Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Suspended Sediment Concentration In The Brushy Creek Watershed, Kentucky, Tyler Wade, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Suspended sediment concentration (SSC) can be used as a proxy for environmental health of stream water. For example, large sediment loads can cause harm to aquatic life and are a mechanism for introducing and transporting fecal microbes. We measure SSC of the Brushy Creek watershed, located in Rockcastle, Pulaski, and Lincoln Counties, where the Eastern Kentucky Environmental Research Institute (EK-ERI) has been conducting an assessment of the watershed. Two auto sampling units were placed in Brushy Creek to collect water samples for determination of SSC. The units collect samples every 14 hours for a two-week period, then samples are retrieved …