SEDIMENT TRANSPORT IN A SHALLOW COASTAL ESTUARY DURING THE WINTER SEASON1

ABSTRACT: This project analyzes suspended sediment flux through the upper Barataria basin in Louisiana during the winter season defined from November through April. The Barataria is a shallow coastal estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. The controls exerted by environmental parameters (such as wind or atmospheric pressure) in wetlands‐shallow bay ecosystems on transport of water and sediment were examined. Water samples were taken at a bayou (which serve as the inlet for flow to the estuary) on a regular basis. These samples were analyzed for total suspended solids and volatile suspended solids. Velocity, depth, temperature, salinity, conductivity, and meteorological measurements were all recorded at the time of each sampling. A multi‐parameter field probe was employed to continually monitor turbidity, water level, conductivity, and temperature during frontal events. These data were used in a regression analysis to examine the factors that drive carbon flux in the region. Investigations have determined that synoptic climate and prevailing weather conditions explain much of the variations in water levels, flow circulation patterns, salinity, and suspended sediment. Relatively small amounts of sediment appear to leave the estuary during normal tidal activity, but winter storm fronts result in significant fluxes of sediment in both up‐basin and down‐basin directions.     

INVESTIGATION OF TURBIDITY MAXIMUM IN A MESOTIDAL ESTUARY,TAIWAN1

ABSTRACT: To comprehend the distributions of salinity, temperature, and suspended sediment in the Danshuei River estuary in Taiwan, monthly field surveys were conducted in 2003. These included several high and low slackwater surveys and intensive surveys. The results show that the Danshuei River estuary is predominately a partially mixed estuary. The highest concentration of suspended sediment is typically observed at the Chung‐Hsin Bridge, the most upstream sampling station. The suspended sediment concentration exhibits a general decreasing trend in the downstream direction. It may be concluded that the sediments mostly come from the upstream reach. A locally high concentration of suspended sediment is found at the Kuan‐Du station because of the local deep channel bathymetry and two‐layered estuarine circulation. A vertical two‐dimensional hydrodynamic and sediment transport model is applied to investigate the tidally averaged salinity distribution, residual circulation, and suspended sediment concentration. The modeling results reveal that, under the Q₇₅ flow condition (i.e., low flow), a turbidity maximum occurs at the Kuan‐Du station due to the strong estuarine circulation. The model simulation with a much higher river flow condition results in a weaker residual circulation and weaker turbidity maximum.     

TURBIDITY SUSPENI)ED SEDIMENT,AND WATER CLARITY: A REVIEW1

ABSTRACT: Suspended sediment causes a range of environmental damage, including benthic smothering, irritation of fish gills, and transport of sorbed contaminants. Much of the impact, while sediment remains suspended, is related to its light attenuation, which reduces visual range in water and light availability for photosynthesis. Thus measurement of the optical attributes of suspended matter in many instances is more relevant than measurement of its mass concentration. Nephelometric turbidity, an index of light scattering by suspended particles, has been widely used as a simple, cheap, instrumental surrogate for suspended sediment, that also relates more directly than mass concentration to optical effects of suspended matter. However, turbidity is only a relative measure of scattering (versus arbitrary standards) that has no intrinsic environmental relevance until calibrated to a ‘proper’ scientific quantity. Visual clarity (measured as Secchi or black disc visibility) is a preferred optical quantity with immediate environmental relevance to aesthetics, contact recreation, and fish habitat. Contrary to common perception, visual clarity measurement is not particularly subjective and is more precise than turbidity measurement. Black disc visibility is inter‐convertible with beam attenuation, a fundamental optical quantity that can be monitored continuously by beam transmissometry. Visual clarity or beam attenuation should supplant nephelometric turbidity in many water quality applications, including environmental standards.     

Concentration‐Duration‐Frequency Curves for Stream Turbidity: Possibilities for Assessing Biological Impairment1

Abstract: Siltation and subsequent biological impairment is a national problem prompting state regulatory agencies to develop sediment total maximum daily loads (TMDL) for many streams. To support TMDL targets for reduced sediment yield in disturbed watersheds, a critical need exists for stream assessments to identify threshold concentrations of suspended sediment that impact aquatic biota. Because of the episodic nature of stream sediment transport, thresholds should not only be a function of sediment concentration, but also of duration and dose frequency. Water quality sondes can collect voluminous amounts of turbidity data, a surrogate for suspended sediment, at intervals that can be used to characterize concentration, duration, and frequency of elevated turbidity events. To characterize turbidity sonde data in an ecologically relevant manner, a methodology for concentration‐duration‐frequency (CDF) curves was developed using turbidity doses that relate to different levels of biological impairment. To illustrate this methodology, turbidity CDF curves were generated for two sites on Little Pigeon River in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, using over 30,000 sonde data measurements per site for a one‐year period. Utilizing a Poisson arrival approach, turbidity spikes were analyzed stochastically by observing the frequency and duration of recorded events over a turbidity level that relates to a biological dose response. An exponential equation was used to fit duration and frequency of a specified turbidity level to generate concentric‐shaped CDF curves, where at specific turbidities longer durations occurred less frequently and conversely shorter durations occurred more frequently. The significance of the equation fit to the data was accomplished with a Kolmogorov‐Smirnov goodness‐of‐fit test. Our findings showed that the CDF curves derived by an exponential function performed reasonable well, with most curves significant at a 95% confidence level. These CDF curves were then used to demonstrate how they could be used to assess biological impairment, and identify future research needs for improved development of sediment TMDLs.     

Applications of Turbidity Monitoring to Forest Management in California

Many California streams have been adversely affected by sedimentation caused by historic and current land uses, including timber harvesting. The impacts of timber harvesting and logging transportation systems on erosion and sediment delivery can be directly measured, modeled, or inferred from water quality measurements. California regulatory agencies, researchers, and land owners have adopted turbidity monitoring to determine effects of forest management practices on suspended sediment loads and water quality at watershed, project, and site scales. Watershed-scale trends in sediment discharge and responses to current forest practices may be estimated from data collected at automated sampling stations that measure turbidity, stream flow, suspended sediment concentrations, and other water quality parameters. Future results from these studies will provide a basis for assessing the effectiveness of modern forest practice regulations in protecting water quality. At the project scale, manual sampling of water column turbidity during high stream flow events within and downstream from active timber harvest plans can identify emerging sediment sources. Remedial actions can then be taken by managers to prevent or mitigate water quality impacts. At the site scale, manual turbidity sampling during storms or high stream flow events at sites located upstream and downstream from new, upgraded, or decommissioned stream crossings has proven to be a valuable way to determine whether measures taken to prevent post-construction erosion and sediment production are effective. Turbidity monitoring at the project and site scales is therefore an important tool for adaptive management. Uncertainty regarding the effects of current forest practices must be resolved through watershed-scale experiments. In the short term, this uncertainty will stimulate increased use of project and site-scale monitoring.     

Contribution of In‐Channel Processes to Sediment Yield of an Urbanizing Watershed1

Abstract: A study was conducted between September 2003 and September 2006 to obtain baseline sediment inventories and monitor sediment transport and storage along a 3.7 km length of the channel of Valley Creek within Valley Forge National Historical Park, Pennsylvania. Valley Creek is a tributary of the Schuylkill River and drains an urbanizing 60.6 km² watershed that currently has 18% impervious land cover. Numerous field methods were employed to measure the suspended sediment yield, longitudinal profile, cross‐sections, banklines, and particle size distribution of the streambed. Suspended sediment yield for the watershed was measured at a USGS gage located just upstream of the park boundary between July 2004 and July 2005, the period corresponding to field surveys of bank erosion and channel change. The estimated suspended sediment yield of 95.7 t/km²/year is representative of a year with unusually high discharge, including a storm event that produced a peak of 78 m³/s, the second highest discharge on record for the USGS gage. Based on the median annual streamflow for the 24 years of record at the USGS gage from 1983 to 2006, the median annual sediment yield is estimated to be closer to 34 t/km²/year, considerably lower than median and mean values for other sites within the region. The mass of silt, clay, and fine sand derived from bank erosion along the 3.7 km study reach during the field survey period accounts for an estimated 2,340 t, equivalent to about 43% of the suspended sediment load. The mass of fine sediment stored in the bed along the study reach was estimated at 1,500 t, with about 330 t of net erosion during the study period. Although bank erosion appears to be a potentially dominant source of sediment by comparison with annual suspended sediment load, bed sediment storage and potential for remobilization is of the same order of magnitude as the mass of sediment derived from bank erosion.     

Sources of Suspended-Sediment Flux in Streams of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed: A Regional Application of the SPARROW Model1

Brakebill, John W., Scott W. Ator, and Gregory E. Schwarz, 2010. Sources of Suspended-Sediment Flux in Streams of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed: A Regional Application of the SPARROW Model. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(4): 757-776. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00450.x Abstract: We describe the sources and transport of fluvial suspended sediment in nontidal streams of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and vicinity. We applied SPAtially Referenced Regressions on Watershed attributes, which spatially correlates estimated mean annual flux of suspended sediment in nontidal streams with sources of suspended sediment and transport factors. According to our model, urban development generates on average the greatest amount of suspended sediment per unit area (3,928 Mg/km²/year), although agriculture is much more widespread and is the greatest overall source of suspended sediment (57 Mg/km²/year). Factors affecting sediment transport from uplands to streams include mean basin slope, reservoirs, physiography, and soil permeability. On average, 59% of upland suspended sediment generated is temporarily stored along large rivers draining the Coastal Plain or in reservoirs throughout the watershed. Applying erosion and sediment controls from agriculture and urban development in areas of the northern Piedmont close to the upper Bay, where the combined effects of watershed characteristics on sediment transport have the greatest influence may be most helpful in mitigating sedimentation in the bay and its tributaries. Stream restoration efforts addressing floodplain and bank stabilization and incision may be more effective in smaller, headwater streams outside of the Coastal Plain.     

Enhancing Hyrdological Simulation Program – FORTRAN Model Channel Hydraulic Representation1

Abstract: The hydrological simulation program – FORTRAN (HSPF) is a comprehensive watershed model that employs depth‐area‐volume‐flow relationships known as the hydraulic function table (FTABLE) to represent the hydraulic characteristics of stream channel cross‐sections and reservoirs. An accurate FTABLE determination for a stream cross‐section site requires an accurate determination of mean flow depth, mean flow width, roughness coefficient, longitudinal bed slope, and length of stream reach. A method that uses regional regression equations to estimate mean flow depth, mean flow width, and roughness coefficient is presented herein. FTABLES generated by the proposed method (Alternative Method) and FTABLES generated by Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Nonpoint Sources (BASINS) were compared. As a result, the Alternative Method was judged to be an enhancement over the BASINS method. First, the Alternative Method employs a spatially variable roughness coefficient, whereas BASINS employs an arbitrarily selected spatially uniform roughness coefficient. Second, the Alternative Method uses mean flow width and mean flow depth estimated from regional regression equations whereas BASINS uses mean flow width and depth extracted from the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). Third, the Alternative Method offers an option to use separate roughness coefficients for the in‐channel and floodplain sections of compound channels. Fourth, the Alternative Method has higher resolution in the sense that area, volume, and flow data are calculated at smaller depth intervals than the BASINS method. To test whether the Alternative Method enhances channel hydraulic representation over the BASINS method, comparisons of observed and simulated streamflow, flow velocity, and suspended sediment were made for four test watersheds. These comparisons revealed that the method used to estimate the FTABLE has little influence on hydrologic calibration, but greatly influences hydraulic and suspended sediment calibration. The hydrologic calibration results showed that observed versus simulated daily streamflow comparisons had Nash‐Sutcliffe efficiencies ranging from 0.50 to 0.61 and monthly comparisons had efficiencies ranging from 0.61 to 0.84. Comparisons of observed and simulated suspended sediments concentrations had model efficiencies ranging from 0.48 to 0.56 for the daily, and 0.28 to 0.70 for the monthly comparisons. The overall results of the hydrological, hydraulic, and suspended sediment concentration comparisons show that the Alternative Method yielded a relatively more accurate FTABLE than the BASINS method. This study concludes that hydraulic calibration enhances suspended sediment simulation performance, but even greater improvement in suspended sediment calibration can be achieved when hydrological simulation performance is improved. Any improvements in hydrological simulation performance are subject to improvements in the temporal and spatial representation of the precipitation data.     

ESTIMATING THE SUSPENDED SEDIMENT LOAD IN RESERVOIRS1

ABSTRACT: The total suspended sediment loads of four north Mississippi reservoirs were determined from measurements of concentrations of suspended sediment in a vertical profile at several locations on each reservoir made during the year. These data were combined with the stage-height and known stage-volume relationships for each reservoir in a numerical integration to determine the total suspended sediment in the water body. Total suspended sediments were estimated using the product of the suspended sediment concentration in the surface water by the appropriate reservoir volume. The averaged ratios of the estimated to measured suspended sediment loads for each reservoir exceeded 0.90. Since the concentration of suspended sediments in surface waters of north Mississippi reservoirs has been shown as highly correlated with spectral reflectance, estimating the total suspended sediment of these reservoirs using remotely sensed spectral reflectance data is possible.     

Estimation of Suspended‐Sediment Concentration From Total Suspended Solids and Turbidity Data for Kentucky, 1978‐19951

Williamson, Tanja N. and Charles G. Crawford, 2011. Estimation of Suspended‐Sediment Concentration From Total Suspended Solids and Turbidity Data for Kentucky, 1978‐1995. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 47(4):739‐749. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2011.00538.x Abstract: Suspended sediment is a constituent of water quality that is monitored because of concerns about accelerated erosion, nonpoint contamination of water resources, and degradation of aquatic environments. In order to quantify the relationship among different sediment parameters for Kentucky streams, long‐term records were obtained from the National Water Information System of the U.S. Geological Survey. Suspended‐sediment concentration (SSC), the parameter traditionally measured and reported by the U.S. Geological Survey, was statistically compared to turbidity and total suspended solids (TSS), two parameters that are considered surrogate data. A linear regression of log‐transformed observations was used to estimate SSC from TSS; 72% of TSS observations were less than coincident SSC observations; however, the estimated SSC values were almost as likely to be overestimated as underestimated. The SSC‐turbidity relationship also used log‐transformed observations, but required a nonlinear, breakpoint regression that separated turbidity observations ≤6 nephelometric turbidity units. The slope for these low turbidity values was not significantly different than zero, indicating that low turbidity observations provide no real information about SSC; in the case of the Kentucky sediment record, this accounts for 30% of the turbidity observations.     

THE SUSPENDED SEDIMENT REGIME OF AN OREGON COAST RANGE STREAM1

ABSTRACT: Armored stream segments may affect the suspended sediment regime of small mountain streams in western Oregon by the release of fine sediments stored in the bed gravels. Sieve analysis of bed materials indicated that at least 30 percent of the suspended sediment yield for the 1975–76 winter had been stored in the streambed. Suspended sediment concentrations during storm-generated runoff were influenced by stream discharge and hydrograph characteristics. Sediment-discharge relations for individual storms were characterized by hysteresis loops. A seasonal flushing of fines was shown by a progressive decrease in the ratio of suspended sediment to stream discharge during the winter runoff period.     

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS INFLUENCING SUSPENDED SOLIDS IN THE LOXAIIATCHEE ESTUARY,FLORIDA1

ABSTRACT: A study was initiated to examine the effects of wind speed, wind direction, freshwater inflow, and tide height on suspended solid concentration and distribution in the Loxahatchee estuary, Florida. Recent efforts to increase freshwater flows in this system raised concerns that suspended solid concentrations would increase as well, which might result in negative impacts for the estuary. The data indicated that total suspended solids (TSS) in the estuary are derived primarily from the inlet and not from freshwater tributaries. In addition, total suspended solids and volatile suspended solids were correlated strongly with salinity, suggesting that suspended sediments act conservatively throughout this system. No one environmental factor had an overwhelming influence on suspended solid concentration throughout the estuary; different regions of the estuary were influenced by different factors. Freshwater inflow was negatively related to TSS in the upper reaches of the estuary but was positively related to TSS in the central embayment region of the estuary. We attribute this latter finding to the fact that extremely high inflows both prevented the normal transport upstream of tidal borne suspended sediments and promoted mixing when the freshwater front moving downstream confronted the tidal front moving upstream. Wind speed, wind direction, and tide height had relatively small effects on TSS concentration but were most influential in reaches upstream of the central embayment, where tidal velocity begins to diminish.     

Quality and Quantity of Suspended Particles in Rivers: Continent-Scale Patterns in the United States

Suspended solids or sediments can be pollutants in rivers, but they are also an important component of lotic food webs. Suspended sediment data for rivers were obtained from a United States–wide water quality database for 622 stations. Data for particulate nitrogen, suspended carbon, discharge, watershed area, land use, and population were also used. Stations were classified by United States Environmental Protection Agency ecoregions to assess relationships between terrestrial habitats and the quality and quantity of total suspended solids (TSS). Results indicate that nephelometric determinations of mean turbidity can be used to estimate mean suspended sediment values to within an order of magnitude (r² = 0.89). Water quality is often considered impaired above 80 mg TSS L^–1, and 35% of the stations examined during this study had mean values exceeding this level. Forested systems had substantially lower TSS and somewhat higher carbon-to-nitrogen ratios of suspended materials. The correlation between TSS and discharge was moderately well described by an exponential relationship, with the power of the exponent indicating potential acute sediment events in rivers. Mean sediment values and power of the exponent varied significantly with ecoregion, but TSS values were also influenced by land use practices and geomorphological characteristics. Results confirm that, based on current water quality standards, excessive suspended solids impair numerous rivers in the United States.     

Modeling Pre‐ and Post‐Dam Removal Sediment Dynamics: The Kalamazoo River,Michigan1

Abstract:  The state of Michigan is interested in removing two low‐head dams in an 8.8 km reach of the Kalamazoo River between Plainwell and Otsego, Michigan, while minimizing impacts locally and to downstream reaches. The study was designed to evaluate the erosion, transport, and deposition of sediments over a 37.3‐year period using the channel evolution model CONCEPTS for three simulation scenarios: Dams In (DI), Dams Out (DO), and Design (D). The total mass of sediment emanating from the channel boundary, for the DI case, shows net deposition of 4,100 T/y for the study reach, with net transport (suspended and bed load) of 10,500 T/y passing the downstream boundary. For the DO case, net erosion is 19,200 T/y with net transport of 30,100 T/y (187% increase) passing the downstream boundary. For the D case, net deposition is 2,570 T/y (37% decrease) with transport of 14,200 T/y (35% increase) passing the downstream boundary. The most significant findings were: (1) removal of the low‐head dams will cause significant erosion of sediments stored behind the dams and increased sediment loads passing the downstream boundary and (2) sediment loads for the proposed channel design are similar to existing conditions and offer reduced fine‐sediment loadings.     

POSTFIRE SUSPENDED SEDIMENT FROM YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK,WYOMING1

ABSTRACT: Wildfires in 1988 burned over 2000 square miles of the greater Yellowstone area in Montana and Wyoming in the largest fires in the history of Yellowstone National Park (YNP). A four-year postfire study to estimate fire-related changes in suspended sediment transport on the Yellowstone River and its principal tributary in YNP, the Lamar River, benefitted from a recently completed three-year prefire baseline study. Both studies took daily depth-integrated samples from April through September. Fire-related changes in suspended sediment were distinguished from natural climatic variations by two methods: comparison of forecast postfire sediment loads estimated with prefire sediment-rating equations to measured postfire loads; and by postfire changes in suspended sediment load expressed per unit volume runoff. Both methods indicated postfire sediment increases that varied according to season. The higher elevation Lamar River basin had little postfire increase in spring snowmelt season sediment but large increases in summer sediment load. The Yellowstone River had postfire increases in sediment load for the spring but did not reflect the large summer increases of its upstream tributary. The reasons for the difference in postfire snowmelt sediment response are unclear but may relate to basin elevation differences, the effects of unburned watersheds, and cooler postfire springs. The few high streamflow snowmelt events in the postfire period mitigated postfire sediment increases.     

SUSPENDED SEDIMENT PRODUCTION FROM FORESTED WATERSHEDS ON OAHU,HAWAII1

Suspended sediment from forested and agricultural watersheds was sampled over a five-year period on the island of Oahu. A variety of storm conditions were sampled, giving a measure of the extreme variability in suspended sediment production. Total annual suspended sediment from all watersheds sampled ranged from 8400 kg/km² to 617,000 kg/km². Normally, about 90 percent of the total suspended sediment was produced during less than 2 percent of the time. Suspended sediment concentrations rapidly increased during rising stream flow resulting from rain storms. Time to peak of less than two hours is common, with a similarly rapid return to prestorm conditions. The data presented indicate the great variability of suspended sediment yields, making establishment of effective standards difficult.     

SETTING AN EFFECTIVE TMDL: SEDIMENT LOADING AND EFFECTS OF SUSPENDED SEDIMENT ON FISR1

ABSTRACT: The Agricultural Drainage and Pesticide Transport model was used to examine the relationship between fish and suspended sediment in the context of a proposed total maximum daily load (TMDL) in two agricultural watersheds in Minnesota. During a 50‐year simulation, Wells Creek, a third‐order cold water stream, had an estimated 1,164 events (i.e., one or more consecutive days of estimated sediment loading) and the Chippewa River, a fourth‐order warm water stream, had 906 events of measurable suspended sediment. Sublethal thresholds were exceeded for 970 events and lethal levels for 194 events for brown trout in Wells Creek, whereas adult nonsalmonids would have experienced sublethal levels for 923 events and lethal levels for 241 events. Sublethal levels were exceeded for 756 events and lethal thresholds were exceeded for 150 events in the Chippewa River. Nonsalmonids would have experienced 15 events of mortality between 0 and 20 percent in Wells Creek. In the Chippewa River, there were 35 events of mortality between 0 and 20 percent and one event in which mortality could have exceeded 20 percent. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has proposed listing stream reaches as being impaired for turbidity at 25 NTU, which is approximately 46 mg suspended sediment/1. We estimated that 46 mg/1 would be exceeded approximately 30 days in a year (d/yr) in both systems. A TMDL of 46 mg SS/1 may be too high to ensure that stream fishes are not negatively affected by suspended sediment. We recommend that an indicator incorporating the duration of exposure be applied.     

SOME SUSPENDED SEDIMENT YIELDS FROM SOUTH ISLAND CATCHMENTS,NEW ZEALAND1

: Estimates of specific annual suspended sediment yields, some of which rank among the highest reported in the world, are presented for 33 basins of South Island, New Zealand. Yield from each basin was determined by combining a suspended sediment concentration rating with the complete flow record of each catchment stream gaging station. A multiple regression analysis between sediment yields and climatic, hydrologic and physiographic parameters of each basin demonstrates that most of the variance in yields is explained by catchment mean rainfall. Geology apparently has little influence on sediment yield as suspended sediment concentration ratings, from rivers draining catchments of differing lithology, and regolith, are indistinguishable. Specific suspended sediment yield prediction equations are given for four defined regions covering in area almost all South Island; and except for one area, feature rainfall as the principle independent variable. Differences between regions may be due to variations in intensity, frequency, and duration patterns of storms. It is proposed that a simple power law relationship between yield and rainfall provides useful suspended sediment yield estimates in mountainous regions of temperate maritime climate, provided catchments have not been modified extensively by man.     

Temporal and Spatial Turbidity Patterns Over 30 Years in a Managed Forest of Western Washington1

Abstract: Forest practices have progressively changed over the last 30 years in the Pacific Northwest to address water quality concerns. There have been some assessments of these new management practices made at a site scale but very few studies have attempted to evaluate their efficacy at reducing cumulative sediment production at a watershed scale. Such an evaluation is difficult due to the spatial and temporal variability in sediment delivery and transport processes. Due to this inherent variability, detecting a response to management changes requires a long‐term data record. We utilized a water quality dataset collected over 30 years at four locations in the Deschutes River watershed (western Washington) to assess trends in turbidity and whether sediment control procedures implemented over this time period had any detectable influence. The sample sites ranged from small headwater streams (2.4 and 3.0 km²) to the mainstem of the Deschutes River (150 km²). Declining trends in turbidity were detected at all the permanently monitored sites. The mainstem Deschutes River site, which integrates sediment processes from the entire study watershed, showed dramatic declines in turbidity even with continued active forest management. For the small basins, logging and road construction occurred in the 1970s and 1980s and turbidity declined thereafter, achieving prelogging levels by 2000. There are no temporal trends in flow that could be responsible for the observed trends in turbidity. Our results suggest that increased attention to reducing sediment production from roads and minimizing the amount of road runoff reaching stream channels has been the primary cause of the declining turbidity levels observed in this study.