Premium
Physical, Chemical, and Mineralogical Characteristics of a Reservoir Sediment Delta (Lake Powell, USA) and Implications for Water Quality during Low Water Level
Author(s) -
Wildman Richard A.,
Pratson Lincoln F.,
DeLeon Michael,
Hering Janet G.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq2010.0323
Subject(s) - water quality , sediment , delta , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , geology , geochemistry , geomorphology , geotechnical engineering , engineering , ecology , aerospace engineering , biology
Lake Powell is a large reservoir in Utah and Arizona that has experienced large changes in water level during a recent drought. As a first step in assessing the connection between hydrologic and chemical changes at Lake Powell, we characterized the particle size and solid‐phase bulk concentrations for 31 elements and 25 minerals in sediment from the inflow region and some shoreline locations by using laser diffractometry, X‐ray fluorescence, elemental analysis, and X‐ray diffraction. Our results are consistent with previous results that show a negative correlation between particle size and concentrations of most elements and most minerals other than quartz and some feldspars. In our samples, however, solid‐phase iron, rather than particle size or organic carbon, is the best predictor variable for the solid‐phase concentrations of elements and minerals. Sediment characteristics vary on a scale of tens of kilometers, with fine sediment that is enriched in trace elements nearer to the dam. These trends allow formulation of an algorithm for determining a water‐level threshold below which sediment resuspension may alter water chemistry in a generic reservoir with a long and narrow sediment delta.