Welcome to the Portland State University (PSU), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Water Quality Research Group Webpage. This research group is comprised of a faculty, staff and graduate students at PSU lead by Dr. Scott Wells. The primary focus of this group is to further the development of the CE-QUAL-W2 model, and to apply the model to different water systems.

   CE-QUAL-W2 is a 2-D (longitudinal-vertical), water quality and hydrodynamic model for rivers, estuaries, lakes, and reservoirs. W2 models basic eutrophication processes such as temperature-nutrient-algae-dissolved oxygen-organic matter and sediment relationships. This model is supported by Tom Cole at the Corps of Engineers, Waterways Experiments Station, Vicksburg, MS. The current model release enhancements have been developed under research contracts between the Corps and Portland State University under supervision of Dr. Scott Wells. The current model release is Version 3.1. and includes executables, source codes, and examples for the W2 V3.1 model and preprocessor. There is also a stand-alone V3.1 GUI preprocessor available for download. Downloads can be found under the Links section of this page.

The Water Quality Research Group is currently working on the following projects:

Lower Willamette River (including part of the Lower Columbia River) –
This model will be used to assist Clackamas County in better understanding the assimilative capacity of their Tri-Cities’ sewage treatment plant discharge to the Lower Willamette River.

Bull Run Watershed –
This model will be used by the City of Portland Water Bureau to better manage the reservoir that supplies drinking water to the Portland Metropolitan area and improve habitat for threatened salmon.

Spokane River –
The CE-QUAL-W2 model has been applied to the Spokane River from the Idaho-Washington State border to the outlet to Long Lake. The Washington Department of Ecology and the Seattle District Corps of Engineers funded this project. Work elements were performed by the Corps of Engineers, Waterways Experiment Station (WES), Vicksburg, MS, and the Department of Civil Engineering, Portland State University, under contract from WES to set-up and calibrate the model to field data from 1991 and 2000.

Columbia Slough –
The Columbia Slough is made up of lakes, channels, and wetlands. This 19 mile long water system provides drainage to approximately 40,000 acres of land. This model is used to view the effects of sewer overflows, storm water, and ground water inflows on water quality.