Research on Sleepers River at Danville, Vermont

Research in hydrology and biology at Danville, Vermont is focused upon the complex physical processes in natural watersheds, leading to development of methods for predicting behavior of ungaged areas. Reliability of a precipitation gage record for specifying daily amounts at other points of interest was investigated by establishing correlation response surface around gages. Measurement of runoff production to streams suggests most of the contribution to storm hydrographs is produced in the immediate vicinity of channels. Diurnal fluctuations in streamflow may be accounted for by evaporation from streams and adjacent wet areas. Many coliform bacteria from storm samples are of streambed and bank origin, not from overland flushing of pollutants into streams. Cation concentrations in streams increase downstream, and are highly correlative with discharge. Distribution of aquatic insects in five streams was a function of water temperature and channel velocity only.