Modeling of Slide‐Generated Waves in a Reservoir

Details of the physical and mathematical model studies conducted to investigate the generation and propagation of waves created by hypothetical movements of the 1.8 billion cu yd (1.4 billion m3) Downie slide, located on the Columbia River, into Revelstoke reservoir are presented. Two physical models were constructed reproducing about 17 mile (27.3 km) of reservoir and simulating the movement of the slide. The 1:1,500 scale pilot model was used to determine critical slide motions which were then tested in detail on a 1:500 scale main model. A mathematical model using an explicit finite difference method to numerically integrate the one‐dimensional Saint Venant Equations was used to propagate the waves in the reservoir about forty miles on either side of the slide. Comparison of the computed and measured water levels in the model showed good agreement. Hydraulic model data presented herein should be useful for determining wave heights under similar conditions or may be used for the verification of future mathematical models.