Simulation Of Streamflow and Sediment Transport In Two Surface-Coal-Mined Basins In Fayette County, Pennsylvania by James I. Sams III and Emitt C. Witt III U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 92-4093 Prepared in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Mining and Reclamation Lemoyne, Pennsylvania 1995 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MANUEL LUJAN, JR., Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Gordon P. Eaton, Director For additional information Copies of this report may be write to: purchased from: U.S. Geological Survey Earth Science Information Center District Chief Open-File Reports Section U.S. Geological Survey Box 25286, MS 517 840 Market Street Denver Federal Center Lemoyne, Pennsylvania 17043-1586 Denver, Colorado 80225 CONTENTS Page Abstract...................................................................... 1 Introduction.................................................................... 2 Purpose and scope ........................................................ 2 Approach ............................................................... 2 Previous investigations. ..................................................... 2 Acknowledgment ......................................................... 2 Description of study area. ........................................................ 3 Physical setting ........................................................... 3 Climate ................................................................. 4 Geology ................................................................ 4 Soils ................................................................... 4 Land use................................................................ 4 Hydrology............................................................... 4 Description of simulation program.................................................. 5 General description........................................................ 5 Program components ...................................................... 5 Snow simulation ..................................................... 6 Pervious watershed processes. .......................................... 7 Evapotranspiration. ................................................... 8 Channel flow ....................................................... 8 Surface erosion...................................................... 9 Sediment transport................................................... 9 Data management............................................................. 10 Organization of data and analytical procedures. ................................. 10 Simulation of streamflow and sediment transport...................................... 10 Model calibration and verification - Stony Fork Basin ............................. 10 Streamflow calibration procedures ...................................... 13 Daily flow. ................................................... 13 Stormflow. ................................................... 17 Sediment calibration procedures........................................ 20 Surface erosion. ............................................... 20 Sediment transport............................................. 21 Verification........................................................ 24 Streamflow................................................... 24 Sediment .................................................... 28 Significant calibration parameters ....................................... 29 Transfer of calibration parameters - Poplar Run Basin ............................. 31 Streamflow........................................................ 33 Sediment ......................................................... 39 Summary and conclusions....................................................... 41 References cited .............................................................. 42 Appendix 1: Hydrologic Simulation Program-Fortran user control input file for the Stony Fork Basin............................................................43 Appendix 2: Hydrologic Simulation Program-Fortran user control input file for the Poplar Run Basin ........................................................... 48 CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS Page Figure 1. Map showing location of the study area ................................ 3 2. Flow diagram of the flux and storage of moisture associated with pervious land areas in the Hydrologic Simulation Program - Fortran ............... 7 3. Schematic diagram showing erosion processes simulated by the Hydrologic Simulation Program-Fortran....................................... 9 4. Map showing hydrologic response units and data-collection sites in Stony Fork Basin.............................................. 13 5. Hydrographs of observed and simulated daily mean streamflow at Stony Fork near Gibbon Glade for the calibration period (water years 1986-88).......................................... 15 6. Hydrographs of selected storms at Stony Fork near Gibbon Glade for the calibration period (water years 1986-88). ........................... 18 7. Graphs showing sediment discharge for selected storms at Stony Fork near Gibbon Glade for the calibration period (water years 1986-88) .......... 22 8. Hydrographs of observed and simulated daily mean streamflow at Stony Fork near Gibbon Glade for the verification period (water year 1989)............................................. 25 9. Hydrographs of selected storms at Stony Fork near Gibbon Glade for the verification period (water year 1989) .............................. 26 10. Duration curves of observed and simulated daily mean streamflow at Stony Fork near Gibbon Glade for the verification period (water year 1989)............................................. 27 11. Graph of sediment discharge for selected storms at Stony Fork near Gibbon Glade for the verification period (water year 1989)............. 29 12. Map showing hydrologic response units and data-collection sites in Poplar Run Basin.............................................. 32 13. Hydrographs of observed and simulated daily mean streamflow at Poplar Run near Normalville (water years 1988-89) ................... 35 14. Hydrographs of selected storms at Poplar Run near Normalville (water years 1988-89).......................................... 36 15. Duration curves of observed and simulated daily mean streamflow at Poplar Run near Normalville (water years 1988-89) ................... 38 16. Graphs showing sediment discharge for selected storms at Poplar Run near Normalville (water years 1988-89) ................................ 40 ILLUSTRATIONS TABLES Page Table 1. Annual water budgets for the Stony Fork and Poplar Run Basins ............. 5 2. Input time-series data required by Hydrologic Simulation Program - Fortran. .... 5 3. Computer-code structure of watershed processes in Hydrologic Simulation Program - Fortran. ............................................. 6 4. Computer-code structure for stream reach routing of water and sediment in Hydrologic Simulation Program-Fortran ............................. 8 5. Basin hydrology parameters with definitions for Hydrologic Simulation Program - Fortran. ............................................ 11 6. Sediment simulation parameters with definitions for Hydrologic Simulation Program - Fortran. ............................................ 12 7. Hydrologic response units in the Stony Fork Basin ....................... 12 8. Time-series data used in the Stony Fork model. ......................... 12 9. Simulated water budget for the Stony Fork Basin during the calibration period (water years 1986-88). ................................... 14 10. Observed and simulated annual streamflow data for the Stony Fork Basin during the calibration period (water years 1986-88)................... 14 11. Observed and simulated mean discharge by month and year for Stony Fork near Gibbon Glade during the calibration period (water years 1986-88) ......................................... 14 12. Precipitation and runoff data for selected storms at Stony Fork near Gibbon Glade for the calibration period (water years 1986-88).......... 17 13. Simulated surface erosion for land-use types in the Stony Fork Basin ......... 21 14. Sediment-discharge data for selected storms at Stony Fork near Gibbon Glade during the calibration period (water years 1986-88) ....... 23 15. Observed and simulated total suspended-sediment load by month and year for Stony Fork near Gibbon Glade during the calibration period (water years 1986-88) ......................................... 23 16. Observed and simulated annual streamflow data for the Stony Fork Basin during the verification period (water year 1989) ..................... 24 17. Observed and simulated mean discharge by month and year for Stony Fork near Gibbon Glade during the verification period (water year 1989)...... 24 18. Precipitation and runoff data for selected storms at Stony Fork near Gibbon Glade for the verification period (water year 1989). ............ 25 19. Sediment-discharge data for selected storms at Stony Fork near Gibbon Glade during the verification period (water year 1989 .......... 28 TABLES TABLES Continued Page Table 20. Observed and simulated total suspended-sediment load by month and year for Stony Fork near Gibbon Glade during the verification period (water year 1989)............................................. 28 21. Sensitivity results for selected parameters affecting the annual water balance ... 30 22. Sensitivity results