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b. Cross Section Surveys <br />c. Longitudinal Profile Surveys <br />d. Bank Material Survey <br />e. Bed and Bar Materia{ Survey <br />f. Grain Size Analysis <br />II. In-Channel Vegetation Monitoring <br />a. Bar Transect Surveys <br />b. Proportion of Species of Concern within the Channel <br />III. USGS Gauging Station Data <br />a. Discharge <br />b. Stage <br />c. Temperature <br />d. Cross Section Surveys <br />IV. Photograpfiy <br />a. Ground Photography <br />b. LiDAR <br />c. Aerial Photography <br />V. Data Reduction and Statistical Analysis <br />VI. Deliverables <br />1. Geomphology Monitoring <br />I.a. 5ediment Transport <br />One of the primary purposes of this monitoring effort is to document trends in sediment load, and the <br />grain size distribution of those sediments, that most influences the channel morphology of the Platte <br />River. As recognized in theD MP (pg 12), the bedload component of sediment transport is of primary <br />importance to the morphological features within the channel. As such, measuring bedload transport <br />would be the most direct measure of the factors that influence the habitat, both in terms of transport <br />rate and grain sizes being transported. I would disagree with the premise in the Draft Monitoring <br />Protocol that an indirect measure, suspended sediment, can be used as an effective surrogate for <br />bedload and is in fact "less variable". As someone that has analyzed and evaluated hundreds of <br />sediment rating curves (both bedload and suspended), the relationship between suspended sediment <br />(concentration) and discharge can be every bit as variable, or more so, than bedload transport rates and <br />in the end, the robustness of the rating curve is more dependent upon the number of samples taken and <br />the range of discharges measured than the type of sediment measured. In addition, if you sample <br />bedload you get the grain size distribution of the bedload, and from my own observations, there is a lot <br />of gravel on the bed of the Platte River that won't fit through the nozzle of a suspended sediment <br />sampler, even if it was in suspension. If channe{ morphology and bar development/characteristics are <br />the focus of this monitoring effort, I would directly measure bedload transport and not bother with <br />either suspended sediment sampling techniques mentioned in the DMP (though I can measure all 3 if <br />you were interested in total load). <br />PRRIP - Geomorphic Monitoring 3 of 20 Blue Mountain Consultants