Rapid Evaluation of Sediment Budgets

Many land-management decisions would be aided by an understanding of the current sediment production and transport regime in a watershed and of the likely effects of planned land use on that regime. Sediment budgeting can provide this information quickly and at low cost if reconnaissance techniques are used to evaluate the budget. Efficient budget construction incorporates seven steps: careful definition of the problem to be addressed; collection of background information; subdivision of the project area into uniform sub-areas; interpretation of aerial photographs; fieldwork; analysis; and checking of results. Methods used in fieldwork and analysis must be selected according to the types of hillslope and channel processes active, the goals of the analysis, and the level of precision required. Methods for evaluating erosion and sediment transport rates are described, and four examples are given to demonstrate budget applications and construction.