Suspended Sediment Surrogate Technology Study on the Clearwater and Snake Rivers
Methods
During Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009, approximately 10-12 suspended sediment samples will be collected per year at each site over a range of streamflow conditions. Statistical analyses will be performed on data from both sites to evaluate if one or more of the surrogate technologies is a suitable predictor of suspended sediment concentrations.
Clearwater River at Spalding, ID
- a Sequoia LISST™ Streamside laser diffraction instrument
- two SonTek™ acoustic Doppler velocity meters with different frequencies
- a YSI™ continuous water-quality monitor with a turbidity probe
- a datalogger and satellite telemetry for collecting and transmitting data on a real-time basis
Acoustic Doppler velocity meters of different frequencies are needed to target a range in sediment sizes (coarse sand to silt). Sediment data previously collected at the Clearwater River gage show that sediment concentration and grain size distribution vary widely; thus, the site will likely serve as a good testing ground for multiple surrogate technologies.
Snake River near Anatone, WA
The Snake River gage is equipped with:
- a YSI continuous water-quality monitor with a turbidity probe
- a datalogger and satellite telemetry for collecting and transmitting data on a real-time basis
Sediment data previously collected at the Snake River gage show a relatively consistent grain size distribution; therefore, a single surrogate technology (turbidity) may be an adequate predictor of suspended sediment concentration. However, the USGS is proposing to install two acoustic Doppler velocity meters at this site in FY09 in conjunction with the turbidity monitor.
