Capabilities

The following page presents a list of the Kentucky Sediment Laboratory’s analysis capabilities.

Suspended sediment concentration – The concentration of sediments collected from streams is determined and the results are reported in mg/L. Filtration is the preferred analysis removing all dissolved solids during the analysis.
Suspended sediment sand/fine break – Using a number 230-mesh (0.063mm) sieve, the sample is split in 2 fractions to determine the percent sand and percent fine. Concentration for the total sample is also determined. Additional breaks can also be done.
Loss-on-ignition – After the sand/fine break analysis, the sample is placed into a muffle furnace and heated to 550ºC for 1 hour to remove organic material. The total weight is reported with a percent loss.
Dry sieve analysis – The dried sample is placed in nested 8” sieves (64mm – 0.062mm) on a Rotap machine and processed for 20 minutes. The weight of each size class is then determined and a percent total for each particle size is obtained.
Further information regarding our quality assurance procedures can be found here: QA Plan for the Analysis of Fluvial Sediments by the U.S. Geological Survey Kentucky Water Science Center Sediment Laboratory