Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2008KY107B

Development of a composite sediment transport model applicable to watersheds in the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky

Institute: Kentucky
Year Established: 2008 Start Date: 2008-03-01 End Date: 2009-06-30
Total Federal Funds: $5,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $10,503

Principal Investigators: James Fox

Project Summary: This project will undertake modeling of watershed sediment transport including field-data collection and analysis for model calibration and validation. A composite watershed model will be developed by selecting an existing modeling tool that estimates surface erosion and sediment routing on hillslopes together with sediment transport equations for in-stream sediment processes including streambank erosion and sediment deposition and resuspension from intermittent storage zones. The planned composite model will allow routing of sediment through watersheds and will be used to simulate storm events that carry high sediment loads that can impact water quality. A set of tests will be designed and the model will be run to examine how changes in hydrology and remediation impact sediment processes including sediment loading and storage at the in-stream sources. The objective of the proposed research is to gain a better understanding of in-stream and upland sediment transport processes at the watershed scale by using a modeling tool that can simulate multiple erosion processes under varying environmental conditions.