During my PhD, I worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on ways to determine the Ordinary High Water Mark…which is incredibly important for  the Clean Water Act. Basically, the OHWM determines which areas in and next to rivers are subject to the Clean Water Act and which areas are not. The broad question: Can we use modeling to delineate the boundaries of the Ordinary High Water Mark?

Here are links to the three papers I wrote for the Army Corps addressing that question:

Integrating hydrologic modeling, hydraulic modeling, and field data for Ordinary High Water Mark delineation

The benefits and limitations of hydraulic modeling for Ordinary High Water Mark

Hydrologic modeling and flood frequency analysis for Ordinary High Water Mark delineation

UMass Amherst Research to Identify Northeast River Corridors

http://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/article/umass-amherst-research-identify-northeast