Turbidity–suspended-sediment concentration regression equations for monitoring stations in the upper Esopus Creek watershed, Ulster County, New York, 2016–19

Upper Esopus Creek is the primary tributary to the Ashokan Reservoir, part of the New York City water-supply system. Elevated concentrations of suspended sediment and turbidity in the watershed of the creek are of concern for the system.

Water samples were collected through a range of streamflow and turbidity at 14 monitoring sites in the upper Esopus Creek watershed for analyses of suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) and measurements of turbidity. Analyses of the samples provided data that were used to develop cross-section coefficients and turbidity-SSC regression equations for the monitoring sites for the period October 2016 through September 2019. The equations can be used to estimate SSC at a 15-minute timestep for the monitored sites. The equations can be validated for future use by the collection and analysis of additional data.