U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Investigations Report 2012–5268

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Investigations Report 2012–5268

Prepared in cooperation with U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center at the Fort Leonard Wood 

Military Reservation

Hydrologic and Sediment Data Collected From Selected 

Basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation, 

Missouri—2010–11

Prepared in cooperation with U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center at the Fort Leonard Wood 

Military Reservation

Hydrologic and Sediment Data Collected From Selected 

Basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation, 

Missouri—2010–11
Cover: Photographs from various locations at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation.
Hydrologic and Sediment Data Collected 

From Selected Basins at the Fort 

Leonard Wood Military Reservation, 

Missouri—2010–11

By Joseph M. Richards, Paul H. Rydlund, and Miya N. Barr 

Prepared in cooperation with U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center at the 

Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation

Scientific Investigations Report 2012–5268

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

KEN SALAZAR, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Marcia K. McNutt, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2012

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Suggested citation:

Richards, J.M., Rydlund, P.H., and Barr, M.N., 2012, Hydrologic and sediment data collected from selected basins at 

the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation, Missouri—2010–11: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Report 2012–5268, 23 p. 

ISBN 978 1 4113 3531 8
iii

Contents

Abstract...........................................................................................................................................................1

Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1

Previous Studies ...................................................................................................................................1

Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................................................2

Description of Study Area ...................................................................................................................2

Data Collection Equipment and Methods ..................................................................................................2

Hydrologic Data.....................................................................................................................................2

Sediment Data.......................................................................................................................................2

Sample Site Descriptions and Storm-Sediment Load .............................................................................4

Smith Branch Basin..............................................................................................................................6

Ballard Hollow Tributary Basin...........................................................................................................9

Big Piney Tributary Basin ....................................................................................................................9

Quarry Hollow Tributary Basin..........................................................................................................11

Quarry Hollow Tributary ...........................................................................................................11

South Ditch..................................................................................................................................11

Quarry Hollow Tributary Below Quarry ..................................................................................15

Quarry Hollow Tributary Below Quarry Catchment..............................................................15

East Gate Hollow Tributary Basin............................................................................................15

Dry Creek Basin..........................................................................................................................15

Sediment Yield Estimates ...........................................................................................................................20

Storm-Sediment Yield.........................................................................................................................20

Monthly Storm-Sediment Yield.........................................................................................................20

Summary........................................................................................................................................................21

References Cited..........................................................................................................................................22
iv

Figures

1. Map showing location of study area.........................................................................................3

2. Map showing location of data collection sites........................................................................5

3. Graph showing example storm-event hydrograph and sediment sample collection

plot at East Gate Hollow tributary (06930058) for the July 30, 2011, storm event. .............6

4. Graph showing Smith Branch (06928400) discharge hydrograph, hyetograph, and

sediment sample collection dates ...........................................................................................10

5. Graph showing Ballard Hollow tributary (06928410) discharge hydrograph,

hyetograph, and sediment sample collection dates.............................................................12

6. Graph showing Big Piney tributary (06930025) discharge hydrograph and sediment

sample collection dates.............................................................................................................13

7. Graph showing Quarry Hollow tributary (06930023) discharge hydrograph,

hyetograph, and sediment sample collection dates.............................................................14

8. Graph showing Quarry Hollow tributary below quarry (06930027) discharge

hydrograph, hyetograph, and sediment sample collection dates ......................................16

9. Graph showing Quarry Hollow tributary below quarry catchment (06930028)

discharge hydrograph and sediment sample collection dates...........................................17

10. Graph showing East Gate Hollow tributary (06930058) discharge hydrograph,

hyetograph, and sediment sample collection dates.............................................................18

11. Graph showing Dry Creek (06930250) discharge hydrograph and sediment sample

collection dates...........................................................................................................................19

Tables

1. Hydrologic and sediment data collection sites at the Fort Leonard Wood Military

Reservation, Missouri ..................................................................................................................4

2. Sampled runoff volume, event-mean suspended-sediment concentration, 

sediment load, and sediment yield for selected basins at the Fort Leonard 

Wood Military Reservation, Missouri........................................................................................7

3. Total monthly precipitation (inches) in selected basins at the Fort Leonard 

Wood Military Reservation, Missouri......................................................................................11

4. Estimated monthly storm-sediment yield (tons per square mile) in selected 

basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation, Missouri......................................21
v

Conversion Factors

Inch/Pound to SI

Multiply By To obtain

Length

inch (in.) 2.54 centimeter (cm)

inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter (mm)

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m)

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km)

Area

acre 4,047 square meter (m2)

square mile (mi2) 2.590 square kilometer (km2) 

Volume

cubic foot (ft3) 0.02832 cubic meter (m3) 

cubic yard (yd3) 0.7646 cubic meter (m3) 

Flow rate

cubic foot per second (ft3/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second (m3/s)

inch per year (in/yr) 25.4 millimeter per year (mm/yr)

Mass

pound, avoirdupois (lb) 0.4536 kilogram (kg) 

ton, short (2,000 lb) 0.9072 megagram (Mg) 

ton per day (ton/d) 0.9072 metric ton per day

ton per day (ton/d) 0.9072 megagram per day (Mg/d)

ton per square mile 

(ton/mi2) 0.3503 megagram per square

kilometer (Mg/km2)

ton per year (ton/yr) 0.9072 megagram per year (Mg/yr)

ton per year (ton/yr) 0.9072 metric ton per year

Density

pound per cubic foot (lb/ft3) 16.02 kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m3)

pound per cubic foot (lb/ft3) 0.01602 gram per cubic centimeter (g/cm3)

ton per cubic foot (ton/ft3) 0.02569 metric ton per cubic meter

Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83).

Concentrations of chemical constituents in water are given either in milligrams per liter (mg/L) 

or micrograms per liter (μg/L).

Hydrologic and Sediment Data Collected From Selected 

Basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation, 

Missouri—2010–11

By Joseph M. Richards, Paul H. Rydlund, and Miya N. Barr

Abstract

Commercial and residential development within a basin 

often increases the amount of impervious area, which changes 

the natural hydrologic response to storm events by increasing runoff. Land development and disturbance combined 

with increased runoff from impervious areas potentially 

can increase sediment transport. At the Fort Leonard Wood 

Military Reservation in Missouri, there has been an increase in 

population and construction activities in the recent past, which 

has initiated an assessment of the hydrology in selected basins. 

From April 2010 to December 2011, the U.S. Geological 

Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Maneuver Support 

Center at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation, collected hydrologic and suspended-sediment concentration data 

in six basins at Fort Leonard Wood. 

Storm-sediment concentration, load, and yield varied 

from basin to basin and from storm to storm. In general, 

storm-sediment yield, in pounds per square mile per minute, 

was greatest from Ballard Hollow tributary (06928410) and 

Dry Creek (06930250), and monthly storm-sediment yield, in 

tons per square mile, estimates were largest in Ballard Hollow 

tributary (06928410), East Gate Hollow tributary (06930058), 

and Dry Creek (06930250).

Sediment samples, collected at nine sites, primarily 

were collected using automatic samplers and augmented with 

equal-width-increment cross-sectional samples and manually 

collected samples when necessary. Storm-sediment load and 

yield were computed from discharge and suspended-sediment 

concentration data. Monthly storm-sediment yields also 

were estimated from the total storm discharge and the mean 

suspended-sediment concentration at each given site.

Introduction

Commercial and residential development within a basin 

often increases the amount of impervious area, which changes 

the natural hydrologic response to storm events by increasing runoff. Increases in runoff lead to stream deformation, 

down-cutting, and bank erosion, which results in excess sediment, a leading cause of water quality impairment throughout the United States. From 2000 to 2010, population has 

increased more than 10 percent at the Fort Leonard Wood 

Military Reservation (FLWMR) in Missouri (U.S. Census 

Bureau, 2011). This population growth and an increase in construction activities within the cantonment area of the FLWMR 

prompted an investigation of hydrologic changes and potential 

stream impairment. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in 

cooperation with the U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center 

(MANSCEN) at FLWMR, began a study in April 2010 to collect hydrologic and suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) 

data in selected basins within the FLWMR. The FLWMR is 

under the regulation of the Missouri Clean Water Law and 

Federal Clean Water Act and the data collected by this study 

will help satisfy some requirements for a Municipal Separate 

Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit required by the Missouri 

Department of Natural Resources (Shannon Kelly, Fort Leonard Wood, oral commun., 2012). 

Previous Studies

Several previous studies relating to issues of surfacewater and groundwater quantity and quality have been completed at the FLWMR, many of which are described in Imes 

and others (1996). Imes and others (1996) reported the results 

of a study designed to characterize the regional surface-water 

and groundwater quantity and quality in the vicinity of the 

FLWMR relating to environmental contamination that may 

have resulted from historic operational practices. Harrison 

and others (1996) mapped the geology, characterized bedrock 

structures potentially affecting groundwater flow, and mapped 

many karst features at the FLWMR and adjacent areas. 

Kleeschulte and Imes (1997) described the regional groundwater flow system and how the karst terrane that underlies the 

FLWMR affects the local and regional flow system. 
2 Hydrologic and Sediment Data Collected From Selected Basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation

Purpose and Scope

The report describes the methods used to collect localscale, surface-water hydrologic and sediment data during 

storm events in selected basins at the FLWMR. The report 

also presents the data that were collected from April 2010 to 

December 2011 and the associated storm-sediment yield. 

Description of Study Area

FLWMR is located in the southern part of Pulaski 

County, Missouri (fig. 1) and lies within the Salem Plateau 

of the Ozark Plateaus Physiographic Province (Fenneman, 

1938). The FLWMR is approximately 64,000 acres in size 

and is bounded to the east by the Big Piney River, to the west 

by Roubidoux Creek, to the north by Interstate 44, and to 

the south by publicly and privately owned hardwood forest 

land (fig. 1; Kleeschulte and Imes, 1997). The mean annual 

precipitation in the area is approximately 42 inches (Imes and 

others, 1996). The rocks exposed in the area are Ordovician 

age and are dominantly carbonate composition. Soils in most 

of the area consist of silty and sandy loam to very cherty silty 

loam derived from locally weathered bedrock (Harrison and 

others, 1996). Some loess deposits of wind-blown silty loam, 

colluvial material on the steep hillsides, and recent alluvial fill 

along larger streams also are present in lesser amounts (Harrison and others, 1996). Karst features such as springs, sinkholes, caves, and losing streams are common at the FLWMR 

and can affect groundwater and surface-water flow (Imes and 

others, 1996; Kleeschulte and Imes, 1997). 

Data Collection Equipment and 

Methods

For this study, streamgages were installed and streamflow and SSC data were collected at six basins designated by 

MANSCEN within the FLWMR boundary (table 1; fig. 2). 

Each basin had one co-located streamgage and sediment 

sampling site except for the Quarry Hollow Tributary Basin. 

The Quarry Hollow Tributary Basin had three co-located 

streamgage and sediment sampling sites designed to evaluate 

the sediment contribution from the open gravel quarry located 

near the basin outlet. An additional sediment sampling site 

(South ditch, USGS station number 374313092042401) within 

the Quarry Hollow Tributary Basin was not co-located with a 

streamgage. This site was sampled manually for sediment six 

times during four storms to determine the sediment contribution to the Quarry Hollow Tributary Basin from this site 

(table 1; fig. 2). 

Various equipment and methods were used to collect 

hydrologic and SSC data for this study. Because the basins 

monitored in this study were small, many of the basins had no 

flow for much of the study. The study was designed to collect 

hydrologic data primarily during storm events; therefore, 

in some basins that did have a small base flow component, 

streamgage equipment was not always set up to record this 

base flow. Because of the emphasis on storm events, few lowflow discharge measurements were made for this study. Storm 

events generally produced hydrographs that rose rapidly to 

the peak discharge and receded almost as quickly to pre-storm 

discharge values. The storm-event hydrographs generally were 

short in duration and sediment samples only were collected 

during storm events (fg. 3).

Hydrologic Data

The equipment used to collect stage data at each site consisted of a pressure transducer that measured the stage in the 

stream and a data logger that stored the stage data at 5-minute 

intervals (Buchanan and Somers, 1974). Continuous stage 

data collected by the data logger at each site were stored in the 

USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) database 

(Sauer, 2002) and were used to determine the peak stage 

and the hydrograph of stage versus time for any given storm 

event. Discharge measurements were made using hydroacoustic equipment according to the methods outlined in Mueller 

and Wagner (2009) and Turnipseed and Sauer (2010). USGS 

personnel used the discharge measurements to establish the 

stage-discharge relation for each site (Kennedy, 1984; Kennedy, 1989). 

Precipitation data were collected by an existing National 

Weather Service rain gage, number 03938 (not shown on a 

figure), located at the FLWMR Forney Army Airport (fig. 1; 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, n.d.), and 

augmented with precipitation data collected using tipping 

bucket rain gages installed at select sites (table 1). Data from 

these rain gages were stored in the streamgage data logger. 

The stage and precipitation data were transmitted by satellite to a USGS computer and served on the internet in near 

real time. After collection, all hydrologic data were quality 

assured and stored in the NWIS database. 

Sediment Data

Sediment samples were collected primarily with an automatic sampler (Sigma 900MAX) that was housed inside the 

streamgage and connected to the data logger. Sediment samples were collected from one fixed point in the water column, 

and the sampler orifice location generally was positioned on 

the bank near the streamgage. The streamgage data logger was 

programmed to collect stage, compute discharge, and compute 

the volume of water that passed the monitoring site during 

5-minute increments. The stage data and volume computations were used to initiate sampling by the automatic sampler, 

which collected a flow-weighted sediment sample during each 

sampled storm event. A SSC was analyzed from sample water 

that was pumped into sample collection bottles by a 12-volt 

peristaltic pump housed in the automatic sampler. As a result 
Data Collection Equipment and Methods 3

PULASKI COUNTY

TEXAS COUNTY

LACLEDE COUNTY

Roubidoux

River

Creek

River

Big

Piney

Big

Piney

44 17

17

Quarry Hollow Tributary Basin

Smith Branch Basin

Ballard Hollow

Tributary Basin

Dry Creek Basin

East Gate Hollow

Tributary Basin

Big

Piney

Tributary

Basin

Fort Leonard Wood

Property Boundary

#

#

#

#

#

#

##

EXPLANATION

Sampling site

Spring

Secondary road

92°15' 92°10' 92°05'

37°45'

37°40'

0 1 2 MILES

0 1 2 KILOMETERS

MISSOURI

Fort

Leonard

Wood

Base from US Geological Survey digital data, 2000; 1:24,000

and from Missouri Department of Transportation, 2006; 1:100,000

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, Zone 15

Horizontal coordinate information referenced to the 

North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83)

Figure 1. Location of study area.
4 Hydrologic and Sediment Data Collected From Selected Basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation

Table 1. Hydrologic and sediment data collection sites at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation, Missouri.

[mi2, square miles; Y, yes; N, No; --, no period of record]

Site number Site name

Drainage 

area

(mi2

)

Drainage 

area

(acres)

Period of record

Precipitation 

data

Events 

From To sampled

06928400 Smith Branch 13.8 8,812 6/10/2010 12/28/2011 Y 4

06928410 Ballard Hollow tributary 5.31 3,401 4/16/2010 12/28/2011 Y 13

06930025 Big Piney tributary 1.54 984 6/2/2010 12/3/2010 N 14

06930023 Quarry Hollow tributary 7.44 4,765 4/16/2010 12/28/2011 Y 11

374313092042401 South ditch 0.05 29 -- -- N 4

06930027 Quarry Hollow tributary 

below quarry

8.01 5,128 1/26/2011 12/23/2011 Y 7

06930028 Quarry Hollow tributary 

below quarry catchment

8.03 5,139 5/13/2010 12/27/2011 N 3

06930058 East Gate Hollow tributary 3.18 2,033 4/23/2010 12/27/2011 Y 15

06930250 Dry Creek 5.63 3,605 4/16/2010 12/28/2011 N 15

of short hydrograph duration times and event-driven protocol, 

sediment point samples from the automatic samplers were not 

calibrated to equal-width-increment (EWI) cross-sectional 

sediment samples. 

The sites were visited after each storm to verify peak 

stage values and to retrieve sample collection bottles from 

the automatic samplers. Early in the project, while the stagedischarge relation was being developed, a mean SSC was 

computed from individual samples that were collected at 

specific points on the discharge hydrograph. Later in the project, samples collected throughout the discharge hydrograph 

were composited into a single bottle and SSC was determined 

from the composited sample. In addition, sediment samples 

occasionally were collected by hand, and when stream conditions were suitable for wading, sediment samples were collected manually using a DH-81 sampler and the EWI method 

(Edwards and Glysson, 1999; Lane and others, 2003). These 

samples were collected to augment the automatically collected 

samples, to provide quality assurance/quality control data for 

the automatically collected samples, to provide opportunistic 

samples at additional sites, or to provide a sample when the 

automatic sampler failed to operate correctly.

Sediment samples were transported to and analyzed by 

the USGS Missouri Water Science Center sediment laboratory. 

Laboratory analysis for SSC was performed in accordance to 

the filtration methods described in Guy (1969).

Sample Site Descriptions and StormSediment Load

Every precipitation event has the potential of eroding and 

moving sediment from the land surface. Factors affecting the 

amount and type of sediment eroded from the landscape and 

washed into receiving streams include soil type, land use, land 

cover, land slope, precipitation intensity, precipitation volume, 

antecedent moisture conditions, and physical stream channel 

characteristics. Thus, differences in SSC and sediment load 

in a given stream can have many causes. Sediment load is the 

mass of sediment material moved by stream water past a fixed 

point in space and consists of two components: bed sediment 

load and suspended-sediment load. Bed sediment moves by 

rolling, sliding, or bouncing along the bed of the stream, and 

suspended sediment moves by being carried along in suspension in the water column (Sturm, 2001). Sediment sampled in 

this study was the suspended-sediment part of the sediment 

load. 

For this study, the event-mean SSC and the sampled 

runoff volume were used to compute a sediment load associated with the sampled storm at each sampling site (table 2). 

The event-mean SSC was computed from the arithmetic 

mean of the individual SSC samples collected throughout 

the hydrograph or was the laboratory-determined composite 

SSC. The sampled runoff volume was the sum of the incremental discharge (5-minute intervals) of water that passed the 

streamgage between the time the first and last samples were 

collected (fig. 3). For most of the storm events, the stage rose 

rapidly and thus most of the sediment sample collection was 

on the peak and falling limb of the hydrograph (fig. 3). The 

load represents the sediment mass passing the streamgage 
Sample Site Descriptions and Storm-Sediment Load 5

Forney

Army

Airport

374313092042401

06930028

06930027

06930023

06928400

06928410

06930250

06930058

06930025

Big

Roubidoux

Piney River

Big Piney

River

Creek

Big

Piney

River

92°10' 92°05'

37°45'

37°40'

Wastewater

treatment 

outfall

Water

treatment 

outfall

EXPLANATION Base from US Geological Survey digital data, 2000; 1:24,000

and from Missouri Department of Transportation, 2006; 1:100,000

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, Zone 15

Horizontal coordinate information referenced to the 

North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83)

Spring

Sampling site and identifier 06930028

Sampling site with rain gage 

and identifier

06930023

0 1 2 MILES

0 1 2 KILOMETERS Secondary road

Quarry Hollow Tributary Basin

Smith Branch Basin

Ballard Hollow

Tributary Basin

Dry Creek Basin

East Gate Hollow

Tributary Basin

Big

Piney

Tributary

Basin

Fort Leonard Wood

Property Boundary

Figure 2. Location of data collection sites.
6 Hydrologic and Sediment Data Collected From Selected Basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation

Runoff volume computed for the storm event is

the total discharge passing the streamgage between

the collection of the first sediment sample and 

the collection of the last sediment sample.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 24:00

Time

Discharge

Sediment sample

EXPLANATION

Discharge (cubic feet per second)

Figure 3. Example storm-event hydrograph and sediment sample collection plot at East Gate Hollow tributary

(06930058) for the July 30, 2011, storm event. 

during the sampling period and may not accurately represent 

the mass of sediment passing the streamgage for the entire 

storm event. In some cases, the sediment sampling period 

coincided very well with the storm runoff period; however, in 

other cases, few samples were collected throughout the hydrograph and thus the sediment sampling period does not coincide 

with the storm runoff period. 

Sediment load for a given sampling event (i) was computed using the following equation: 

LOADi i EMC RVi = × × × ( ) 

− 6 245 10 5 . (1)

where 

LOADi is sediment load (in pounds) for event i,

EMCi is event-mean suspended-sediment 

concentration (in milligrams per liter) for 

event i,

RVi is runoff volume (in cubic feet) for event i, 

and

6 245 10 5 . × −

is the conversion from milligrams per liter to 

pounds per cubic foot.

Smith Branch Basin

The Smith Branch sampling site (06928400; fig. 2) was 

located approximately 0.29 miles upstream from the confluence of Smith Branch with Roubidoux Creek. The drainage 

area at the streamgage was 13.8 square miles (mi2

; table 1), 

and the channel at the streamgage was narrow and steep sided 

with a bedrock bottom. Imes and others (1996) did not measure this stream during a low-base flow seepage run on Roubidoux Creek. During the period of this study, Smith Branch did 

not flow except during, and shortly after, storm events (fig. 4).

 Storm events were successfully sampled at this site four 

times (table 1; fig. 4). The SSC for all storms sampled ranged 

from 222 to 1,210 milligrams per liter (mg/L) and had a mean 

of 481 mg/L (table 2). The sediment load ranged from 76.8 to 

383,000 pounds (table 2). A precipitation hyetograph for this 

site is shown in fgure 4, and monthly precipitation totals are 

presented in table 3.
Sample Site Descriptions and Storm-Sediment Load 7

Table 2. Sampled runoff volume, event-mean suspended-sediment concentration, sediment load, and sediment yield for selected 

basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation, Missouri.

[ft3, cubic foot; mg/L, milligrams per liter; lb, pound; (lb/mi2)/min, pounds per square mile per minute; --, no data

Storm event date Sampled runoff volume

(ft3) 

 Event-mean suspendedsediment concentration 

(mg/L) 

 Sediment load

(lb) 

 Sediment yield

[(lb/mi2)/min] 

Smith Branch (06928400)

07/09/2010 5,490 224 76.8 1.12 

07/26/2010 5,070,000 1,210 383,000 232 

11/25/2010 1,990,000 269 33,400 14.3 

02/24/2011 767,000 222 10,600 19.2 

Ballard Hollow tributary (06928410)

07/08/2010 858,000 1,480 79,300 119 

09/01/2010 175,000 1,550 16,900 127 

11/25/2010 214,000 855 11,400 61.3 

04/15/2011 1,510,000 1,050 99,000 117 

04/23/2011 1,280,000 642 51,300 55.2 

04/25/2011 624,000 482 18,800 20.8 

05/12/2011 1,030,000 465 29,900 32.2 

05/19/2011 811,000 512 25,900 39.0 

05/20/2011 760,000 253 12,000 15.1 

05/28/2011 265,000 617 10,200 34.9 

08/04/2011 901,000 863 48,600 67.8 

08/20/2011 335,000 363 7,590 20.4 

09/18/2011 346,000 452 9,770 28.3 

Big Piney tributary (06930025)

1

06/20/2010 14,700 313 287 -- 

1

06/26/2010 22,700 365 517 -- 

1

06/27/2010 21,400 286 382 -- 

1

07/03/2010 20,800 263 342 -- 

1

07/05/2010 17,900 190 212 -- 

1

07/07/2010 35,900 198 444 -- 

1

08/08/2010 20,200 281 354 -- 

1

08/13/2010 11,200 228 159 -- 

1

08/14/2010 12,500 250 195 -- 

1

08/16/2010 31,500 183 360 -- 

1

08/18/2010 32,700 180 368 -- 

1

08/20/2010 3,450 736 159 -- 

1

08/21/2010 22,500 268 377 -- 

1

08/22/2010 20,700 138 178 -- 

Quarry Hollow tributary (06930023)

02/24/2011 249,000 512 7,960 7.38 

02/27/2011 186,000 2,630 30,500 41.0 

03/14/2011 833,000 545 28,400 11.4 

04/15/2011 229,000 906 13,000 15.9 

04/22/2011 165,000 332 3,420 3.41 
8 Hydrologic and Sediment Data Collected From Selected Basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation

Table 2. Sampled runoff volume, event-mean suspended-sediment concentration, sediment load, and sediment yield for selected 

basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation, Missouri.—Continued

[ft3, cubic foot; mg/L, milligrams per liter; lb, pound; (lb/mi2)/min, pounds per square mile per minute; --, no data

Storm event date Sampled runoff volume

(ft3

) 

 Event-mean suspendedsediment concentration 

(mg/L) 

 Sediment load

(lb) 

 Sediment yield

[(lb/mi2)/min] 

Quarry Hollow tributary (06930023)—Continued

04/23/2011 990,000 1,250 77,300 16.4 

2

04/25/2011a 187,000 49.0 572 0.405 

2

04/25/2011b 2,170,000 668 90,500 36.3 

05/28/2011 187,000 1,930 22,500 31.8 

08/04/2011 249,000 1,570 24,400 32.8 

09/18/2011 4,470 2,600 726 19.5 

South ditch (374313092042401)

2

02/24/2011a 226 308 4.35 87.0 

2

02/24/2011b 23.6 94.0 0.139 2.78 

03/14/2011a 45.7 6,520 18.6 372 

03/14/2011b 22.6 240 0.339 6.78 

04/15/2011 7.50 25.0 0.012 0.240 

05/23/2011 30.0 91.0 0.170 3.40 

Quarry Hollow tributary below quarry (06930027)

04/15/2011 623,000 676 26,300 12.2 

04/22/2011 319,000 357 7,110 5.22 

04/23/2011 1,300,000 1,020 82,800 26.5 

05/19/2011 98,400 627 3,850 9.61 

05/20/2011 72,900 204 929 2.32 

08/04/2011 99,000 235 1,450 0.584 

08/20/2011 118,000 294 2,170 0.903 

Quarry Hollow tributary below quarry catchment (06930028)

05/26/2011 2,080,000 29.0 3,770 1.24 

08/04/2011 561,000 467 16,400 7.43 

08/22/2011 55,100 367 1,260 2.85 

East Gate Hollow tributary (06930058)

07/08/2010 10,900 900 613 19.3 

09/01/2010 307,000 26.0 498 0.167 

09/02/2010 69,200 6.00 25.9 0.096 

09/03/2010 21,900 292 399 1.67 

11/24/2010 432,000 21.0 567 0.585 

04/15/2011 493,000 419 12,900 16.6 

04/22/2011 154,000 80.0 769 1.93 

04/23/2011 924,000 279 16,100 11.6 

05/19/2011 565,000 346 12,200 10.8 

05/20/2011 720,000 43.0 1,930 1.26 

05/28/2011 211,000 357 4,700 10.6 

07/30/2011 396,000 2,200 54,400 143 

08/04/2011 224,000 365 5,110 13.4 

08/20/2011 14,900 129 120 2.52 

09/19/2011 38,300 347 830 6.53 
Sample Site Descriptions and Storm-Sediment Load 9

Table 2. Sampled runoff volume, event-mean suspended-sediment concentration, sediment load, and sediment yield for selected 

basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation, Missouri.—Continued

[ft3, cubic foot; mg/L, milligrams per liter; lb, pound; (lb/mi2)/min, pounds per square mile per minute; --, no data

Storm event date Sampled runoff volume

(ft3

) 

 Event-mean suspendedsediment concentration 

(mg/L) 

 Sediment load

(lb) 

 Sediment yield

[(lb/mi2)/min] 

Dry Creek (06930250)

06/15/2010 48,300 449 1,350 16.0 

07/08/2010 2,090,000 681 88,900 126 

07/26/2010 895,000 394 22,000 20.6 

08/21/2010 256,000 572 9,140 7.06 

09/01/2010 1,490,000 868 80,800 169 

11/24/2010 2,340,000 353 51,600 55.5 

04/15/2011 3,160,000 1,070 211,000 341 

04/23/2011 2,060,000 667 85,800 92.4 

04/25/2011 4,370,000 510 139,000 165 

05/12/2011 1,050,000 385 25,200 63.9 

05/19/2011 1,970,000 543 66,800 148 

05/20/2011 323,000 213 4,300 38.2 

07/30/2011 888,000 1,290 71,500 317 

08/04/2011 2,150,000 780 105,000 219 

09/17/2011 82,300 637 3,270 10.6 

1

Samples affected by release of water from water-treatment sediment-settling ponds upstream from the gage and data not representative of storm events in the 

basin.

2

Two samples collected in the same day.

Ballard Hollow Tributary Basin

The Ballard Hollow tributary sampling site (06928410; 

fig. 2) was located approximately 0.47 miles upstream from 

the confluence of Ballard Hollow tributary with Roubidoux 

Creek. The drainage area at the streamgage was 5.31 mi2

(table 1). The channel at the streamgage was narrow and steep 

sided with a gravel and cobble bottom. Imes and others (1996) 

measured 0.18 cubic foot per second (ft3

/s) at this stream during a low-base flow seepage run on Roubidoux Creek. The 

streamgage orifice elevation at this site was set such that flow 

less than approximately 12.2 ft3/s was not recorded by the 

streamgage. 

Storm events were successfully sampled at this site 

thirteen times (table 1; fig. 5). The SSC for all storms sampled 

ranged from 253 to 1,550 mg/L and had a mean of 737 mg/L 

(table 2). The sediment load ranged from 7,590 to 99,000 

pounds (table 2). A precipitation hyetograph for this site is 

shown in fgure 5, and monthly precipitation totals are presented in table 3.

Big Piney Tributary Basin

The Big Piney tributary sampling site (06930025) 

was located approximately 0.33 miles upstream from the 

confluence of the Big Piney tributary with the Big Piney River. 

The drainage area at the streamgage was 1.54 mi2

 (table 1). 

A small amount of base flow is maintained by a spring that 

discharges to the tributary approximately 0.42 mi upstream 

from the streamgage. Imes and others (1996) did not measure 

this stream during a low-base flow seepage run on the Big 

Piney River. The streamgage orifice elevation at this site was 

set such that flow less than approximately 0.55 ft3

/s was not 

recorded by the streamgage.

 The outfall for the water-treatment sediment-settling 

ponds for the drinking water intake from the Big Piney River 

is located near the basin divide (Shannon Kelly, Fort Leonard 

Wood, oral commun., 2012; fig. 2). The settling ponds are 

periodically (once a day or once every other day) drained to 

the headwaters of the Big Piney tributary. The presence of the 

settling ponds and periodic water release was not known to 

the USGS at the time of the installation and operation of the 

streamgage and subsequent sediment sampling; therefore, the 

gage was relocated to the Quarry Hollow Tributary Basin in 

early 2011. It is unclear if any of the sediment samples that 

were collected from this basin were associated with a storm 

event. It is believed most, if not all, of the sediment samples 

collected in this basin were collected from the water that was 

released from the settling pond. 
10 Hydrologic and Sediment Data Collected From Selected Basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation Rain gage and streamgage data not available

0

100200300400500

0102/ 10/ 60

0102/ 10/ 70

0102/ 10/ 80

0102/ 10/ 90

0102/ 10/ 01

0102/ 10/ 11

0102/ 10/ 21

1102/ 10/ 10

1102/ 10/ 20

1102/ 10/ 30

1102/ 10/ 40

1102/ 10/ 50

1102/ 10/ 60

1102/ 10/ 70

1102/ 10/ 80

1102/ 10/ 90

1102/ 10/ 01

1102/ 10/ 11

1102/ 10/ 21

00

2102/ 10/ 01 .05

0.100.150.200.250.300.350.400.45

Rain gage

data not

available

DischargeSediment samplePrecipitation

EXPLANATION

969

7,391

1,079

2,461

Discharge (cubic feet per second)

Date

Precipitation (inches)

Note: Numbers within the graphindicate peak discharge values that exceed the scale.

Figure 4. Smith Branch (06928400) discharge hydrograph, hyetograph, and sediment sample collection dates.
Sample Site Descriptions and Storm-Sediment Load 11

Table 3. Total monthly precipitation (inches) in selected basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation, Missouri.

[--, no data]

Precipitation (inches)

Date 

(month year)

Forney Army 

Airport

Smith Branch 

(06928400)

Ballard Hollow 

tributary

(06928410)

Quarry Hollow 

tributary 

(06930023)

Quarry Hollow 

tributary 

below quarry 

(06930027)

East Gate 

Hollow tributary 

(06930058)

April 2010 2.08 -- 1

2.19 11.70 -- 11.49

May 2010 6.00 -- 6.44 6.59 -- 6.52

June 2010 4.61 1

0.24 4.81 3.92 -- 4.97

July 2010 4.83 7.00 7.57 5.87 -- 6.25

August 2010 2.00 2.70 2.91 2.22 -- 1.95

September 2010 7.72 1

5.98 8.66 15.34 -- 7.77

October 2010 0.36 1

0.17 10.01 -- -- 0.34

November 2010 4.02 4.45 3.67 -- -- 3.84

December 2010 0.64 1

0 1.86 1.05 -- 1.12

January 2011 0.27 1

0.59 0.28 0.43 10 0.39

February 2011 3.16 6.53 3.89 3.91 2.55 3.63

March 2011 5.27 5.61 5.73 5.22 5.19 5.27

April 2011 6.98 8.25 7.90 8.79 7.90 8.43

May 2011 7.05 7.77 7.34 7.11 5.79 7.54

June 2011 4.14 4.33 3.93 5.43 5.05 3.76

July 2011 1.16 0.86 0.68 3.22 3.50 3.43

August 2011 6.05 5.95 5.55 6.02 6.81 5.02

September 2011 2.79 2.23 2.41 3.14 3.21 2.51

October 2011 2.21 2.23 1.86 2.57 2.43 2.34

November 2011 3.85 5.81 5.23 4.46 4.24 3.65

December 2011 2.57 2.84 2.68 2.79 2.20 2.83

1

Values based on partial month record.

SSCs from this site were not considered to be representative of storm-sediment transport in this basin and therefore 

rainfall data were not included on fgure 6. Nevertheless, fourteen samples were successfully collected at this site (table 1; 

fig. 6). The SSC for all samples ranged from 138 to 736 mg/L 

and had a mean of 277 mg/L (table 2). The sediment load 

ranged from 159 to 517 pounds (table 2). 

Quarry Hollow Tributary Basin

The Quarry Hollow Tributary Basin was more intensively 

studied because of an active gravel quarry operation for an 

onsite asphalt plant. Imes and others (1996) estimated base 

flow of 0.07 ft3/s in this basin during a low-base flow seepage 

run on the Big Piney River. The streamgage orifice elevation at the furthest upstream site, Quarry Hollow tributary 

(06930023; fig. 2), was set such that flow less than approximately 5.27 ft3

/s was not recorded by the streamgage (fig. 7). 

Quarry Hollow Tributary 

The Quarry Hollow tributary sampling site (06930023; 

fig. 2) was located approximately 0.97 miles upstream from 

the confluence of the Quarry Hollow tributary with the Big 

Piney River. The channel at the streamgage was narrow and 

had a gravel and cobble bottom, and was located adjacent to 

the asphalt plant and upstream from the quarry. The drainage 

area at the streamgage was 7.44 mi2 (table 1).

Storm events were successfully sampled at this site 

eleven times (table 1; fig. 7). The SSC for all storms sampled ranged from 49.0 to 2,630 mg/L and had a mean of 

1,181 mg/L (table 2). The sediment load ranged from 572 to 

90,500 pounds (table 2). A precipitation hyetograph for this 

site is shown in fgure 7, and monthly precipitation totals are 

presented in table 3.
12 Hydrologic and Sediment Data Collected From Selected Basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation

0

50

100150200250300

0102/ 10/ 40

0102/ 10/ 50

0102/ 10/ 60

0102/ 10/ 70

0102/ 10/ 80

0102/ 10/ 90

0102/ 10/ 01

0102/ 10/ 11

0102/ 10/ 21

1102/ 10/ 10

1102/ 10/ 20

1102/ 10/ 30

1102/ 10/ 40

1102/ 10/ 50

1102/ 10/ 60

1102/ 10/ 70

1102/ 10/ 80

1102/ 10/ 90

1102/ 10/ 01

1102/ 10/ 11

1102/ 10/ 21

2102/ 10/ 01

Rain

gage

data

not

available

Flow data not

collected below

12.2 cubic feet 

per second

Discharge (cubic feet per second)

Date

Precipitation (inches)

DischargeSediment samplePrecipitation

EXPLANATION

00.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.800.901.00

Figure 5. Ballard Hollow tributary (06928410) discharge hydrograph, hyetograph, and sediment sample collection dates.
Sample Site Descriptions and Storm-Sediment Load 13

Streamgage

data not

available

50

10152025

0102/ 10/ 60

0102/ 10/ 70

0102/ 10/ 80

0102/ 10/ 90

0102/ 10/ 01

0102/ 10/ 11

0102/ 10/ 21

1102/ 10 01/

Flow data not

collected below

0.55 cubic feet 

per second

Discharge (cubic feet per second)

Date

DischargeSediment sample

EXPLANATION

Figure 6. Big Piney tributary (06930025) discharge hydrograph and sediment sample collection dates.
14 Hydrologic and Sediment Data Collected From Selected Basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation

0

20406080

100120140160180

0102/ 10/ 40

0102/ 10/ 50

0102/ 10/ 60

0102/ 10/ 70

0102/ 10/ 80

0102/ 10/ 90

0102/ 10/ 01

0102/ 10/ 11

0102/ 10/ 21

1102/ 10/ 10

1102/ 10/ 20

1102/ 10/ 30

1102/ 10/ 40

1102/ 10/ 50

1102/ 10/ 60

1102/ 10/ 70

1102/ 10/ 80

1102/ 10/ 90

1102/ 10/ 01

1102/ 10/ 11

1102/ 10/ 21

2102/ 10/ 01

Rain gage

and

streamgage

data not

available

Flow data not

collected below

5.27 cubic feet 

per second

DischargeSediment samplePrecipitation

EXPLANATION

00.050.100.150.200.250.300.350.40

Discharge (cubic feet per second)

Date

Precipitation (inches)

Figure 7.

Quarry Hollow tributary (06930023) discharge hydrograph, hyetograph, and sediment sample collection dates.
Sample Site Descriptions and Storm-Sediment Load 15

South Ditch

The South ditch sampling site (374313092042401; fig. 2) 

was located approximately 50 feet upstream from the confluence of the South ditch with the Quarry Hollow tributary. The 

South ditch flows into the Quarry Hollow tributary approximately 50 feet upstream from the Quarry Hollow tributary 

below quarry (06930027; fig. 2) sampling site. This ditch 

flows northward and drains the southern part of the quarry. 

The drainage area of the ditch at the sampling point was 

29 acres. 

Manual EWI samples were collected at this site during 

four storm events to attempt to determine the sediment input 

from this ditch to the Quarry Hollow tributary. The SSC for all 

samples ranged from 25.0 to 6,520 mg/L, and sediment loads 

ranged from 0.012 pounds on April 15, 2011 to 18.6 pounds 

on March 14, 2011 (table 2). Measured flow at this site had a 

mean of 0.99 ft3/s for the six samples collected.

Quarry Hollow Tributary Below Quarry

The Quarry Hollow tributary below quarry sampling 

site (06930027; fig. 2) was located approximately 0.41 miles 

upstream from the confluence of the Quarry Hollow tributary 

with the Big Piney River, and is approximately 50 feet downstream from the quarry. The drainage area at the streamgage 

was 8.01 mi2 (table 1). The channel at the gage was narrow 

and partly filled with fine gravel that seemed to be partly 

derived from the quarry. Sediment transport and redistribution 

during storm events at this site frequently buried or occluded 

the orifice of the automatic sampler and made it difficult to 

obtain a representative sample. 

Storm events were successfully sampled at this site seven 

times (table 1; fg. 8). The SSC for all storms sampled ranged 

from 204 to 1,020 mg/L and had a mean of 488 mg/L (table 2). 

The sediment load ranged from 929 to 82,800 pounds 

(table 2). A precipitation hyetograph for this site is shown 

in fgure 8, and monthly precipitation totals are presented in 

table 3.

Quarry Hollow Tributary Below Quarry 

Catchment

The Quarry Hollow tributary below quarry catchment 

sampling site (06930028; fig. 2) was located approximately 

0.21 miles upstream from the confluence of the Quarry Hollow tributary with the Big Piney River and had a drainage 

area of 8.03 mi2 (table 1). This site was located approximately 

260 feet downstream from a 2.3-acre sediment settlement 

basin designed to help mitigate the flow of sediment to the 

Big Piney River. Substantial amounts of organic detritus were 

observed in the water in the settlement basin and in flow 

exiting the settlement basin during storm events. This organic 

material frequently buried or occluded the orifice of the 

automatic sampler and made it difficult to get a representative 

sample at this site. This site also was susceptible to backwater 

effects from the Big Piney River. Because the point of zero 

flow was difficult to determine in the field at this site, a low 

flow extrapolation of the discharge rating was terminated at a 

streamgage height of 0.13 ft (0.45 ft3/s). The resulting discharge record along with sampled runoff volume and stormsediment load computations were not substantially affected by 

this rating definition for storm event analysis.

Storm events were successfully sampled at this site three 

times (table 1; fig. 9). The SSC for all storms sampled ranged 

from 29 to 467 mg/L and had a mean of 288 mg/L (table 2). 

The sediment load ranged from 1,260 to 16,400 pounds 

(table 2).

East Gate Hollow Tributary Basin

The East Gate Hollow tributary sampling site (06930058; 

fig. 2) was located approximately 0.17 mi upstream from the 

confluence of the East Gate Hollow tributary with the Big 

Piney River. The East Gate Hollow tributary maintained a 

small base flow throughout the study, presumably from spring 

discharge in the basin. The drainage area at the streamgage 

was 3.18 mi2 (table 1). The channel at the streamgage was 

narrow, steep sided, and had a gravel bottom. Imes and others 

(1996) did not measure this stream during their low-base flow 

seepage run on the Big Piney River. This site had continuous 

flow throughout the period of study with a minimum recorded 

discharge of 0.11 ft3/s. 

Storm events were successfully sampled at this site 

fifteen times (table 1; fig. 10). The SSC for all storms 

sampled ranged from 6 to 2,200 mg/L and had a mean of 

387 mg/L (table 2). The sediment load ranged from 25.9 to 

54,400 pounds (table 2). A precipitation hyetograph for this 

site is shown in fgure 10, and monthly precipitation totals are 

presented in table 3.

Dry Creek Basin

The Dry Creek sampling site (06930250; fig. 2) was 

located approximately 4.1 mi upstream from confluence of 

Dry Creek with the Big Piney River and approximately 0.3 mi 

downstream from the Fort Leonard Wood wastewater treatment plant. The drainage area was 5.63 mi2

 (table 1), and the 

channel at the streamgage was narrow and had a gravel and 

cobble bottom with exposed bedrock in many places. Dry 

Creek receives discharge from the wastewater treatment plant; 

however, the discharge is lost to the groundwater before the 

flow gets to the streamgage. Imes and others (1996) observed 

zero flow at its confluence with the Big Piney River during 

their low-base flow seepage run. During the period of this 

study, it is assumed that Dry Creek did not flow except during 

and shortly after storm events (fig. 11). Rainfall data from 

nearby rain gages was inconclusive for matching runoff with 

associated rainfall, probably because of the variable nature of 

runoff-producing rainfall in the study basin.
16 Hydrologic and Sediment Data Collected From Selected Basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation

Discharge (cubic feet per second)

Date

Precipitation (inches)

00.050.100.150.200.250.300.350.400.45 1102/ 10/ 10

1102/ 10/ 20

1102/ 10/ 30

1102/ 10/ 40

1102/ 10/ 50

1102/ 10/ 60

1102/ 10/ 70

1102/ 10/ 80

1102/ 10/ 90

1102/ 10/ 01

1102/ 10/ 11

1102/ 10/ 21

2102/ 10/ 01

Rain

gage

data

not

available

DischargeSediment samplePrecipitation

EXPLANATION

0

20406080

100120140160180200

Figure 8.

Quarry Hollow tributary below quarry (06930027) discharge hydrograph, hyetograph, and sediment sample collection dates.
Sample Site Descriptions and Storm-Sediment Load 17

00.050.100.150.200.250.300.350.400.45 0

20406080

100120

1102/10/50

1102/10/60

1102/10/70

1102/10/80

1102/10/90

1102/10/01

1102/10/11

1102/10/21

2102/10/10

Discharge (cubic feet per second)

Date

Precipitation (inches)

DischargeSediment samplePrecipitation at upstream site (06930027)

EXPLANATION

Figure 9. Quarry Hollow tributary below quarry catchment (06930028) discharge hydrograph and sediment sample collection dates.
18 Hydrologic and Sediment Data Collected From Selected Basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation

00.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80 0102/ 10/ 40

0102/ 10/ 50

0102/ 10/ 60

0102/ 10/ 70

0102/ 10/ 80

0102/ 10/ 90

0102/ 10/ 01

0102/ 10/ 11

0102/ 10/ 21

1102/ 10/ 10

1102/ 10/ 20

1102/ 10/ 30

1102/ 10/ 40

1102/ 10/ 50

1102/ 10/ 60

1102/ 10/ 70

1102/ 10/ 80

1102/ 10/ 90

1102/ 10/ 01

1102/ 10/ 11

1102/ 10/ 21

2102/ 10/ 01

Discharge (cubic feet per second)

Date

Precipitation (inches)

DischargeSediment samplePrecipitation

EXPLANATION

0

50

100150200250

Figure 10. East Gate Hollow tributary (06930058) discharge hydrograph, hyetograph, and sediment sample collection dates.
Sample Site Descriptions and Storm-Sediment Load 19

0

100200300400500600700800900

1,000

Discharge (cubic feet per second)

Date

0102/ 10/ 40

0102/ 10/ 50

0102/ 10/ 60

0102/ 10/ 70

0102/ 10/ 80

0102/ 10/ 90

0102/ 10/ 01

0102/ 10/ 11

0102/ 10/ 21

1102/ 10/ 10

1102/ 10/ 20

1102/ 10/ 30

1102/ 10/ 40

1102/ 10/ 50

1102/ 10/ 60

1102/ 10/ 70

1102/ 10/ 80

1102/ 10/ 90

1102/ 10/ 01

1102/ 10/ 11

1102/ 10/ 21

2102/ 10/ 01

DischargeSediment sample

EXPLANATION

Figure 11. Dry Creek (06930250) discharge hydrograph and sediment sample collection dates.
20 Hydrologic and Sediment Data Collected From Selected Basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation

Storm events were successfully sampled at this site 

fifteen times (table 1; fig. 11). The SSC for all storms 

sampled ranged from 213 to 1,290 mg/L and had a mean of 

627 mg/L (table 2). The sediment load ranged from 1,350 to 

211,000 pounds (table 2). 

Sediment Yield Estimates

Sediment yield is the amount of material removed from 

the land surface by erosion in a given unit of time per unit 

area of the basin. Sediment yield is computed to normalize the 

sediment load by basin area and by time so that differences in 

basin size and sampling duration can be ignored when comparing the values between basins (table 2). Sediment yield is 

computed using the following equation: 

YIELD LOAD

DA SAMPLE DURATION i

i

i

= 

× (2)

where 

YIELDi is sediment yield (in (pounds per square mile) 

per minute) for event i,

LOADi is constituent load (in pounds) for event i,

DA is the drainage area of the selected basin (in 

square miles), and SAMPLE

DURATIONi

is the sample collection duration (in minutes) 

for event i.

Yield was computed for each site for each sampled storm 

(storm-sediment yield) and estimated for each site for all 

storms by month (monthly storm-sediment yield). Because 

sediment samples were not collected for all storm events at 

any given site, monthly storm-sediment yield was computed 

to provide an estimate of the total basin sediment yield for 

all storms in the given month (table 4). To estimate monthly 

storm-sediment yield at a given site, the mean SSC for all 

sampled storms was multiplied by the monthly total storm 

runoff volume and divided by the basin area. 

Storm-Sediment Yield

Storm-sediment yield values are presented in table 2. 

At Smith Branch (06928400), storm yields ranged from 1.12 

to 232 pounds per square mile per minute [(lb/mi2)/min] 

with a median basin yield of 16.8 (lb/mi2)/min. At Ballard Hollow tributary (06928410), storm yields ranged 

from 15.1 to 127 (lb/mi2)/min with a median basin yield of 

39.0 (lb/mi2)/min. Yields were not computed at Big Piney tributary (06930025) because SSCs were not believed to be representative of storm runoff, but more likely were the result of 

the release of water from the water-treatment sediment-settling 

ponds. At Quarry Hollow tributary (06930023), storm yields 

ranged from 0.405 to 41 (lb/mi2

)/min with a median basin 

yield of 16.4 (lb/mi2

)/min. At South ditch (374313092042401), 

the storm yields ranged from 0.240 to 372 (lb/mi2)/min with 

a median basin yield of 5.09 (lb/mi2)/min. At Quarry Hollow tributary below quarry (06930027), the storm yields 

ranged from 0.584 to 26.5 (lb/mi2)/min with a median basin 

yield of 5.22 (lb/mi2)/min. At Quarry Hollow tributary 

below quarry catchment (06930028), storm yields ranged 

from 1.24 to 7.43 (lb/mi2)/min with a median basin yield of 

2.85 (lb/mi2)/min. At East Gate Hollow tributary (06930058), 

storm yields ranged from 0.096 to 143 (lb/mi2)/min with 

a median basin yield of 6.5 (lb/mi2)/min. At Dry Creek 

(06930250), storm yields ranged from 7.06 to 341 (lb/mi2)/min 

with a median basin yield of 92.4 (lb/mi2)/min.

The storm-sediment yield is highly variable because 

of many factors that were not quantified during this study. 

Based on the median storm-sediment yield, for the storms 

sampled, Ballard Hollow tributary (06928410) and Dry 

Creek (06930250) contributed the greatest sediment mass 

per square mile, whereas South ditch (374313092042401), 

Quarry Hollow tributary (06930023), Quarry Hollow tributary 

below quarry (06930027), Quarry Hollow tributary below 

quarry catchment (06930028), and East Gate Hollow tributary 

(06930058) contributed the least sediment mass per square 

mile. Smith Branch (06928400) contributed an intermediate 

amount of sediment mass per square mile based on median 

storm-sediment yield. 

Monthly Storm-Sediment Yield

Estimates of monthly storm-sediment yield (table 4) were 

computed for each streamgaged site, except for the Big Piney 

tributary (06930025), using equation 2, where the sampling 

duration (SAMPLE DURATION in equation 2) was 1 month. 

LOAD in equation 2 was estimated by computing the total 

storm discharge for the given month and multiplying that 

value by the mean SSC (converted to tons per cubic foot by 

multiplying by 3.1225 × 10-8) for all samples collected at the 

given site. 

Base flow discharge was not included in the computation of monthly total storm discharge. Base flow was assumed 

to be zero at the Smith Branch (06928400) and Dry Creek 

(06930250) sites. At East Gate Hollow tributary (06930058), 

high base flow was assumed to be 3.0 ft3

/s and was applied 

from the middle of May to the beginning of August, 2010, 

and from the middle of February to the middle of July 2011. 

Low base flow at the East Gate Hollow tributary (06930058) 

site was assumed to be 0.60 ft3/s and was applied during the 

remainder of the period of record. Discharges below these 

two values were not included in the monthly totals during 

the periods stated. Discharge values that were greater than 

approximately 0.50 ft3/s at the Quarry Hollow tributary below 

quarry (06930027) and Quarry Hollow tributary below quarry 

catchment (06930028) sites would likely indicate discharge 

derived from storm runoff. Because flow data were not 

being collected below 5.27 ft3/s at Quarry Hollow tributary 

(06930023), computation of monthly total storm discharge 

from the downstream sites, Quarry Hollow tributary below 
Sediment Yield Estimates 21

Table 4. Estimated monthly storm-sediment yield (tons per square mile) in selected basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military 

Reservation, Missouri.

[--, no data]

Date

(month year)

Estimated Monthly Storm-Sediment Yield (tons per square mile)

Smith Branch 

(06928400)

Ballard

Hollow 

tributary 

(06928410)

Quarry Hollow 

tributary 

(06930023)

Quarry 

Hollow 

tributary 

below quarry 

(06930027)

Quarry 

Hollow 

tributary 

below quarry 

catchment 

(06930028)

East Gate 

Hollow

tributary 

(06930058)

Dry Creek 

(06930250)

April 2010 -- 1

0 10 -- -- 127.3 13.90

May 2010 -- 556 66.0 -- -- 349 663

June 2010 1

6.99 101 2.58 -- -- 32 236

July 2010 117 58.5 26.2 -- -- 26 129

August 2010 0 0 0 -- -- 29.7 11.3

September 2010 48.7 250 1

5.16 -- -- 102 493

October 2010 0 0 -- -- -- 0.48 0

November 2010 142 146 -- -- -- 115 293

December 2010 2.19 7.67 0 -- -- 86.9 0

January 2011 0 0 0 1

0 -- 25.8 0

February 2011 26.2 150 36.0 31.2 -- 213 378

March 2011 133 320 58.2 59.1 -- 332 699

April 2011 1,048 1,170 344 104 -- 448 1,083

May 2011 42.6 281 33.1 35.5 1

91.4 505 479

June 2011 2.25 58.3 2.35 5.96 2.00 38 49.5

July 2011 0 9.88 1.25 3.66 0 51 58.2

August 2011 2.87 81.9 28.0 22.7 10.0 118 185

September 2011 0 22.8 3.18 5.08 2.67 21.6 76.9

October 2011 0 16.2 0 0.78 0 37.8 51.2

November 2011 53.0 31.7 1.59 1.43 4.66 145 125

December 2011 1

39.8 10 10 10.19 10.04 1108 149.9

Mean 87.6 155 32.0 22.5 13.9 134 241

Median 6.99 58.3 2.58 5.52 2.33 86.9 125

1

Yield computed based on partial month discharge record.

quarry (06930027) and Quarry Hollow tributary below quarry 

catchment (06930028), did not include flow less than at 

5.27 ft3/s so the three sites could be compared. Because of the 

orifice elevation at the Ballard Hollow tributary (06928410) 

site, computation of monthly total storm discharge did not 

include flow less than 12.2 ft3/s. 

The mean and median monthly storm-sediment yield 

estimates are presented in table 4, and median yields were 

largest in Ballard Hollow tributary (06928410), East Gate 

Hollow tributary (06930058), and Dry Creek (06930250). The 

monthly storm-sediment yields at Ballard Hollow tributary 

(06928410), Quarry Hollow tributary (06930023), Quarry 

Hollow tributary below quarry (06930027), and Quarry Hollow tributary below quarry catchment (06930028) are likely 

being underestimated because the flow data less than 12.2 ft3/s 

for site 06928410 and less than 5.27 ft3/s for sites 06930023, 

06930027, and 06930028 were not included in the calculations 

for those sites. 

As would be expected, monthly yields tended to be larger 

during the wetter spring months and smaller during the drier 

summer months (table 4). For the period May to December 

2011, when all streamgages were operating simultaneously, 

sediment yield from Ballard Hollow tributary (06928410), 

East Gate Hollow tributary (06930058), and Dry Creek 

(06930250) tended to have the largest estimated monthly 

yields. 
22 Hydrologic and Sediment Data Collected From Selected Basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation

Summary

Commercial and residential development within a basin 

often increases the amount of impervious area, which changes 

the natural hydrologic response to storm events by increasing 

runoff. Increases in runoff lead to stream deformation, downcutting, and bank erosion, which results in excess sediment, 

a leading cause of water quality impairment throughout the 

United States. An increase in construction activities, caused 

by a population increase of more than 10 percent from 2000 

to 2010 at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation in 

Missouri, has potentially led to hydrologic changes that could 

result in the greater likelihood of stream impairment because 

of excess sediment. From April 2010 to December 2011, the 

U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army 

Maneuver Support Center, collected surface-water hydrologic 

data during storm events in selected basins at the Fort Leonard 

Wood Military Reservation. 

Hydrologic and suspended-sediment concentration data 

were collected primarily during storm events in six basins 

within the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation boundary. Hydrologic data collection included continuous and 

discrete discharge measurement data collected at nine sites and 

precipitation data collected at five sites. Sediment samples, 

collected at nine sites, primarily were collected using automatic samplers and augmented with equal-width-increment 

channel cross-sectional samples and manually collected 

samples when necessary. Sediment samples were analyzed 

for suspended-sediment concentration at the U.S. Geological 

Survey Missouri Water Science Center sediment laboratory. 

Storm-sediment load and yield were computed from discharge 

and suspended-sediment concentration data. Monthly stormsediment yields also were estimated from the total storm 

discharge and the mean suspended-sediment concentration at 

each given site.

Storm-sediment concentration, load, and yield varied 

from basin to basin and from storm to storm. In general, 

storm-sediment yield, in pounds per square mile per minute, 

was greatest from Ballard Hollow tributary (06928410) and 

Dry Creek (06930250), and monthly storm-sediment yield 

estimates, in tons per square mile, were largest in Ballard 

Hollow tributary (06928410), East Gate Hollow tributary 

(06930058), and Dry Creek (06930250).

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Publishing support provided by:

Rolla Publishing Service Center

For more information concerning this publication, contact:

Director, USGS Missouri Water Science Center

1400 Independence Road

Rolla, MO 65401

(573) 308–3667

Or visit the Missouri Water Science Center Web site at: 

http://mo.water.usgs.gov/



Richards and others—Hydrologic and Sediment Data Collected From Selected Basins at the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation, Missouri—2010–11 —SIR 2012–5268

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