Sediment Deposition and Trends and Transport of Phosphorus and Other Chemical Constituents, Cheney Reservoir Watershed, South-Central Kansas
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Prepared in cooperation with the ( KANSAS WATER OFFICE and the KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT Sediment Deposition and Trends and Transport of Phosphorus and Other Chemical Constituents, Cheney Reservoir Watershed, South-Central Kansas Water-Resources Investigations Report 01-4085 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover photographs: Control tower and shoreline northeast of dam, Cheney Reservoir, south-central Kansas. U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Sediment Deposition and Trends and Transport of Phosphorus and Other Chemical Constituents, Cheney Reservoir Watershed, South-Central Kansas By DAVID P. MAU Water-Resources Investigations Report 01-4085 Prepared in cooperation with the KANSAS WATER OFFICE and the KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT Lawrence, Kansas 2001 U.S. Department of the Interior Gale A. Norton, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Charles G. Groat, Director The use of brand names in this report is for identification purposes only and does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey. ....... For additional information write to: Copies of this report can be purchased from: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Information Services 4821 Quail Crest Place Building 810 Lawrence, KS 66049-3839 Box 25286, Federal Center Denver, CO 80225-0286 CONTENTS Abstract.................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction .........................................................................................................................................................^ 2 Previous Investigations................................................................................................................................................ 2 Current Investigation................................................................................................................................................... 4 Description of Cheney Reservoir Watershed......................................................................................................................... 4 Methods ................................................................................. 6 Bathymetric Survey..................................................................................................................................................... 6 Estimation of Bottom-Sediment Depth and Volume................................................................................................... 6 Reservoir Sediment-Core Collection, Processing, and Analysis................................................................................. 8 Quality Control.........................................................................................................................................^ 10 Sediment Deposition in Cheney Reservoir............................................................................................................................ 11 Calculation of Bottom-Sediment Volume and Mass ................................................................................................... 11 Changes in Reservoir Storage Capacity ...................................................................................................................... 13 Comparison to Sediment Deposition in Other Reservoirs in Kansas.......................................................................... 14 Water-Quality Trends and Mass Transport............................................................................................................................ 17 Phosphorus................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Phosphorus Concentrations in Reservoir Bottom Sediment.............................................................................. 17 Estimates of Total Phosphorus Concentrations in Surface-Water Inflow.......................................................... 20 Estimates of Phosphorus Yields in Cheney Reservoir Watershed..................................................................... 22 Nitrogen ............................................................................._ 24 Trace Elements............................................................................................................................................................ 25 Selected Pesticides.....................................................................................................................................^ 28 Summary and Conclusions.................................................................................................................................................... 28 References .............................................................................................................................................................. 29 Supplemental Information.............................................................................................................................................^ 31 FIGURES 1-4. Maps showing: 1. Location of Cheney Reservoir watershed in south-central Kansas and bottom-sediment coring sites in Cheney Reservoir............................................................................................................................................... 3 2. Land use in Cheney Reservoir watershed, 1993................................................................................................ 5 3. Location of range lines and coring sites at Cheney Reservoir, 1997-98, and estimated surface area of reservoir segments............................................................................................................................................. 7 4. Length of bottom-sediment cores collected from Cheney Reservoir, 1997-99 ................................................ 10 5. Schematic diagram showing storage capacities in Cheney Reservoir .................................................................... 16 6. Map showing mean concentrations of total phosphorus in bottom-sediment cores collected from Cheney Reservoir, 1997-99 ................................................................................................................................................. 18 7. Map showing mean particle-size composition of bottom-sediment cores from Cheney Reservoir, 1997-99........ 19 8. Graph showing relation between mean percentage of bottom-sediment particles less than 0.062 millimeter in diameter and mean concentrations of total phosphorus in bottom-sediment samples, Cheney Reservoir, 1997-99..........................................~ 20 9-12. Graphs showing: 9. Relation between total phosphorus concentrations in bottom-sediment core sample and normalized depth of sample from selected coring sites in Cheney Reservoir, 1965-97...................................................... 21 Contents FIGURES Continued 10. Relation between concentrations of radioactive cesium-137 and normalized depth of bottom-sediment core samples from selected coring sites in Cheney Reservoir, 1965-99 .......................................................... 21 11. Relation between mean percentage of bottom-sediment particles less than 0.062 millimeter in diameter and mean concentrations of total ammonia plus organic nitrogen as nitrogen in bottom-sediment samples, Cheney Reservoir, 1997-99 ............................................................................................................... 25 12. Comparison of selected trace element mean concentrations in bottom-sediment cores from in-channel and out-of-channel coring sites to Threshold Effects Levels, Cheney Reservoir, 1997-99 .................................... 27 13-17. Graphs showing comparison of 1964 Bureau of Reclamation topographic data and 1998 U.S. Geological Survey bathymetric data for Cheney Reservoir: 13. Range line 1....................................................................................................................................................... 35 14. Range line 7....................................................................................................................................................... 36 15. Range line 8..................................................................................................^ 37 16. Range line 9......................................................................^ 38 17. Range line 10..................................................................................................................................................... 39 18. Graphs showing relation between arsenic, chromium, copper, and nickel concentrations in bottom-sediment sample and normalized depth of sample at coring site M5, Cheney Reservoir, 1999............................................ 40 TABLES 1. Location of bottom-sediment coring sites in Cheney Reservoir, south-central Kansas, 1997-99 ......................... 8 2. Analytical results and relative percentage differences for selected nutrients and trace elements for split replicate samples of bottom sediment from coring sites M2 and M3, Cheney Reservoir, south-central Kansas, 1998-99 .............................................................. 12 3. Estimated mean sediment deposition along range lines for both in-channel and out-of-channel subsegments in Cheney