Sediment from the Conservationist Perspective (3-D Geographic)

In InterWET, the sediment from the conservationist perspective gives a three dimensional view or geographic view of sediment using maps and monitoring data.


NOTE: The interactive map features are currently under revision.

Click the button below to load an interactive map for sediment in streams in the Spring Creek Watershed. After you click the button, a small window will appear and then a second larger window. Be sure to wait until all the maps have been loaded into this second window. If you get an error message when you try to load the map or if the maps are not in color, close both map windows and try again.


If you forget how to use a button, click the ? button or check out the description of the GIS on the runoff from the conservationist perspective web page.

The next two tables list the total suspended solids (TSS) in Spring Creek and its tributaries. TSS indicates the amount of delivered sediment that is in a stream.


Stream Sediment Concentrations in Spring Creek

Location Mean (mg/l) Median (mg/l) Max (mg/l) Min (mg/l) Flow adjusted mean (mg/l) Record Source Sample Size Record Adequacy
Milesburg ----- ----- ----- ----- 28.0 Derived from others ----- Poor
Near Axeman 42.6 17.0 584.0 3.0 57.7 USGS 75 Fair
Houserville 2.7 2.9 5.1 0.1 11.2 Penn State: Ag. & Bio. Eng. 5 Poor
Oak Hall 8.1 3.2 162.4 0.2 7.9 Penn State: Forestry 611 Fair
mg/l = milligrams per liter
Flow Adjusted Mean determines sediment amount by taking into account the mean flow at the location.
Record Adequacy indicates the length of time and quality of the data source.

Stream Sediment Concentrations in Spring Creek Tributaries

Location Mean (mg/l) Median (mg/l) Max (mg/l) Min (mg/l) Flow adjusted mean (mg/l) Record Source Sample Size Record Adequacy
Logan Branch 1.4 0.7 3.0 0.0 5.1 Penn State: Ag. & Bio. Eng. 5 Poor
Buffalo Run 9.5 8.3 18.0 4.0 6.4 Penn State: Ag. & Bio. Eng. 5 Poor
Cedar Run 26.1 18.8 267.7 0.0 31.9 Penn State: Forestry 600 Fair
Slab Cabin Run 48.2 33.9 423.7 0.5 95.2 Penn State: Forestry 501 Fair
mg/l = milligrams per liter
Flow Adjusted Mean determines sediment amount by taking into account the mean flow at the location.
Record Adequacy indicates the length of time and quality of the data source.

Notice that the mean sediment concentration is listed two different ways, as a simple mean and as a flow adjusted mean. The simple mean or mean is the mean or average of all measured values for the site. This mean, however, does not give a good indication of the average sediment concentration, because almost all locations have not been sampled long enough for a variety of flow conditions. The flow adjusted mean compares the stream flow with the sediment concentration and determines the mean sediment concentration based on the mean stream flow.

Also notice the effect of the sample size on the flow adjusted mean. The locations with larger samples tend to have higher values, since the samples include a wider range of stream flows and precipitation events. The locations with only a few samples do not include the high sediment concentration caused by large storms. This points to the need of increased monitoring for all major streams in the watershed.

Use the query button in the sediment GIS to determine the locations of the streams with the highest sediment concentrations. The high sediment concentrations from Slab Cabin Run and Cedar Run can probably be attributed to the agricultural areas these streams drain. It is difficult to determine which subwatersheds are the main sources for sediment in the watershed, because of the lack of monitoring data. The web page for sediment from the local official perspective will look at results from a hydrologic model, which will attempt to determine which areas contribute most to sediment loads to the streams.

More Details?

About Spring Creek Watershed:
Spring Creek Corridor Study
Spring Creek Watershed Community 1996 International Countryside Stewardship Exchange
Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA) Site
Centre County Approved Trout Waters
Clearwater Conservancy

About this web page and InterWET:
Check out the on-line dissertation on InterWET for more information behind the theory and techniques used to make this web page.


 
 

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Questions or Problems? Let me know at parson@andassoc.com.
Last revision 9/9/01.
Created by Shane Parson, Copyright 1999.