Sediment Characteristics of North Carolina Streams, 1970-79
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Sediment Characteristics of North Carolina Streams, 1970-79 United States Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2364 Prepared in cooperation with the North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources AVAILABILITY OF BOOKS AND MAPS OF THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Instructions on ordering publications of the U.S. Geological Survey, along with the last offerings, are given in the current-year issues of the monthly catalog "New Publications of the U.S. Geological Survey." Prices of available U.S. Geological Survey publications released prior to the current year are listed in the most recent annual "Price and Availability List." Publications that are listed in various U.S. Geological Survey catalogs (see back inside cover) but not listed in the most recent annual "Price and Availability List" are no longer available. Prices of reports released to the open files are given in the listing "U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports," updated monthly, which is for sale in microfiche from the U.S. Geological Survey Books and Open-File Reports Sales, Box 25286, Denver, CO 80225. Order U.S. Geological Survey publications by mail or over the counter from the offices given below. BY MAIL OVER THE COUNTER Books Books Professional Papers, Bulletins, Water-Supply Papers, Tech niques of Water-Resources Investigations, Circulars, publications Books of the U.S. Geological Survey are available over the of general interest (such as leaflets, pamphlets, booklets), single counter at the following U.S. Geological Survey offices, all of which copies of periodicals (Earthquakes & Volcanoes, Preliminary De are authorized agents of the Superintendent of Documents. termination of Epicenters), and some miscellaneous reports, in cluding some of the foregoing series that have gone out of print at the Superintendent of Documents, are obtainable by mail from ANCHORAGE, Alaska 4230 University Dr., Rm. 101 U.S. Geological Survey, Books and Open-File Reports Sales LAKEWOOD, Colorado Federal Center, Bldg. 810 Box 25286 Denver, CO 80225 MENLO PARK, California Bldg. 3, Rm. 3128, 345 Middlefield Rd. Subscriptions to periodicals (Earthquakes & Volcanoes and Preliminary Determination of Epicenters) can be obtained ONLY RESTON, Virginia National Center, Rm. 1C402, 12201 from Sunrise Valley Dr. Superintendent of Documents SALT LAKE CITY, Utah Federal Bldg., Rm. 8105, 125 U.S. Government Printing Office South State St. Washington, DC 20402 (Check or money order must be payable to Superintendent of SPOKANE, Washington Rm. 135, U.S. Post Office Bldg., Documents.) W. 904 Riverside Ave. WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Department of the Interior Bldg., Maps Rm. 2650, 1849 C St., NW. For maps, address mail orders to Maps U.S. Geological Survey, Map Sales Box 25286 Denver, CO 80225 Maps may be purchased over the counter at the U.S. Geologi cal Survey offices where books are sold (all addresses in above list) and at the following Geological Survey offices: Residents of Alaska may order maps from ROLLA, Missouri 1400 Independence Rd. U.S. Geological Survey, Map Sales 101 Twelfth Ave., Box 12 FAIRBANKS, Alaska New Federal Building, 101 Twelfth Fairbanks, AK 99701 Ave. Sediment Characteristics of North Carolina Streams, 1970-79 By CLYDE E. SIMMONS Prepared in cooperation with the North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 2364 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MANUEL LUJAN, JR., Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1993 For sale by Book and Open-File Report Sales U.S. Geological Survey Federal Center, Box 25286 Denver, CO 80225 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Simmons, Clyde E. Sediment characteristics of North Carolina streams, 1970-79 / by Clyde E. Simmons. p. cm. (U.S. Geological Survey water-supply paper ; 2364) Includes bibliographical references. Supt. of Docs, no.: 119.13:2364 1. River sediments North Carolina. I. Geological Survey (U.S.). II. Title. III. Series. GB1399.8.N8S56 1993 92-34525 551.48'3'09756 dc20 CIP CONTENTS Abstract 1 Introduction 1 Purpose and scope 1 Previous studies 2 Acknowledgments 2 Physical features of North Carolina significantly related to erosion and sediment transport 4 Slope 4 Physiographic provinces and drainage 4 Blue Ridge Province 4 Piedmont Province 7 Coastal Plain Province 7 Soil characteristics 7 Land use 8 Effects of reservoirs 10 Hydrologic conditions during study period 11 Precipitation 11 Streamflow 13 Sediment-sampling network and methods of computation 16 Daily-sampling stations 16 Periodic-sampling stations 16 Methods of sampling and laboratory analysis 17 Effects of land use on characteristics of sediment transport 19 Forested basins representing background conditions 19 Forested basins with minor development 24 Rural basins affected by agriculture 24 Rural basins affected by nonagricultural activities 35 Channelization 41 Highway and large-scale construction 41 Urbanization 41 Reservoirs 41 Urban basins 46 Comparisons of suspended-sediment transport characteristics with selected basin characteristics 49 Stream discharge 49 Particle size of suspended sediment 52 Land use 53 Effects of stream-slope change across Fall Line 54 Gross erosion and sediment-delivery ratio 56 Estimating sediment transport from basins 58 Additional studies 63 Summary 63 References cited 64 Glossary 84 Contents III FIGURES 1-4. Maps showing: 1. Locations of sediment-sampling sites in North Carolina 3 2. Counties and major population centers of North Carolina 5 3. Hydrologic units and major streams in North Carolina 6 4. Generalized soils of North Carolina 9 5-8. Graphs showing: 5. Comparison of annual precipitation during study period with long-term averages at selected points 12 6. Comparisons of flow-duration curves for period of record and 1970- 79 reference period at selected long-term index gaging stations 14 7. Sediment-transport curve for site 25, Eno River near Durham, 1970-79 18 8. Flow-duration curve for site 25, Eno River near Durham, 1970- 79 19 9. Maps showing estimated annual suspended-sediment yields and median and maximum suspended-sediment concentrations for streams draining forested basins 22 10. Graph showing relation of content of organic material in suspended sediment to concentration of suspended sediment for streams in selected forested basins 23 11. Graph showing comparisons of mean annual suspended-sediment yields for forested basins with and without minor development 26 12-17. Maps showing: 12. Mean concentrations of suspended sediment by province for selected flow conditions in predominantly rural basins affected by agriculture 33 13. Major soil units and approximate mean concentration of suspended sediment during high flow (0.1 percent flow duration) for predominantly rural basins affected by agriculture 34 14. Suspended-sediment characteristics in lower Cape Fear River basin 35 15. Mean annual suspended-sediment yield for predominantly rural basins affected by agriculture 36 16. Selected suspended-sediment characteristics, by major river basin, for predominantly rural basins affected by agriculture 37 17. Locations of reservoirs that affect reported stream-sediment data 43 18. Hydrographs showing flow and suspended sediment for inflow and outflow of Lake Logan, West Fork Pigeon River, during the storm of August 7-8, 1978 44 19. Graph showing sediment-transport curves for sampling stations on Neuse and Haw Rivers, demonstrating changes in sediment discharge after construction of major reservoirs immediately upstream from stations 45 20. Map showing maximum observed concentration of suspended sediment and mean annual yield at urban sampling sites 48 21. Hydrographs showing streamflow and suspended-sediment concentration for Yadkin River at Yadkin College, October 1978-April 1979 50 22-28. Graphs showing: 22. Velocity profile and mean concentration of suspended sediment in selected verticals during flood of May 8, 1978, at Twelve Mile Creek near Waxhaw 50 23. Mean annual suspended-sediment yield for selected forested (pristine), rural-agricultural, and urban sites in Piedmont Province 53 IV Contents 24. Mean suspended-sediment concentration, by percent flow duration, for forested (pristine), rural-agricultural, and urban sites in Piedmont Province 54 25. Effects of low channel slope on suspended-sediment discharge of Neuse and Cape Fear Rivers when they reach the Coastal Plain 55 26. Comparison of mean annual suspended-sediment yield, by land-use category and for drainage areas of less than 400 mi2, with values of gross erosion computed on statewide basis 59 27. Multiple-group clustering of rural-agricultural sediment sites obtained from a comparison of selected basin and sediment characteristics by representative soil class 61 28. Relation of mean annual suspended-sediment discharge to drainage area by soil class for urban and rural-agricultural basins 62 TABLES 1. Guide for estimating credibility K factors for soils in North Carolina 10 2. Average discharge for selected index gaging stations for period of record and 1970-79 reference period 13 3. Numbers of floods at selected stations exceeding various intensities for long-term and study (1970-79) conditions 15 4. Computation of average annual suspended-sediment discharge and yield of the Eno River near Durham, 1970-79 20 5. Suspended-sediment characteristics