Sediment Transport and Deposition

Sediment transport and deposition is simply the process of taking soil from one place and depositing it in another. Deposition occurs when sediment in the flow is more than the flow can transport. As the primary source of sediment pollution, water erosion removes large amounts of valuable soil from our fields and pastures and deposits it in nearby lakes, streams and reservoirs. This causes several problems:

1. it reduces the recreational quality and overall appearance of our lakes, streams and reservoirs
2. it alters aquatic life populations by blanketing fish nesting and spawning areas
3. it obstructs the penetration of sunlight which is needed for plant growth
4. the sediments transferred into the water serve as carriers of the chemicals and pesticides previously used on them.

Occasionally soils are delivered back to the land by floods and overflows. The deposition of this previously eroded material can have varying effects depending upon type of soil it is. Alluvial soil, some of the most fertile and productive soils in the world, can certainly increase the productivity of agricultural land. Unfortunately, sand and gravel are the most frequently deposited soils during floods and thus limit production.

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