion of the channel to identify the need for additional hydraulic capacity. PACE developed hydraulic models for existing conditions of 51 SBC reaches in the Santa Clara River Watershed and one SBC reach in the Antelope Valley Watershed, totaling over 18 miles of channel reaches. The evaluation required extensive field review to analyze channel hydraulic parameters with customized field data collection tools to expedite the evaluation, including drone surveys. A specialized hydraulic sensitivity analysis was developed to evaluate changes in maintenance limits within the floodplain.

Key Features:

• Complex hydraulic modeling
• Field data collection
• Hydraulic alternatives analysis for maintenance practices
• Specialized GIS mapping and presentation tools
• Two-dimensional hydraulic modeling
• Hydraulic capacity analysis / flood protection