| The purpose of this project is to assess the instream flow conditions of the Brazos River from the perspective of determining the levels necessary to maintain the integrity of the river channel as a recreational and ecological resource. The area of this study is the reach of the Brazos River between Lake Granbury and Lake Whitney, located ∼48 km southwest of Fort Worth, Texas. Based on changes observed in the channel cross-sectional profiles and calculation of volumes of sediment stored in channel bars, a gauge height of ∼5.5'--6.3' (∼314--650 cfs) is the minimal optimal range that would support recreational use. The estimated annual sediment yield for the Brazos River is ∼10.5K tons. The channel bars at the Tres Rios confluence and FM 200 bridge store ∼249K tons of sediment, indicating that in this reach of the river, the Brazos is a storage dominated system. |
