Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2007KY94B

Impacts of Disturbance on Streamflow and Sediment Yield in the Licking River Basin

Institute: Kentucky
Year Established: 2007 Start Date: 2007-03-01 End Date: 2008-02-29
Total Federal Funds: $3,134 Total Non-Federal Funds: $6,313

Principal Investigators: Christine McMichael

Project Summary: Natural and human-induced disturbances modify streamflow and sedimentation regimes in forested watersheds. These modifications are an important concern for water resource managers, wildlife managers, government agencies and others since they have the potential to impact water supply, water quality, flooding, critical wildlife habitat, and food webs. These issues are particularly problematic in steep forested watersheds in eastern Kentucky, where flash flooding is a persistent danger and natural and human-induced land cover/land use changes (due to storms or timber harvesting) on slopes often increase sediment input to streams. The proposed study represents the first phase of a broader research agenda aimed at examining the effects of natural and human-induced disturbances in forested watersheds in Kentucky. The overall goal of this first phase is to further understand the impacts of the recent ice storm on streamflow and sediment yield in forested sub-basins of the Licking River Basin near Morehead, Kentucky an area which experienced particularly heavy storm damage. In addition, data collected during this study will be used to establish pre-logging (baseline) streamflow and sediment conditions in these sub-basins as a first step towards monitoring the impacts of future logging activities.