WSP07706

• File Number: 8200.765
• Description: White River General
• State: CO
• Basin: Yampa/White
• Water Division: 6
• Date: 1/1/1993
• Author: USGS
• Title: Sediment Transport and Water-Quality Characteristics and Loads - White River - Northwestern Colorado - Water Years 1975 through 1988
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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WATER VEARS

1910 - 88
1975 - 88
1975 - 88
1975 - 88
1975 - 88

...

0.1

0.5 1 2 5 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 95 98 99 99.5 99.9
PERCENTAGE OF TIME DISCHARGE WAS EQUALED OR EXCEEDED

99.99

Figure 6. Flow-duration curvas for selected sites on the White River.

the Burro Mountain and Rio Blanco snow courses
(fig. I). The snowpack measurements were made
monthly during winter and spring by the U.S. Soil
Conservation Service, Meeker, Colo. Analyses of
37 years of data for snowpacks measured in early April
and early May indicated that snowpack depths gener-
ally were greater, and snowpack existed longer at the
Burro Mountain site than at the Rio Blanco site. Snow-
pack data from the Burro Mountain snow course were
used for estimating annual stream discharge. Data for
site 3A and the Burro Mountain snow course are shown
in figure 7. The coefficient of determination (r2) shown
in figure 7 is a widely used measure of linear correla-
tion between two variables. Values of r2 approach zero
where variables have little or no linear correlation;
values of r2 approach 1.0 as linear correlation between
variables improves. The r2 value of 0.52 shown in
figure 7 indicates a moderate correlation of streamflow
to snowpack. The effect of variables such as seasonal
winds and temperature, precipitation patterns, and soil
moisture also can affect the runoff to the White River.

SEDIMENT TRANSPORT

Colby (1963) defines fluvial sediment as sedi-
ment that is transported by or susl'ended in water or
that has been deposited by water. Sediment is trans-
ported in suspension (suspended-sediment load) and
as particles along the streambed (bedload). The sus-
pended-sediment load commonly consists of clay, silt,
and sand that usually travel at the velocity of the
stream, The sediment particles are held in suspension
by the upward components of turbulent currents or by
colloidal dispersion. Bedload consists of coarser si.zed
sediment that comes from the bed and banks of the
stream. Particles moving as bedload remain close to
the streambed, usually within a few grain diameters for
uniform sediment (Colby, 1963). The suspended-
sediment load plus the bedload compose the total sedi-
ment load. Fluvial sediment generally is deposited in
lakes or reservoirs, stream channels, or flood plains.
Concepts of fluvial sediment are discussed in Colby
(1963) and Guy (1970a).

14 Sediment Traneport end Water-Quality Characteristics and Loads, White River, Northwestern Colorado, Water Ve.ra
1975-88