Sediment
Let's talk sediment:
We measure sediment and solids suspended in the water in milligrams/liter of sampled water. TSS or total suspended solids refers to the solids and sediments suspended in water samples, and high levels in storm flows are typically indicative of erosion. The turbidity, or relative clarity, of the water will typically be influenced by the amount of TSS present in the sample. Typically, a higher TSS value will increase the turbidity of the water. As a reference, the picture below demonstrates relatively high turbidity.
At our sampling stations in tributary 7 of the Potash Brook, there have been measurements of TSS as high as 70 mg/l, with a flow rate as high as 5.0 cubic meters (5000 liters) per second during an extreme storm event. At this peak condition over 0.75 pounds of sediment per second could flow through the tributary. It is no surprise that sediment deposits such as depicted below occur downstream from the sampling station; what is not deposited locally continues on toward Lake Champlain.
