Decreased Rates of Alluvial Sediment Storage in the Coon Creek Basin, Wisconsin, 1975-93

Abstract

The total measured rate of alluvial sediment accretion in the agricultural Coon Creek Basin for the period 1975–93 was only about 6 percent of the rate that occurred in the 1930s, but the distributed changes within the basin were highly variable and systematic. Sediment yield (efflux), however, remained relatively constant despite large stream and valley changes within the basin. These observations demonstrate (i) that sediment sources, sinks, and fluxes vary widely over time and space and (ii) that, although improved soil conservation measures have decreased soil erosion, the downstream effects are complex.