UW-Platteville Students Design Sediment Structures for Lower Platte River

As part of a $10,000 grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and through cooperation with a UWP PACCE grant, civil engineering students are working on the design of sediment structures in the lower Platte River. Their efforts will incorporate the recommendations made by an earlier UW-Madison sediment study. The purpose of this project is to produce a plan to restore the lower section of the Platte River to its original channel width before the Eagle Point Dam was completed in 1937. The section of the Platte River between the Hwy 61 Bridge and the Mississippi River is to be evaluated. Wing dams designs will be planned to help narrow the lower section of the Platte River and address issues of sedimentation and flooding. OBJECTIVES: • Provide two initial wing dam options (e.g. woody debris or gabions) and a detailed final design of one option. • Determine the number of wing dams required to adequately solve the river sedimentation and flooding problems using modeling software such as HEC-RAS. • Determine the location and orientation of each wing dam in the project area using HEC-RAS. • Determine the design of each wing dam, including the materials, dimensions, and anchoring system. • Provide an estimated material cost of each of the two proposed designs. Please attend our annual meeting on March 23 to learn more about this project and to comment on the students’ initial design efforts.