sediments transportation and deposition in water

1. Why are sediment transport and deposition?
By: Laiba Sarwar

2. Why are sediment transport and deposition important?
Many ecosystems benefit from sediment transport
and deposition.
Sediment builds aquatic habitats for spawning and
benthic organisms .
It is also responsible for providing nutrients to
aquatic plants, as well vegetation in near shore
ecosystems.

3. Sediment and aquatic life:
Sediment deposition creates habitats for aquatic
life
While too much
sediment can be
detrimental.
Too little sediment
can also diminish
ecosystem quality.

4. Where Does Sediment Come From?
Sediment comes from geologic, geomorphic, and organic
factors.
The amount, material
and size of the
transported sediment.
Sum of these influences
in any particular
waterway.
A body of water surrounded by swampland
will be inundated with decomposing organic
material.

5. Factors that influence sediment transport:
Water flow
 Water flow also called water discharge, is the single most
important element of sediment transport.
The flow of water is responsible for picking up, moving
and depositing sediment in a waterway.
 Water discharge can be simplified as area (a cross-
section of the waterway) multiplied by velocity, or as a
volume of water moved over time.

6. Weather Events
Precipitation causes
water levels to
initially rise, and then
return to previous levels
(base flow) over the
course of hours or days.
Heavy rainfall over an
area of loose soil and
minimal vegetation will
create runoff, carrying
loose particles into the
waterway.

7. Anthropogenic factors, such as dams and altered land
use
Dams affect the water flow
through complete detention or
restricted channels.
The restricted flow can cause
the channel downstream of the
dam to become “sediment-
starved”.
Human influence

8. Sediments in drinking water

9. Sediments as contaminants
Sediment is one of the
most common drinking
water contaminants.
Sediment normally occurs
due to organic or inorganic
matter being carried by
wind or runoff into open
water sources.

10. Type of sediments in water
• Organic
sediments
• Inorganic
sediment
Brown or orange
colored sediment
particles in water
are usually rust
particles that stem
from corroded
water pipes and
plumbing

11. • Dissolved minerals, such
as iron and manganese,
may also precipitate,
leaving traces of
sediment
• Black sediment can
indicate a high level of
manganese in the water,
or it could stem from a
more local source, such
as corroded steel piping

12. • White or tan sediment in drinking
water is usually a result of calcium
carbonate and magnesium carbonate,
commonly known as pipe scale.
• This determine hardness and softness
of water

13. Other metals in water
• Arsenic is a
semi-metal
element
• . It is odorless
and tasteless
It enters
drinking water
supplies from
natural deposits
in the earth or
from agricultural
and industrial
practices.
Arsenic

14. Asbestos
• Asbestos is a naturally
occurring mineral
• from corroded
asbestos-cement pipes
in the distribution
system.
Uses of asbestos in
production of cements,
floor tiles, paper products,
paint,

15. This inorganic metal occurs
naturally in the ground and
is often used in electrical
equipment and electrical
components. It generally
gets into water from run-off
from mining operations,
discharge from processing
plants and improper waste
disposal.
Beryllium