The Cache Slough Complex is located within the Legal Delta, California.

cbec previously developed a 2D hydrodynamic model for the Solano County Water Agency (SCWA) using the MIKE 21FM modeling platform (Danish Hydraulics Institute, DHI 2011) to assess potential dissolved organic carbon (DOC) impacts at the Barker Slough Pumping Plant (BSPP) due to potential tidal wetland restoration scenarios.

For the Prospect Island Tidal Restoration Project, cbec was responsible for evaluating Project restoration alternatives in support of Phase 1 screening criteria that minimize DOC impacts at the BSPP through the application of screening level hydrodynamic and advection-dispersion modeling of the Cache Slough Complex and vicinity.

To that end, the model developed for SCWA was refined and calibrated with the overarching objective to develop a tool that could adequately reproduce the hydrodynamics and transport within the Cache Slough Complex to support the screening level analysis. Specific objectives for the Phase 1 model development and calibration were as follows:

• Refine the MIKE 21FM model of the Cache Slough Complex by extending the domain of analysis, incorporating newer bathymetry and topography, and including additional boundary and source / sink data and assumptions.
• Calibrate and validate the MIKE 21FM model for hydrodynamics (i.e., stage and flow) and transport (i.e., salinity).