Geomorphic Variability Of The Upper Watauga River: Providing A Reference For Impact Assessment Of The Ward Mill Dam Removal

This study aims to provide pre-removal reference data on the geomorphology of the Watauga River prior to the removal of Ward's Mill Dam. Field data was collected from May 2020 to May 2021 and analyzed to ascertain the variability of bed grain materials and channel geometry. Data were collected at six sites, with at least three cross-sections measured at each site, and 47 collected during the year of study. These collections spanned across a range of flowrates, representing a variety of possible events which could modify the channel. Dendrochronological analysis of American Sycamore (PLOC, Platanus occidentalis) and Butternut (JGCI, Juglans cineria) was conducted to explore the potential for elongating geomorphic records through ecological response to landform and hydrologic change. Changes in stand composition may indicate ongoing shifts in flooding . . . Given these findings, we believe that changes observed in these measurements after removal can be reasonably interpreted as causal to the dam removal.