Laserfiche WebLink
<br />SEDIMENT TRANSPORT IN THE LOWER YAMPA RIVER, <br />NORTHWESTERN COLORADO <br /> <br />By John G. Elliott, James E. Kircher, and Paul Von Guerard <br /> <br />ABSTRACT <br /> <br />Discharge meast,lrements and sediment samples were taken at streamflow- <br />gaging station 09260050 Yampa River at Deerlodge Park in 1982 and 1983 to <br />determine the average annual sediment supply to the Yampa Canyon in Dinosaur <br />National Monument. Daily mean discharge recorded at the Deerlodge Park gage <br />correlated well with the sum of daily mean disCharges recorded at two <br />streamflow-gaging stations in the dralnage basin upstream: Station 09251000 <br />Yampa River near Maybell, and station 09260000 Little Snake River near Lily. <br />Because of good correlation of discharges recorded during the study period <br />. CR2=0.98), 43 years of discharge records at the two tributary sites were <br />combined to determine the historic discharge of the Yampa River at Deerlodge <br />Park. An historic average hydrograph and a flow-duration curve were derived <br />from the combined discharge data. <br /> <br />Sediment-transport equations were derived for total sediment discharge, <br />suspended-sediment discharge, bedload discharge, and the diSCharge of sediment <br />in several particle-size ranges. Annual sediment discharges were determined <br />by the flOW-duration, sediment-rating-curve method. These computations <br />indicated that mean annual total sediment di scharge was approximately 2.0 <br />million tons per year of which 0.8 million tons per year was sand-size materi- <br />al. Bedload was almost entirely sand,_and mean annual bedload discharge was <br />0."1 million tons per year. <br /> <br />Development of water resources in the Yampa River basin could have <br />considerable effect on the geomorphic and biological character of the Yampa <br />River at Deerlodge Park"and through the Yampa Canyon. In this report, several <br />scenarios of altered streamflow frequency distribution, reduced streamflow <br />volume, and reduced sediment supply are examined to estimate the effect on the <br />sediment budget at Deerlodge Park. <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />Channel :norpholcgy as Heil as the aquatic and riparian habitat of the <br />Yampa Ri ver in Di nosaur Nat i ona 1 [,Ionument is primarily controlled by the <br />prevail i ng streamflow regime ana transported sediment. The ri ver channel wi 11 <br />adjust to significant long~term changes in the total volume of annual <br />streamflow, the range of discharge, the sediment supply, or the particle size <br />of sediment. Water resource development in the Yampa River basi n caul d 1 ead <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />..-= <br /> <br />.".7----..>-.n'-"...--,"':",."'"-,o=--'"--."'~. <br /> <br />----.oc."..".",..,,,'"'c.,.,_.,..,.,,,,"",, <br />