Channel Network Routing of Flow and Sediment in Agricultural Watersheds

Channel bed degradation and the consequent failure of stream banks can be major contributors to the sediment budget of some watershed systems. In disturbed landscapes such as those found in Northern Mississippi, USA, sediment originating from channel bed and banks has been found to increase the total sediment yield considerably. Under these conditions, the assessment of erosion and sedimentation processes may be obtained from the use of a fully dynamic, physically based channel evolution model. The computational simulation software system CCHE1D provides sophisticated one-dimensional channel network flow and sediment transport models that can be used as a complement to a watershed-scale study. This GIS-integrated system was designed to provide more accurate and reliable estimation of sediment loads and morphologic changes in channel networks. It can be applied to the prediction of long-term erosion and deposition patterns, or used as a tool for the evaluation of the effectiveness of erosion control and channel remediation measures.