What are the major sources of sediment in streams and rivers of western North Carolina?
Federal, State, and local agencies are all saying that accelerated erosion and sedimentation caused by human activity represent a serious, if not the most significant, threat to aquatic ecosystems within the mountainous terrain of western North Carolina. To develop and implement effective sediment control practices for mountainous areas, it is necessary to first understand how erosion occurs within these high gradient environments and what factors control rates of erosion and sedimentation. It is particularly important to know which land uses contribute most heavily to sediment loading to the regions streams and rivers. The purpose of this research project is to begin to provide the basic information on which a regional approach to protecting mountain streams and rivers from sedimentation can be based. The specific objectives are to: • document the natural rates of sedimentation in undisturbed watersheds by examining reservoir sediments; • quantify the relative contributions of sedimen
