Muddy Waters Less Muddy Than Before
Changes in land management may be seeing some success at reducing suspended sediment in streams
A new USGS study reports that landscape management actions across the U.S. aimed at reducing concentrations of suspended sediment in streams and rivers may be seeing some success. Between 1992 and 2012, concentrations of suspended sediment decreased at almost 60% of the 132 U.S. stream sites considered. Sediment concentrations increased at 17% of sites.
Sediment is one of the leading pollutants in U.S. rivers and streams, degrading aquatic habitats and affecting water use for aquatic organisms and people. Many suspended-sediment monitoring programs have an explicit goal of documenting improvements in this aspect of water quality and an implicit goal of understanding why.
At more than 80% of the sites, trends in sediment concentrations were primarily attributed to changes in land management, such as conversion from one type of land use to another. Sediment trends were primarily attributed to changes in streamflow at just 8% of sites, for example because of changes in dam operation or precipitation. However, streamflow changes contribute to trends in suspended sediment at about 60% of the sites.
Suspended sediment concentrations decreased even at some sites where urban or agricultural land, which typically are associated with impaired water quality, increased. Such widespread decreases suggest that management actions and conservation efforts to reduce concentrations of suspended sediment in streams and rivers can be effective.
Citation: Changing suspended sediment in United States rivers and streams: linking sediment trends to changes in land use/cover, hydrology and climate. Murphy, J.C. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 991–1010, 2020. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-991-2020
Related Content
National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA)
Water Quality in the Nation’s Streams and Rivers – Current Conditions and Long-Term Trends
Related Content
- Science
National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA)
Our surface water, groundwater, and aquatic ecosystems are priceless resources, used by people across the Nation for drinking, irrigation, industry, and recreation. The National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project is a leading source of scientific data and knowledge for development of science-based policies and management strategies to improve and protect our water resources.Water Quality in the Nation’s Streams and Rivers – Current Conditions and Long-Term Trends
The Nation's rivers and streams are a priceless resource, but pollution from urban and agricultural areas pose a threat to our water quality. To understand the value of water quality, and to more effectively manage and protect the Nation's water resources, it's critical that we know the current status of water-quality conditions, and how and why those conditions have been changing over time. - Data
- Publications
Get Our News
These items are in the RSS feed format (Really Simple Syndication) based on categories such as topics, locations, and more. You can install and RSS reader browser extension, software, or use a third-party service to receive immediate news updates depending on the feed that you have added. If you click the feed links below, they may look strange because they are simply XML code. An RSS reader can easily read this code and push out a notification to you when something new is posted to our site.