Kootenai River Habitat Restoration Project Bathymetric Surveys near Bonners Ferry, ID

In 2009, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho released and implemented the Kootenai River Habitat Restoration Master Plan. This plan aimed to restore, enhance, and maintain the Kootenai River habitat and landscape to support and sustain habitat conditions for aquatic species and animal populations. In support of these restoration efforts, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, conducted high-resolution multibeam echosounder bathymetric surveys as a baseline bathymetric monitoring survey on the Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Three channel patterns or reaches exist in the study area: braided, meander, and a transitional zone connecting the braided and meander reaches. Bathymetric data were collected to: (1) survey unmapped portions of the Kootenai River; (2) re-survey portions of the Kootenai River to quantify changes in the channel; and (3) monitoring aggradation and degradation of the channel bed at specific cross-sections within the braided reach and transitional zone. The bathymetric data will be used to update and verify flow models, calibrate and verify sediment transport modeling efforts, and aid in the biological assessment in support of the Kootenai River Habitat Restoration Master Plan. The data for each study reach were produced in LAZ format supported by most geospatial software. First release: December 2019 Revised: December 2021 (ver. 3.0)