Estimation of Runoff and Sediment Yield in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Using Rainfall Simulation

In September of 1992, rainfall simulation experiments were conducted in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to help define the extent of runoff and sediment yield from high intensity storms. This information was needed in design and planning for Albuquerque's runoff collection system. Although presented in a New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute Technical Completion Report, this information has not been disseminated through other publications. In this paper, the methodology and results of the experiments will be presented. Of interest to the engineering hydrology community are the Green-Ampt model parameters computed from the data and the sediment yields accompany the runoff. Steady state loss rates (infiltration rates) ranged from 3 to 69 mm per hour depending on the experimental plot conditions. Sediment yields were also quite variable ranging from about 15 to over 300 kg per hectare per millimeter of runoff. These results show the wide variability one could expect across a landscape. Such information is valuable for the design of runoff collection systems.