Ronald Gallagher
University of Toledo
Ottawa River (Tenmile Creek) Hydrology: Streamflow Quantitiy and Erosion at Toledo, Ohio USA
Stage-discharge and sediment-rating curves were developed for urban, suburban and agricultural and mixed land use watersheds. Streamflow gaging data from urban, suburban and rural watersheds along the Ottawa River (Tenmile Creek), Toledo, Ohio USA shows that the amount of runoff is directly related to the degree of urbanization. Analysis of a number of runoff peaks on frozen versus unfrozen ground indicates that the average discharge does not vary significantly for the urban and suburban watersheds, but does increase significantly for the frozen rural watershed. Suspended sediment samplings at the above watersheds indicate that the concentrations and the sediment rating curves are generally equal. The rates of erosion from the watersheds are ranked in decreasing order: urban, suburban and then rural. The urban watershed has the greatest number of runoff events per unit time, therefore, the amount of erosion on that basin is the greatest. Construction activity on the suburban watershed produced some of the highest sample concentrations but due to the short-termed and limited aerial extent of building and the lesser frequency of runoff events, the suburban erosion rate is less than the urban rate. The rural erosion rate was the least due to limited number of peak flow events. The rural erosion rate was the least due to limited number of peak flow events.