SEDIMENT-TRANSPORT CHARACTERISTICS AND EFFECTS OF SEDIMENT TRANSPORT ON BENTHIC INVERTEBRATES IN THE FOUNTAIN CREEK DRAINAGE BASIN UPSTREAM FROM WIDEFIELD, SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO, 1985-88 By Paul von Guerard U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 89-4161 Prepared in cooperation with the CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS DEPARTMENT OF UTILITIES Denver, Colorado 1989 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MANUEL LUJAN, JR., Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director For additional information Copies of this report can write to: be purchased from: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Books and Open-File Reports Section Box 25046, Mail Stop 415 Box 25425 Federal Center Federal Center Denver, CO 80225-0046 Denver, CO 80225-0425 CONTENTS Page Abstract----------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Introduction------ - -------------------------------------------------- 2 Purpose and scope------------------------------------------------- 2 Description of study area---------------------------------------- - 6 Acknowledgment s - - - ------------------------------------ __________ 5 Sediment-transport characteristics--------------------------------------- 6 Suspended sediment-------------------------------------------------- 7 Suspended-sediment discharge---------------------------------------- 9 Comparison of suspended-sediment yield in Fountain and Monument Creeks to suspended-sediment yield of other streams in Colorado--- 16 Bed material and bedload------------------------- ----------------- 19 Stream-channel cross sections--------- ---- ---------- __________ 25 Fountain Creek ------- ________________ ____________________ 2? Monument Creek--------- -------------------------------------- 27 Benthic invertebrates--------------- ----------------------------------- 31 Sampling methods and sampling-site descriptions---------------- --- 31 Collection 31 Fountain Creek--------- -------------------------------------- -31 Monument Creek------------------ -------- ___________________ 32 Benthic-invertebrate composition and occurrence--------- -------- 33 Fountain Creek 33 Monument Creek------------------------------------------------- 38 Comparison of sampling results between sites------------ ---------- 42 Similarity indices----- ------------------- _-___ __________ 42 Comparison of densities of organisms between sites------------- 43 Comparison with other studies--------------------------------------- 49 Effects of sediment transport on benthic invertebrates------------------- 49 Summary and conclusions---------------------------- --- --------------- 54 References cited--------------------------------------------------------- 56 Supplemental information------------------------------------------------- 59 FIGURES Page Figure 1. Map showing location of Fountain Creek drainage basin upstream from Widefield and location of sampling sites--- ---------- 3 2-6. Graphs showing: 2. Example of streamflow hydrograph and benthic-invertebrate sampling periods for Fountain and Monument Creeks------ 4 3. Uncorrected regression line and the regression line corrected for transformation bias for relation of suspended-sediment discharge to streamflow for Fountain Creek near Colorado Springs (site F4)------------------ 11 4. Mean annual suspended-sediment yield for suspended- sediment sampling sites on Fountain Creek for water years 1985-88 14 5. Mean annual suspended-sediment yield for suspended- sediment sampling sites on Monument Creek for water years 1985-88 14 111 Page Figures 2-6. Graphs showing--Continued: 6. Relation between percentage of annual suspended- sediment load and streamflow for suspended-sediment sampling sites on Fountain (A) and Monument (B) Creeks, water years 1985-88 15 7. Map showing location of selected suspended-sediment sampling sites in Colorado used for comparison to sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks-------------------------- 17 8-20. Graphs showing: 8. Relation of streamflow and bedload discharge as a percentage of total sediment discharge for bedload- sampling sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks------ 24 9. Selected stream-channel cross-section surveys for Fountain Creek at Security (site F13) 28 10. Mean percentage composition of major taxonomic groups collected at selected sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks during spring (April)------------------------ 36 11. Mean percentage composition of major taxonomic groups collected at selected sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks during early summer (late June to early July) 37 12. Mean percentage composition of major taxonomic groups collected at selected sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks during late summer (mid-August to early September)-------------------------------- -------- 39 13. Mean percentage composition of major taxonomic groups collected at selected sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks during fall (late October to early November)- 40 14. Example of a box plot--------------------------------- 45 15. Box plot of mean densities of organisms for all taxa and major taxonomic groups for benthic invertebrates collected on Fountain and Monument Creeks----------- 46 16. Selected stream-channel cross-section surveys for Fountain Creek near Colorado Springs (site F4)------ 64 17. Selected stream-channel cross-section surveys upstream from streamflow-gaging station Fountain Creek at Colorado Springs (site F8)-------------------------- 64 18. Selected stream-channel cross-section surveys downstream from streamflow-gaging station Fountain Creek at Colorado Springs (site F8)----------------- 65 19. Selected stream-channel cross-section surveys for Monument Creek above North Gate Boulevard at U.S. Air Force Academy (site M5)------------------------- 65 20. Selected stream-channel cross-section surveys for Monument Creek at Pikeview (site M10)--------------- 66 IV TABLES Page Table 1. Chemical quality, sediment, and benthic-invertebrate sampling sites----------------------------------- ------ __________ 5 2. Summary of streamflow for selected sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks------------------------------------- _--___ 7 3. Summary of suspended-sediment concentration and percentage of suspended sediment finer than 0.062 millimeters at selected sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks, water years 1985-88-- 8 4. Suspended-sediment-transport equations derived from measure­ ments of suspended-sediment discharge for Fountain and Monument Creeks during water years 1985-88------ ___--____- 10 5. Summary of annual suspended-sediment and suspended-sand loads and mean annual suspended-sediment yields at selected sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks, water years 1985-88-------- 13 6. General drainage-basin characteristics and summary of mean annual streamflow and mean annual suspended-sediment yield for selected streams in Colorado during water years 1977-82- 18 7. Results of bedload sampling for selected sediment-sampling sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks, water years 1985-88-- 20 8. Median grain-size statistics for bed-material and bedload samples for selected sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks, water years 1985-88 22 9. Summary of calculations for sediment-particle sizes at threshold of movement---- _________________________ ______ 26 10. Summary of water-quality properties and constituents measured at sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks, water years 1985-88 32 11. Summary of mean densities of organisms for major taxonomic groups and for all taxa for benthic invertebrates collected at selected sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks, water years 1985-88 34 12. Summary of values of similarity index and percent similarity for benthic-invertebrate sampling sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks, water years 1985-88------------ ________ 43 13. Streamflows used to determine flooding during the 30 days prior to collection of benthic invertebrates-- _________ 51 14. Variation in total organisms and major taxa of benthic invertebrates accounted for by independent variables included in the best regression model for Fountain and Monument Creeks------------- ______________________________ 53 15. Suspended-sediment size distribution for samples collected during snowmelt and rainfall runoff for selected sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks, water years 1985-88------- -- 60 16. Bed-material size distribution for selected sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks, water years 1985-88-------------------- 61 17. Bedload size distribution for selected sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks, water years 1985-88--------------------- - 63 18. Summary of stream-channel cross-section data for selected sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks, water years 1985-88-- 67 19. Species list, replicate samples, and mean density of benthic invertebrates for selected sites on Fountain and Monument Creeks, water years 1985-88 73 CONVERSION FACTORS Inch-pound units used in this report may be converted to metric (International System) units by using the following conversion factors: Multiply inch-pound unit By To obtain metric unit acre-foot per square mile 0.000476 cubic hectometer per square kilometer cubic foot per second (ft3/s) 0.028317 cubic meter per second foot (ft) 0.3048 meter inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter (mm) mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer square foot (ft2 ) 0.09290 square meter square mile (mi 2 ) 2.590 square kilometer ton (short) 0.9072 megagram ton per day (ton/d) 0.9072 megagram per day ton per day per foot (ton/d/ft) 0 9072 megagram per day per meter ton per square mile (ton/mi 2 ) 0.3503 megagram per square kilometer Temperature can be converted