A quasi-3D model and a two-dimensional depth-averaged model are adapted in this study to analyze the circulatory-transport effect for the contaminant transport in open-channel bends. The quasi-3D model can provide the vertical velocity and contaminant profiles, so that the circulatory-transport effect can be computed automatically from theknown velocity defect. The two-dimensional depth- averaged model adopts Fischer et al. (1979) circulatory-transport formula, which was derived based on the gradient transport assumption, to empirically reflect the circulatory-transport effect. The contaminant transport test in a meandering channel reported by Almquist and Holley (1985), which does not conform to the gradient transport assumption, is adopted herein to evaluate the difference between the models.