Unraveling the dynamics of shoaling rates: a statistical analysis for enhanced waterway maintenance along the Ohio River

Waterway maintenance plays an important role in efficiently transferring goods. The maintenance decisions, including dredging, depend on the sediment accumulation that is highly dependent on the shoaling rate. The shoaling caused by tidal movement or channel characteristics can change the dredging depth. Therefore, a better understanding of shoaling rate distribution is a requirement to perform dredging more efficiently. This study proposes a wide range of statistical methods to analyze the model distribution of shoaling rates at reach and sub-reach levels along the Ohio River. The shoaling data is generated from the Corps Shoaling Analysis Tool (CSAT) developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. This paper investigates the distribution shape and degree of symmetry of distribution to specify the appropriate distribution model for the shoaling rate. It also measures the fitting performances. The results show that the behavior of sub-reaches is different from that of the reach and depends on the location.