http://deq.idaho.gov/media/525824-Understanding_influence_suspendedsolids_waterquality_aquaticbiota_2008.pdf

Understanding the influence of suspended solids on water quality and aquatic biota

Throughout the world, several millions of small ponds exist for water supply, irrigation, flood control or to control water quality downstream The reduced flow velocity in these ponds causes sedimentation of tranported particles For most ponds this is a negative impact as their retention capacity decreases due to sedimentation processes Sediment volumes in small ponds can be used to reconstruct sediment yield values and to study the spatial variation in sediment yield over large areas Especially in developing countries, this technique can be very helpful in establishing large data sets on sediment delivery as there are often no resources for expensive monitoring programmes However, when such studies are undertaken, one has to take into account the efficiency of the pond in trapping sediments This trap efficiency is dependent on the characteristics of the inflowing sediment and the retention time of the water in the pond, which in turn are controlled by pond geometry and runoff characteristics Becau

Estimating trap efficiency of small reservoirs and ponds: methods and implications for the assessment of sediment yield:

http://www.geog.leeds.ac.uk/people/a.turner/publications/papers/journal/HoldenEtAL2007.pdf

Environmental change in moorland landscapes.

Runoff generation and water table fluctuations in blanket peat: evidence from UK data spanning the dry summer of 1995

Sediment yield in Europe: Spatial patterns and scale dependency

In contrast to much previous research on blanket peat moorland, which has concentrated upon studies of the form and causes of gully erosion, this paper attempts to investigate sediment transport and to estimate both short-term and long-term sediment yields in such terrain. The research was conducted on Wessenden Head Moor to the west of Huddersfield, Yorkshire, where automatic stream sampling continued over a period of two years. Use of corrected rating curves (Ferguson, 1988) provided a mean estimate of sediment yield over this period of 55 t km−2 yr−1.



In addition an estimate of longer-term sediment yield was derived from four reservoir sediment surveys in the Wessenden Valley. Total yield was 203.69 t km−2 yr−1, including an organic fraction of 38.82 t km −2 yr−1. Stream sampling at three sites on Shiny Brook, including headwaters and the outflow to the reservoir, suggested that there is great temporal and spatial variability in mineral and organic inputs to the reservoirs. Although not excessive in gravimetric terms, the low density of peat means that there is a serious erosion problem. Estimates of erosion rates for the peat gully network at Shiny Brook appear to confirm earlier evidence concerning the relatively recent occurrence of this erosion, within the last two centuries.

Sediment yield and delivery in the blanket peat moorlands of the southern Pennines

Reservoir sedimentation rates in the Southern Pennine region,UK

A study of two major environmental issues in upland water management is presented. Discolouration and reservoir sedimentation are seen to affect water managers on different timescales and to different degrees. Rates of reservoir sedimentation, adjusted for empirically derived trap efficiency, are measured and found to be higher than previously believed. A link between sediments found within the reservoir basin and the generation of colour is described.

Reservoir sedimentation and colour problems in Southern Pennine reservoirs

The movement of sediment within fluvial and lacustrine systems is extremely variable both spatially and temporally. This paper reports the findings of research in the southern Pennines of the UK, investigating the role of the reservoir as the final sediment sink. Several reservoirs which were surveyed in the mid-1980s have been resurveyed in the early 1990s, allowing comparison of longer term infilling with that occurring recently. Sedimentation in some southern Pennine reservoirs greatly exceeds national averages, but the presence of sediment control structures within the catchment appears to influence rates of infilling by trapping or bypassing the highest flows. The efficacy of such management strategies is investigated, but conclusions are rendered difficult by the complex interactions in the system. What is clear is that changing sedimentation rates cannot (as has sometimes been the case) be considered as evidence of changing sediment inputs, but that changing retention and management must also be evaluated. For water resource purposes, catchment management is the only permanent solution to excessive reservoir sedimentation. However, the transfer system may be used to minimize delivery, and operation of the reservoir itself may be seen as the final stage.

The delivery of sediment in upland reservoir systems

Over 100 reservoirs and artificial lakes have been surveyed in the Southern Pennines of the United Kingdom using standard techniques. The loss of capacity since construction is calculated and sediment yields are estimated. Sediment yields between 3.4 and 398 t.km yr. are recorded, with the highest yields in areas of blanket peat moorland. A review of the accuracy of the techniques used is undertaken.

A. W. R. Potter

Papers

Sediment yield and delivery in the blanket peat moorlands of the southern Pennines

Reservoir sedimentation rates in the Southern Pennine region,UK

Reservoir sedimentation and colour problems in Southern Pennine reservoirs

The delivery of sediment in upland reservoir systems

Assessment of catchment erosion in the Southern Pennines, United Kingdom, using reservoir sedimentation monitoring