From mcbride@acnatsci.org Thu Mar 23 13:19:03 2000 Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 14:52:39 -0400 (EDT) From: Maeve McBride To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Sediment Delivery Ratio Here is a compilation of the responses to the sediment delivery ratio post for those of you who had expressed interest. I found the paper "Predicting Sediment Delivery Ratio in Saginaw Bay Watershed" to be quite helpful as well, which is found at: http://www.iwr.msu.edu/~ouyang Thanks again to all those who helped out! Date: Wed, 23 Jul 1997 08:33:14 -0400 From: Paul Faeth To: mcbride@acnatsci.org Subject: Estimating sediment delivery ratios -Reply We are doing something similar for a series of studies on nutrient trading. We commissioned the Institute of Water Research at Michigan State University to develop SDRs for each of the 8-digit hydrologic units in the three watersheds we are working in. They used five different methods. For the analysis I am using the mean of the five. My impression in looking at the results was that none of the methods produced results that were much different or would make a difference in the outcomes we are looking at. Paul Faeth Senior Associate World Resources Institute 202/662-3499 Date: Wed, 23 Jul 1997 14:59:00 -0400 From: Paul Faeth To: mcbride@acnatsci.org Subject: Re: Estimating sediment delivery ratios -Reply -Reply They five methods including 3 drainage area models, 1 runoff-rainfall model and 2 slop/gradient models. You can contact Da Ouyang or Jon Bartholic at MSU. Their number is 517/353-3742 or 432-1189. Ask them for a copy of the paper they did for me. From: "Amy B. Gray" To: "'mcbride@acnatsci.org'" Subject: RE: Estimating sediment delivery ratios Date: Wed, 23 Jul 1997 10:14:39 -0400 Return-Receipt-To: Encoding: 94 TEXT, 92 UUENCODE X-MS-Attachment: WINMAIL.DAT 0 00-00-1980 00:00 The Water Resources Research Institute of The University of North Carolina has recently published a report you might be interested in. Following is an abstract (although I'm sure superscripts, subscripts, and special characters are going to be lost in transmission). Reports are $8 prepaid, $10 if billed. To order send email to Eva_Walters@ncsu.edu. Jeri Gray Technology Transfer Specialist Predicting Mean annual Runoff and Suspended Sediment Yield in Rural Watersheds in North Carolina (Report No. 307) Julio Cesar Calvo-Alvarado and James D. Gregory Department of Forestry, College of Forest Resources N.C. State University Sediment is a widespread water quality problem in North Carolina, and several state programs are aimed at reducing sediment yield from a variety of sources. Program resources can be more efficiently used if they are targeted at watersheds where sediment yield is high. Targeting critical watersheds requires a suspended sediment yield model applicable to a wide range of watershed characteristics in North Carolina. This study was conducted to move a step closer to developing a widely applicable sediment yield model by providing a better understanding of the important relationships between the hydrology and suspended sediment yield characteristics of North Carolina rural watersheds. Regression equations were developed to predict mean annual runoff and suspended sediment yield from selected rural watersheds with drainage areas of 5 km2 to 1100 km2 in the Piedmont, mountains, and Coastal Plain. For mean annual runoff, two simple, linear prediction equations were derived, one that applied to the combined set of mountain and Piedmont watersheds and one that applied to the Coastal Plain watersheds. Independent variables tested were a series of 35 easily measured climatic and watershed characteristics in 6 categories: climate, soils, land use, watershed morphology, stream channel characteristics, and infrastructure (roads and farm ponds). These equations may be applied to data-scarce, ungauged rural watersheds in North Carolina with very limited suburban/urban land use. Final prediction equations for mean annual runoff for rural watersheds in the Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and mountain regions of North Carolina Coastal Plain: Q= 0.314*P + 33.51 * Cs Piedmont and Mountains: Q= -61.93 + 12.34 * (P/T) where: Q = Predicted mean annual runoff in cm P = Mean annual precipitation in cm T = Mean annual temperature in degrees C P/T = Ratio of P to T Cs = Main channel slope in % For mean annual suspended sediment yield, the variation in sediment yield factors among the physiographic regions resulted in separate equations for each region. In stepwise regression, independent variables included runoff, estimates of erosion rates for the different land uses, and the same climatic, morphological, and infrastructure variables as were tested for the runoff equation. The Coastal Plain equation was the best predictor, with a standard error of the estimate of 2.4 metric ton/km2, and the mountain equation was the worst predictor with a standard error of the estimate of 17.0 metric tons/km2. Final annual suspended sediment yield prediction equations Mountains: SSY= 176.3 - 0.14 (MELEV) + 5.47 (ROW) Coastal Plain: SSY = 35.97 - 1.09 (PONDINFL) - 0.24 (F0R) Piedmont: SSY = -120.4 + 0.123(MELEV) + 0.038(EROSION) + 42.5(ROADS) + 16.2 (Dd) - 0.69 (PONDINFL) Where: EROSION = Mean annual estimated gross erosion in metric ton/km2 MELEV = Watershed mean elevation in meters ROADS = Watershed road density in km/km2 Dd = Drainage density in km2 PONDINFL = Watershed area upstream of ponds in % ROW = % watershed with cropland These equations should be used only within North Carolina and with data collected with methods of at least equal accuracy to those used in this study. Because daily air temperature data were not available for a number of the sample watersheds, procedures were developed to predict monthly and annual mean temperatures, mean temperature ranges, and daily maximum and minimum temperatures across the state. The prediction equations developed are reliable enough for applications such as agriculture, forestry, outdoor recreation, hydrology and environmental management. The need for a rapid, efficient method of determining watershed drainage density prompted a stratified sampling study using 1:24,000 quad sheets and soil associations as substrata within basins. This study indicates that the concept of drainage density as a natural hydrologic index is useful in the Piedmont and mountains, where an average of 25 sample units estimates watershed drainage density within 10%. However, in the Coastal Plain where large wet flat and pocosin wetland systems with diffuse drainage, poorly defined water divides and few streams dominate the landscape, the concept proved not to be useful. Date: Wed, 23 Jul 1997 10:17:53 -0400 From: Beth_Chesson@mail.ehnr.state.nc.us (Beth Chesson) Subject: Re: Estimating sediment delivery ratios To: Maeve McBride Content-Description: cc:Mail note part Mauve: In response to your request for info on new literature on estimating sediment loading rates: My Section (NC Dept. of Environment, Health and Natural Resources, Land Quality Section) oversees the sedimentation and erosion control reg's for construction and mining here in NC. We also fund research to better our program and existing BMP's. You may find 2 of our upcoming research projects of interest. 'Devloping a Methodology for Estimating the Economic Benefits of Sedimentation Control' has just been approved and is slated to begin at any time. This project will develop the methodology to be used in a larger-scale project later to actually estimate the economic benefits of sedimentation control. The other research project we will be developing and sending out an RFP on will be researching the effectiveness of different sedimentation control measures. Finally, we are involved with the Departmental teams that are developing nutrient reduction plans for NC riverbasins. Within these teams, we are trying to pinpoint nutrient transport rates (particularly Nitrogen) associated with sedimentation from construction sites. We will be developing RFP's for research into this area as well. When you gather all the info submitted by other list members, please share! I would be curious to see what other research is ongoing. Hope this helps! Beth Chesson Sediment Education Specialist NCDEHNR Land Quality Section (919)733-4574 From: David Buland Reply-To: "buland@brcsun0.tamu.edu" To: "'mcbride@acnatsci.org'" Subject: RE: Estimating sediment delivery ratios Date: Sat, 26 Jul 1997 22:30:38 -0500 Organization: NRCS Try the SWAT model at http://brcsun0.tamu.edu/swat/swat/index.html It is based on the EPIC model for watershed analysis. David Buland Maeve McBride Biosystems Engineering Section Patrick Center for Environmental Research The Academy of Natural Sciences 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway Philadelphia, PA 19103-1195 email: mcbride@acnatsci.org phone: 215/299-1116 fax: 215/299-1079 (URL) http://www.acnatsci.org