Estimating sediment yield from a small urban catchment of a heterogeneous structure

Abstract

AbstractSmall urban areas, due to their specificity (high anthroposphere, multiple forms of land use, variable drainage conditions), are often overlooked in studies on soil erosion and sediment transport that predominantly focus on a large scale. The sediment yield from such small urban areas may greatly vary depending, for example, on the state of the land development. Therefore, its proper estimation is crucial for water resources management, improving urban runoff quality or designing and maintaining local retention ponds. In this study, two different approaches were applied to estimate sediment yield from a small urban catchment of Służew Creek, located in Warsaw, Poland. While the first was based on direct hydrological measurements and field samples, the second (indirect) used various empirical formulas to predict bed load transport (local formula of Skibiński) in the stream channel and the suspended sediment delivery from the catchment (USLE equation, Build‐up/Wash‐off model). The sediment load established according to the direct approach equals 714 Mg/year, of which 83 Mg/year results from the bed load transport and 631 Mg/year comes from the suspended sediment transport. The total sediment load calculated according to the indirect approach equals 579 Mg/year. The relative difference in loads calculated with these two methods is about 20%. This paper combines various established methods into a novel composite analysis of sediment yield. The methodology presented in this study may support the estimation of sediment load in small urban catchments with a heterogenous land use structure. Hence, it may support urban planning and water resources management in such small catchments.