Laserfiche WebLink
thresholds for mobilizing the bed material were exceeded very infrequently. Over the 7-year <br />period of the study, the discharge required to produce initial motion (-1/2 the bankfull discharge) <br />was exceeded for a total of 78 days, which is only about 1 /3 the frequency recommended in <br />previous reports. The discharge required to completely mobilize the bed (bankfull discharge) did <br />not occur at all. <br />Geomorphic changes in the 15- and 18-mile reaches were monitored using periodic <br />surveys of main-channel cross sections and backwaters, and comparative analysis of aerial <br />photographs taken in 1993 and 2000. These measurements indicate that, overall, the large-scale <br />morphology of the Colorado River has changed little in the last decade. Vertical and lateral <br />deposition of fine sediment occurred in all of the side channels monitored, however, the changes <br />detected in these features were again relatively minor. <br />Additional analyses of suspended sediment records from gauging stations in the study <br />area reconfirm the importance of late-spring flows for carrying sediment. The analysis indicates <br />that roughly 80% of the sediment carried in suspension consists of silt- and clay-sized particles. <br />Concentrations of suspended sediment at all gauging stations are consistently higher on the rising <br />limb of the hydrograph than they are on the falling limb, thus the total annual sediment load is <br />dominated by late-spring flows. Both sediment concentration and water discharge are high in the <br />spring, thus the total annual sediment load is dominated by flow conditions during this period of <br />time. About 20% of the total suspended sediment load consists of sand. This sediment reaches a <br />peak 2-3 weeks after the peak in water discharge, and not far in advance of the typical period of <br />time when Colorado pikeminnow are preparing to spawn. It is not clear that the sand moving at <br />this time of the year represents a problem in an ecological sense; however, it is evident that the <br />11