WSP12053 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

002513 Sediment load is a primary factor determining the quality of water and its suitability for various uses. Sediment load also significantly influences the hydraul ic stability of a stream channel as well as the aquatic habitat. The supply of sediment to the channel network, and thus the sedi- ment load of the stream, is determined by many factors. Of these, land use is probably the most readily influenced by human activities. Extensive changes in land use are anticipated in the Yampa River basin during the next 15 years, due primarily to development of energy resources and associated economic development. The amount of coal mined annually in the Yampa River basin is expected to increase from 51 ightly more than 6.0 million tons (5.4 million t) in 1976 to about 20 mill ion tons (18 million t) by 1990. A substantial part of the coal will be mined from the land surface and will be converted within the basin to electric power or possibly to synthetic gases. Other energy resources within the basin include oil and gas, 011 shale, uranium, and geothermal springs. Due primarily to the anticipated energy development, the basin population, which in 1975 was nearly 18,000 (Udls and Hess, 1976), is .expected to increase 2 to 3 times during the next 15 years (Udis and others, 1977). The changes in land use associated with this development may increase the quantity of sediment sup- plied to stream channels in the Yampa River basin and thus adversely affect the quality of water in the basin. Purpose and Scope The purpose of this report is to describe the quantity and areal distribution of sediment loads carried by selected streams within the Yampa River basin, Colorado and Wyomin9 (fig. 1). Present sediment loads were computed from historical data, supplemented by data collected during 1975-77 as part of the present study. Potential increases in the sediment load carried by streams in the Yampa River basin due to surface mining were com- puted through analysis of the extent of land disturbance and its increased erodibility. Based upon these computations, probable impacts of surface mining upon sediment yield can be evaluated and the need for more intensive studies can be identified. Acknowledgments Timothy D. Steele provided some of helpful suggestions, especially with anticipated development. Dana Coffield performed most of the comput~tions. the sediment data and numerous regard to evaluating the impact of was a cheerful field assistant and 2 g