Date of Award
8-2014
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Legacy Department
Forest Resources
Committee Chair/Advisor
Mikhailova, Elena A
Committee Member
Post , Christopher J
Committee Member
Hains , John J
Abstract
Soil erosion and increased sediment yields within a watershed lead to impaired water quality, decreased availability of wildlife habitat and reduced recreational opportunities. While some sedimentation occurs naturally within a water system, most erosion processes are the result of anthropogenic activities across a landscape, namely changes in land use and land cover (LULC). This study was conducted to determine temporal and spatial sedimentation trends in the Lake Issaquena watershed using sonar logging equipment, geographic information systems (GIS) and limited hydrologic data from the Soil Conservation Service (1941 and 1949). Sediment deposition was analyzed in relation to several key factors that influence erosion and sediment yields; these being dominant land cover, topography and slopes, soils and geology, rainfall and climatological aspects. Significant sedimentation has occurred in the Sixmile Creek delta, located at the northern end of Lake Issaqueena. Sedimentation rates inferred from an analysis of afore mentioned factors show considerable changes in erosion potential that correspond with substantial changes in riparian vegetation, extreme variations in rainfall events, conversion of land from agricultural to forestland and application of management practices. Water quality data, including sampling depth, water temperature, dissolved oxygen content, Fecal coliform levels, inorganic nitrogen concentrations and turbidity, were obtained from the South Carolina Department of Environmental Health and Safety (SCDHEC) for two stations and analyzed for trends as they related to land cover change. Data was available for the Sixmile Creek site for dates ranging from 1962 to 2005 and from 1999 to 2005 for the Lake Issaqueena site. From 1951 to 2009, the watershed experienced an increase of tree cover and bare ground (+17.4% evergreen, +62.3% deciduous, +9.8% bare ground) and a decrease of pasture/ grassland and cultivated (-42.6% pasture/ grassland, -57.1% cultivated). From 2005 to 2009, there was an increase of 21.5% in residential/ other development. Sampling depth ranged from 0.1 meters to 0.3 meters. Water temperature fluctuated corresponding to changing air temperatures, and dissolved oxygen content fluctuated as a factor of water temperature. Inorganic nitrogen content was higher from December to April possibly due to application of fertilizers prior to the growing season. Fecal coliform levels stayed relatively the same, there was however, a slight decrease overall, likely due to the decrease in pasture/ grassland. Turbidity remained relatively the same from 1962 to 2005, but a slight decrease in pH can be observed at both stations. Sedimentation analysis has shown that overall the lake surface area has decreased by 11.333 hectares and lake volume has decreased by 320,800 m3, while catchment area increased by 6.99 hectares. Average annual precipitation rates were shown to have no direct correlation with these bathymetric measurements, and it is hypothesized that changes in land cover, slope and extreme precipitation events are largely responsible for sedimentation in Lake Issaqueena.
Recommended Citation
Pilgrim, Cassie, "Spatial and temporal analysis of land cover change, sedimentation and water quality in the Lake Issaqueena watershed, South Carolina" (2014). All Theses. 1871.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/1871
Included in
Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons