Sediment and Stream Health - Pennsylvania Active
Sediment Core
USGS studies sediment deposition in reservoirs and streams
Removal of Legacy Sediments Effects Nutrient Loads in Streamflow
Effects of Legacy Sediment Removal on Nutrients and Sediment in Big Spring Run, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 2009–15
Sediment in streams, from land surface erosion in watersheds, is an important factor in determining the quality of Pennsylvania's surface waters and of downstream water bodies such as the Delaware Estuary and Chesapeake Bay. The USGS has a long-standing tradition of measuring suspended-sediment concentrations and estimating loads. Recent technological advances allow real-time estimates of suspended sediment in streams, which can be used for managing water quality and drinking-water withdrawals.
USGS collects data and conducts studies related to the production of sediment in Pennsylvania watersheds, transport processes controlling the rate of erosion, both in and out of the stream, and subsequent deposition in streams and reserviors. Many water quality constituents are partly bound to sediments, and sediment suspended in the water column has a major impact on aquatic life. Erosion of streambanks, scour at bridges, and deposition of sediments in reservoirs are some of the topics of USGS studies related to Pennsylvania's infrastructure.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Sediment Sources and Deposition in the Estuary
Below are data associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Effects of legacy sediment removal and effects on nutrients and sediment in Big Spring Run, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 2009–15
Synthesis of nutrient and sediment data for watersheds within the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin
Brief summary of National Bridge Scour Data Base
Water and sediment budgets for the stormwater-drainage channel at the Navy Ships Parts Control Center near Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, water year 1993
National bridge scour data collection program
Areal variation of suspended-sediment yields within and adjacent to the coal fields of the eastern coal province and the eastern region of the interior coal province
Compilation of mean annual suspended-sediment yields for selected streams draining basins within and adjacent to coal fields in the eastern United States
Suspended-sediment yields from an unmined area and from mined areas before and after reclamation in Pennsylvania, June 1978-September 1983
Preimpoundment hydrologic conditions in the Swatara Creek (1981-84) and estimated postimpoundment water quality in and downstream from the planned Swatara State Park Reservoir, Lebanon and Schuylkill counties, Pennsylvania
Sediment loads, discharges, and yields in the East Branch Mahoning Creek basin, Clearfield and Jefferson Counties, Pennsylvania, June 1979 through September 1981
Effects of low-level dams on the distribution of sediment, trace metals, and organic substances in the lower Schuylkill River basin, Pennsylvania
Calculating sediment discharge from a highway construction site in central Pennsylvania
Trap efficiency of a sediment-control pond below a block-cut coal mine in Fayette County, Pennsylvania
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- Overview
Sediment in streams, from land surface erosion in watersheds, is an important factor in determining the quality of Pennsylvania's surface waters and of downstream water bodies such as the Delaware Estuary and Chesapeake Bay. The USGS has a long-standing tradition of measuring suspended-sediment concentrations and estimating loads. Recent technological advances allow real-time estimates of suspended sediment in streams, which can be used for managing water quality and drinking-water withdrawals.
USGS collects data and conducts studies related to the production of sediment in Pennsylvania watersheds, transport processes controlling the rate of erosion, both in and out of the stream, and subsequent deposition in streams and reserviors. Many water quality constituents are partly bound to sediments, and sediment suspended in the water column has a major impact on aquatic life. Erosion of streambanks, scour at bridges, and deposition of sediments in reservoirs are some of the topics of USGS studies related to Pennsylvania's infrastructure.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Sediment Sources and Deposition in the Estuary
During the past 10 years, integrated studies of sediment in Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries have been carried out by a team of USGS scientists, in collaboration with researchers from several universities, the Maryland Geological Survey, the U.S. Naval Research laboratory, the USEPA, and other institutions. The USGS worked with these investigators to prepare a comprehensive review of sediment... - Data
Below are data associated with this project.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Effects of legacy sediment removal and effects on nutrients and sediment in Big Spring Run, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 2009–15
Big Spring Run is a 1.68-square mile watershed underlain by mostly carbonate rock in a mixed land-use setting (part agricultural and part developed) in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Big Spring Run is a subwatershed of Mill Creek, a tributary to the Conestoga River. These watersheds are known contributors of nutrient and sediment loads to the Chesapeake Bay and several stream reaches are on the PAuthorsMichael J. Langland, Joseph W. Duris, Tammy M. Zimmerman, Jeffrey J. ChaplinFilter Total Items: 81Synthesis of nutrient and sediment data for watersheds within the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin
Nutrient and sediment data collected by Federal and state agencies from 1972 through 1992 at 1,058 surface-water sites in nontidal parts of the Chesapeake Bay Basin were compiled into a large database. Adequate nutrient, sediment, and streamflow data were not available to compute annual loads for all sites because water-quality monitoring at many of the sites was either short term or noncontinuousAuthorsM. J. Langland, P. L. Lietman, S. A. HoffmanBrief summary of National Bridge Scour Data Base
This paper briefly summarizes more than 470 measurements of local channel scour at bridge piers from 58 sites in 14 States. Relations between local scour and selected deterministic parameters are illustrated and discussed. Observed scour depths are compared with predicted values from two local scour prediction equations.AuthorsMark N. Landers, J. Sterling Jones, Roy E. TrentWater and sediment budgets for the stormwater-drainage channel at the Navy Ships Parts Control Center near Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, water year 1993
The Navy Ships Parts Control Center near Mechanicsburg, Pa., occupies an area of 824 acres, of which 358 are covered by impervious surfaces. Most of the impervious area is drained by stormwater systems that discharge to an open channel that extends about 7,900 feet from its headwaters to its confluence with Trindle Spring Run. The channel drains an area of 992 acres, of which 435 are covered by imAuthorsL.A. Reed, R.R. Durlin, J.K. BenderNational bridge scour data collection program
A study to collect and analyze field measurements of bridge scour is being conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration. The primary objective of this study is to collect measurements of bridge scour as it occurs during floods to improve the ability to understand and predict scour processes. Scour measurements are classified as limited or detailedAuthorsMark N. Landers, Roy E. TrentAreal variation of suspended-sediment yields within and adjacent to the coal fields of the eastern coal province and the eastern region of the interior coal province
No abstract available.AuthorsR. Edward HickmanCompilation of mean annual suspended-sediment yields for selected streams draining basins within and adjacent to coal fields in the eastern United States
Mean annual suspended-sediment yields are listed for 481 selected stations on streams draining basins within and adjacent to the coal fields of the Eastern Coal Province and the eastern region of the Interior Coal Province of the Eastern United States. The drainage basin of each of these stations has an area of 100 and 10,000 sq km; one third or less of the basin drains to a manmade impoundment. AAuthorsR.E. HickmanSuspended-sediment yields from an unmined area and from mined areas before and after reclamation in Pennsylvania, June 1978-September 1983
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, has collected hydrologic data from areas in Tioga, Clearfield, and Fayette Counties to determine the effects of surface coal mining on sediment yields. The data were collected from June 1978 through September 1983. Rainfall, streamflow and suspended-sediment data were collected with automatic reAuthorsL.A. Reed, R. A. HainlyPreimpoundment hydrologic conditions in the Swatara Creek (1981-84) and estimated postimpoundment water quality in and downstream from the planned Swatara State Park Reservoir, Lebanon and Schuylkill counties, Pennsylvania
The hydrology and water quality of Swatara Creek were studied by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, Bureau of State Parks, from July 1981 through September 1984. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of anthracite-coal mining and other point and nonpoint sources on the water quality of a planned 10,500 acre-foot reAuthorsD. K. FishelSediment loads, discharges, and yields in the East Branch Mahoning Creek basin, Clearfield and Jefferson Counties, Pennsylvania, June 1979 through September 1981
Rainfall, streamflow, and sediment discharge data were collected from the East Branch Mahoning Creek basin from June 1979 through September 1981 to evaluate sediment discharges from an area in which erosion and sediment controls were being used on surface mined areas. Sediment yields from the basin averaged 144 tons/sq mi/year. During the study, 9,570 tons of sediment were transported from the EasAuthorsC. A. Loper, K. L. WetzelEffects of low-level dams on the distribution of sediment, trace metals, and organic substances in the lower Schuylkill River basin, Pennsylvania
Heavy use of the Schuylkill River for municipal water supplies and a history of accidental spills and discharges of trace metals and organic substances have been a concern of State and local officials for many years. The U.S. Geological Survey, as part of their River Quality Assessment Program, developed a study to assess the occurrence and distribution of trace substances that pose a threat to huAuthorsThomas H. Yorke, John K. Stamer, Gary L. PedersonCalculating sediment discharge from a highway construction site in central Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and the U.S. Geological Survey have cooperated in a study to evaluate two methods of predicting sediment yields during highway construction. Sediment yields were calculated using the Universal Soil Loss and the Younkin Sediment Prediction Equations. Results were compared to the actual measured values, and stAuthorsL.A. Reed, J. R. Ward, K. L. WetzelTrap efficiency of a sediment-control pond below a block-cut coal mine in Fayette County, Pennsylvania
The U. S. Geological Survey determined the efficiency of a pond constructed to control sediment from a surface coal mine site by measuring runoff and sediment loads at the inlet to and discharge from the pond during storms. The pond is below a 17.9-acre block-cut coal mine in Fayette County, Pennsylvania and has a permanent pool capacity of 60,000 cu ft. The capacity at the principal spillway andAuthorsL.A. Reed, L.E. DiLissio, D.E. Stump - Web Tools
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