Future Application and Development


The initial application of the Link-Keno models have provided insight into water quality and hydrodynamic effects that may occur under various management options or other system changes. Based on the results of this modeling study, suggestions for future study in this reach include:


Further development of existing scenarios. Selected existing scenarios could be developed in more detail based on findings to date. For example, the wetland scenario (scenario 7) could be formulated to explicitly incorporate a wetland into the model grid. This would allow the simulation of macrophyte growth, water evaporation, organic matter settling, and chemical transformation in the wetland, among other benefits. Additionally, some initial scenarios were set up in exploratory form, using end-member situations to identify possible effects. As more specific restoration plans are targeted, scenarios could be updated or reformulated to provide insight toward optimizing the water-quality effects of particular options. Scenarios could be post-processed to provide output in format for specific purposes, such as for comparison to water-quality standards or to aquatic life habitat metrics.


Additional scenario applications. The scenarios presented in this report represent an initial selection of options for possible change to the system. There are other management and treatment options that could be considered. These might include, but are not limited to, changes to the water quality or flow at Link River, timing of flows through the Lost River Diversion Channel or Klamath Straits Drain, treatment options from a recent pollutant reduction workshop (Stillwater Sciences and others, 2012), or other management options that come under consideration in the future.


Connect to research and modeling on Upper Klamath Lake. The outflow of Upper Klamath Lake through Link River has a dominant effect on the water quality of this reach. Some changes to the Link River inflow are straightforward to model with the Link-Keno model, for instance removal of particulate matter and algae at Link River (scenario 6). However, the water-quality effects of entire-watershed changes to Upper Klamath Lake, outside the Link-Keno model boundary, are not easy to project. Work is ongoing to improve water-quality modeling capabilities for Upper Klamath Lake. As model scenarios to examine future conditions in Upper Klamath Lake are developed, those results could be used in the Link‑Keno model to examine how changes in Upper Klamath Lake could affect the Link-Keno reach and to provide a boundary condition for modeling downstream of Keno Dam. Expanding the Link-Keno model to include the 1-mi Link River reach would allow a more direct connection to Upper Klamath Lake models.


Connect to research and modeling in the Lost River basin. The Link-Keno reach is interconnected with the Lost River basin through multiple canals. Work to collect data and understand processes in the Lost River is ongoing. As results from that work become available, the Link-Keno scenarios could be updated or expanded to incorporate that knowledge.


Continue selected field work for model improvements. Although major field work for the purposes of development of the 4 years of models is complete, continuing field and experimental work could be considered to improve understanding of certain water-quality processes. Such field work could include experimental work to better understand algal health, particulate matter, and nutrient dynamics in the Link-Keno reach. Additionally, grab water-quality samples in the Link River reach would support expansion of the model into this river reach, for ultimate connection to Upper Klamath Lake modeling efforts. Although 4 years of model results represent a range of flow and climate conditions, field sampling in a year with unusual operations, or climatic or hydrologic conditions (dry, wet, warm, or cold) would provide data to further develop the model and assist in understanding the response of the reach to extreme or unusual conditions.


First posted July 24, 2013