Sediment discharge during floods 

in eastern Nebraska

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

CIRCULAR 470
Sediment discharge during floods 

in eastern Nebraska

ByJ. CMundorff

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 470

Washington 1962
United States Department of the Interior

STEWART L. UDALL, SECRETARY

Geological Survey

THOMAS B. NOLAN, DIRECTOR

Free on appficxifion to the U.S. Geofogicaf Survey, Washington 25, D. C.
CONTENTS

Page Page 

-------..-.---...---..-.... 1 Particle-size distribution._ ________ 3

Introduction..................... ... 1 Conclusion _______ ___________ _____ 7

Sediment discharge and concentration. __ 3

ILLUSTRATIONS

Page 

Figure 1. Graph showing minimum and maximum temperatures at Syracuse, Lincoln,

and Falls City, Nebr., during the period March 25-29, 1960___________________ 1

2. Triangle diagram showing percentage of sand, silt, and clay in suspendedsediment samples from streams in eastern Nebraska, March 28 to 

April 8, 1960 __________________________________________ 6

TABLES

Page 

Table 1. Water discharge and suspended-sediment concentration and discharge for some

streams in eastern Nebraska _______________________________________________ 2

2. Particle-size analyses of suspended sediment for some streams in eastern

Nebraska _________________________________________________________________ 4

3. Measured and total sediment discharge for selected streams in eastern Nebraska _. 7

III
Sediment discharge during floods in eastern Nebraska

ByJ. C. Mundorff

ABSTRACT

Runoff resulting from rapid melting of a deep snow cover 

over much of eastern Nebraska resulted in exceptionally 

high stream stages and in severe flooding on many streams 

in eastern Nebraska during the latter part of March and the 

early part of April in 1960. Suspended-sediment concentrations and discharges for most of die streams were somewhat 

lower than would be expected during similar water discharges that might result from torrential rains rather than 

snowmelt. During the period March 28 April 8, 1960, when 

die total water discharge of Platte River at Louisville and 

of Elkhorn River at Waterloo was about one-fourth of die 

total for the year, the sediment discharge was an estimated 

45 to 50 percent of die estimated total for die year at each 

station. Both the percentage of sand and the concentration 

of sand in the suspended sediment were much higher for the 

Platte and Elkhorn Rivers than for streams in die Big Blue 

River and Nemaha River basins. For Platte River at Louisville and for Elkhorn River at Waterloo, measured sediment 

discharges ranged from about $7 to 94 percent of the computed total sediment discharge.

INTRODUCTION

Between December 27, 1959, and March 26, 

1960, depth of snowfall over most of eastern 

Nebraska was about twice as much as the annual average for the area, and snowmelt and 

resulting runoff were rather minor. By 

March 26, the average snow cover over much 

of eastern Nebraska ranged from 10 to 15 

inches in depth, and had an exceptionally high 

moisture content. A few observations indicated that the accumulated and compacted 

snow had three to four times the average 

moisture content of newly fallen snow. A 

snow survey made by the U.S. Geological 

Survey on March 20 in a small drainage basin 

near Syracuse, Nebr., indicated an average 

snow depth of slightly more than 1 foot and a 

moisture content of about 3.5 inches per foot

of snow. At Lincoln, Nebr., a few observations on March 22 indicated that the average 

moisture content was about 3.6 inches per 

foot of snow.

During the period March 27 29, air temperature increased markedly over eastern 

Nebraska. Figure 1 shows the daily minimum 

and maximum, temperatures at three places 

in eastern Nebraska for the period March 25 

29. Snowmelt and runoff were relatively minor through March 26; nearly the entire snow 

cover that had accumulated during the preceding 3 months melted during the period, 

March 27 29. The combination of very rapid 

melting and of soil frost over large areas 

resulted in high Surface runoff. The large 

volume of runoff and the ice-choked condition 

of most streams resulted in exceptionally 

high stream stages and in severe flooding in 

some areas.

TEMPERATURE, IN DEGREES FAHRENHEC

* t* Oi«M 0-g 

SYRACUSE

25 26 27 28 29

LINCOLN

125 26 27 28 29

MARCH

FALLS C TY

25 26 27 28 29

Figure 1. -Graph showing minimum and maximum temperatures 

at Syracuse, Lincoln, and Falls City, Nebr., during the period 

March 25-29, 1960.
SEDIMENT DISCHARGE DURING FLOODS IN EASTERN NEBRASKA

Table 1. Water discharge and suspended-sediment concentration and discharge for some streams in eastern Nebraska

Stream

Cedar River: 

Near Spalding_______-____-__-

At Belgrade _ ________

Near Fullerton_______-_____ 

Elkhorn River at Waterloo ______

Platte River at Louisville _______

Missouri River at Nebraska City_

Brownell Creek near Syracuse: 

West Fork_-__-__-_-___-_--_-

East Fork ___________________

Little Nemaha River at Auburn __

Big Blue River: 

Near Crete __________________

At Beatrice__________________

At Barneston ________________

Little Blue River: 

Near Deweese _______________

Near Fairbury _______________

Date 

(1960)

Mar. 28 

Apr. 5 

Mar. 29 

Apr. 5 

Mar. 28 

Mar. 29 

Mar. 30 

Apr. 4

Mar. 31 

___do __

Apr. 1

Apr. 4 

Apr. 6 

Apr. 8

Mar. 31 

__ do __ 

__ do __ 

Apr. 1 

Apr. 4 

Apr. 8

Mar. 31 

Apr. 4

Mar. 28 

Mar. 27 

Mar. 28

Mar. 31 

__ do __

Apr. 1

Apr. 2 

Mar. 31 

Apr. 1

__ do __ 

Apr. 2 

Apr. 1

Mar. 28 

Apr. 2 

Mar. 31 

Apr. 2

Time

5;10 p.m. 

9:35 a,m. 

6:20 p.m. 

1:30 p.m. 

1:20 p.m. 

12:00 m. 

5:00 p.m. 

1:50 p.m.

10:45 a.m, 

3:40 p.m. 

10:20 a.m. 

2:50 p.m. 

11:15 a.m. 

11:45 a.m. 

12:05 p.m.

8:30 a.m. 

9:30 a.m. 

1:00 p.m. 

11:35 a.m. 

10:00 a.m. 

10:10 a.m.

11:40 a.m. 

3:10 p.m.

1:00 p.m. 

12:30 p.m. 

1:15 p.m.

12:50 p.m.

5:20 p.m. 

9:20 a.m. 

5:50 p.m. 

1:10 p.m. 

3:00 p.m. 

11:00 a.m. 

11:50 a.m. 

4:25 p.m. 

5:30 p.m. 

2:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m. 

3:00 p.m. 

4:10 p.m. 

4:30 p.m.

Discharge 

(cfs)

346 

272 

1,730 

268 

1 3,30Q 

^,000 

1,640 

551

21,800 

21,400 

24,400 

25,600 

31,800 

14,450 

10,000

90,000 

88,400 

85,800 

59,700 

59,300 

59,100

132,000 

173,000

280 

2 140

1,860

19,900 

14,600 

12,700 

9,800 

24,000 

24,200 

24,200 

24,000 

20,000 

25,800

7,030 

2,200 

4,130 

5,230

Suspended sediment

Concentration (ppm)

1,120 

424 

7,450 

1,420 

2,690 

1,980 

5,840 

1,250

6,540 

5,180 

5,200 

4,100 

2,910 

5,500 

5,540

4,600 

5,350 

6,100 

5,230 

5,460 

2,660

2,860 

1,890

12,600 

10,900 

8,620

4,670

1,550 

1,640 

1,280 

1,240 

1,700 

1,440 

1,690 

1,360 

1,240 

1,550

2,400 

5,040 

3,520 

5,820

Discharge 

(tons per day)

1,050 

311 

34,800 

1,030 

24,000 

10,700 

25,900 

1,860

385,000 

299,000 

343,000 

283,000 

250,000 

215,000 

150,000

1,120,000 

1,280,000 

1,410,000 

843,000 

874,000 

424,000

1,020,000 

883,000

4,080 

2,350 

3,260

23,500

83,300 

64,600 

43,900 

32,800 

110,000 

94,100 

110,000 

88,100 

67,000 

108,000

45,600 

29,900 

39,300 

82,200

1 Daily mean discharge; flow affected by backwater from ice. 

2Estimated.
PARTICLE-SIZE DISTRIBUTION

SEDIMENT DISCHARGE AND CONCENTRATION

During the flood period (about March 27 to 

April 8), 41 sediment-discharge measurements were made with standard equipment 

and methods on streams in eastern Nebraska, 

The results of these measurements are 

shown in table 1. The suspended-sediment 

concentrations and discharges for most of the 

streams were somewhat lower than would be 

expected during similar water discharges 

that might result from torrential rains rather 

than from snowmelt. However, concentrations 

were high and suspended-sediment discharges 

were extremely high as compared with those 

of normal stream discharges.

The highest concentrations observed were 

on two branches of Brownell Creek near Syracuse. The contributing drainage area of 

each branch is only a few square miles, and 

the sediment discharge measurements were 

made during the peak-discharge period. Extensive conservation practices and numerous 

detention reservoirs in much of the watershed 

resulted in appreciably lower suspendedsediment concentrations than might be expected for such a watershed without conservation measures.

The lowest observed suspended-sediment 

concentrations were for Cedar River near 

Spalding; the drainage area is mainly in the 

Sandhills. Some relatively high concentrations were observed, however, at Belgrade 

and near Fullerton, which are in the downstream reaches of the Cedar River. The 

sharp increase in concentration at the downstream sites can be attributed mainly to the 

loessial areas, which predominate downstream from Spalding.

During the period March 31 to April 2 concentrations for the Big Blue River were rather 

uniform and relatively low at Crete, Beatrice, 

and Barneston, and concentrations for the 

Little Blue River were appreciably higher.

Concentrations and suspended-sediment 

discharges were high for Elkhorn- River at 

Waterloo and for Platte River at Louisville 

during the flood period. The data indicate 

that the measured suspended-sediment discharge at Louisville at water discharges of 

about 60,000 to90,000cfs equaled or exceeded

the measured suspended-sediment discharge 

of Missouri River at Nebraska City at much 

higher water discharges.

Although observed suspended-sediment 

concentrations during the flood period were 

high as compared with concentrations during 

periods of normal flow, they were not high as 

compared with maximum observed concentrations for the same streams during the 

spring and summer months of other years. 

Observed concentrations of 10,000 to 15,000 

ppm were not uncommon for Little Blue River 

nearEndicott and nearFairbury during 1956 

59. Concentrations of more than 40,000 ppm 

have been measured on the Little Nemaha 

River.

The total water discharge for the 12-day 

period March 28 to April 8, 1960, for Platte 

River at Louisville was about 702,000 cfs-days 

(1,390,000 acre-feet), or nearly one-fourth of 

the total discharge for the entire 1960 water 

year. The discharge for 1960 was about 160 

percent of the average annual discharge for 

the period of record 1954 60; both the maximum instantaneous discharge (124,000 cfs) 

and the maximum daily mean discharge 

(112,000 cfs) for the period 1954-60 occurred 

on March 30, 1960.

For most streams in Nebraska, except in the 

Sandhills, a large part of the total annual suspended-sediment discharge commonly occurs 

during a few days of high water discharges 

each year. During the period March 28 April 

8, 1960, when the total water discharge of 

Platte River at Louisville was nearly onefourth of the total for the year, the sediment 

discharge was an estimated 45 to 50 percent of 

the estimated total for the year. For Elkhorn 

River at Waterloo during the period March 30 

to April 8, 1960, when the total water discharge 

was slightly more than one-fourth of the annual total, the sediment discharge was an estimated 45 percent of the estimated annual 

total.

PARTICLE-SIZE DISTRIBUTION

Particle-size analyses (table 2) show that 

for the Big Blue, Little Blue, and Little 

Nemaha Rivers, the suspended sediment was 

mostly silt (0.004 to 0.062 mm) and clay 

(< 0.004 mm). (See fig. 2.) Concentrations of
SEDIMENT DISCHARGE DURING FLOODS IN EASTERN NEBRASKA

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Platte River at Louisville

Mar. 31.

Apr. 1.

Apr. 4. 

Apr. 8.

9:30 a.m.

11:35 a.m.

10:00 a.m. 

10:10 a.m.

88,400

59,700

59,300 

59,100

.--.-_

5,350

5,230

5,460 

2,660

3,790

3,930

4,650 

2,960

1,280,000

843,000

874,000 

424,000

17

?,?,

23

34

19

24

26 

34

21

27

28 

39

24

33

32

46

31

43

39 

63

42

60

49 

79

Little Nemaha River at Auburn

Mar. 31. 12:50 p.m. 1,860 4,670 7,500 23.500 36 40 47 61 86 98 

Big Blue River near Crete

Mar. 31.

Apr. 1.

Apr. 2.

5-20 p.m.

5:50 p.m.

1:10 p.m.

19,900

12,700

9,800

41

42

1,550

1,280

1,240

1,970

2,000

1,610

83,300

43,900

32,800

6fi

62

30

70

69

50

81

75

65

87

83

77

91

89

100

99

99

1

Big Blue River at Beatrice

Mar. 31.

Apr. 1.

3:00 p.m.

11:50 a.m.

24,000

24,200

1,700

1,690

2,600

2,420

110,000

110,000

65

64

75

71

83

78

88

78

92

88

96

90

Apr. 1. 2:00 p.m. 25,800 43 1,550 4,220 108,000 .__-_ 63 70 80 89 98 

Little Blue River near Deweese

Mar. 28. 

Do __ . 

Apr. 2.

2:00 p.m. 

2:00 p.m. 

3:00 p.m.

7,030 

7,030 

2,200 42

2,400 

2,400 

5,040

3,430 

3,160 

3,140

45,600 

45,600 

29,900

25 

52 

61

44 

58 

66

58 

66 

70

70 

71 

76

81 

82 

86

89 

89 

95

Little Blue River near Fairbury

Mar. 31. 

Apr. 2.

4:10 p.m. 

4:30 p.m.

4,130 

5,230 41

3,520 

5,820

2,380 

5,140

39,300 

82,200

21 

53

31 

57

42 

66

55 

76

77 

89

94 

98

Estimated.

2Daily mean discharge.
SEDIMENT DISCHARGE DURING FLOODS IN EASTERN NEBRASKA

sand (0.062 to 2.000 mm) for these streams 

ranged from 0 to 264 ppm, while the total 

measured suspended-sediment concentrations 

ranged from 1,240 to 5,820 ppm. For Platte 

River at Louisville, sand concentrations 

ranged from 559 to 3,100 ppm at total concentrations that ranged from 2,660 to 5,460 

ppm. For Elkhorn River at Waterloo, sand

concentrations ranged from 654 to 1,610 ppm. 

The differences in sand concentration for the 

different streams are reflections of differences in hydraulic characteristics of the 

streams and in characteristics of the material available for suspension in the stream. 

Mean velocity at Elkhorn River at Waterloo 

was about double the mean velocity for the

100,

PERCENTAGE SAND (0.062-2.000 MM)

Figure 2. Triangle diagram showing percentage of sand, silt and clay in suspended-sediment samples from streams in eastern Nebraska, 

March 28 to April 8, 1960. (1) Cedar River near Spalding; (2) Cedar River at Belgrade; (3) Cedar River near Fullerton; (4) Elkhorn River 

at Waterloo; (5) Platte River at Louisville; (6) Little Nemaha River at Auburn; (7) Big Blue River near Crete; (8) Big Blue River at Beatrice; 

(9) Big Blue River at Barneston; (10) Little Blue River near Deweese; and (11) Little Blue River near Fairbury.
SEDIMENT DISCHARGE DURING FLOCDS IN EASTERN NEBRASKA

Big Blue River and Little Blue River sites, 

and the streambed material was considerably 

coarser in the Blue Rivers than in Elkhorn 

River at Waterloo.

The particle-size analyses were made by 

sedimentation methods and were mainly for 

samples "that had been chemically and mechanically dispersed by standard laboratory 

methods. The particle-size distributions that 

are shown for dispersed samples, especially 

for the silt and clay, are representative of 

the sizes that would exist in the stream if the 

water had certain chemical characteristics 

and if certain hydraulic conditions existed in 

the stream. For a few samples, one-half of 

each was analyzed under dispersed conditions, 

and the other half was analyzed with natural 

stream water as the settling medium. A. 

comparison of the particle-size distributions 

of samples analyzed by both methods indicates 

that the chemical quality of the native (natural) water apparently is conducive to flocculation of sediment during the quiescent settling conditions in the laboratory. A part of 

the clay, however, is probably transported by 

the stream as original soil floccules or aggregates of silt size. Preparation of the sample for analysis under dispersed conditions 

destroys these floccules or aggregates; 

therefore, the differences between particlesize distributions for dispersed and nativewater settling mediums may be caused as 

much by destruction of original soil aggregates as by the flocculating ability of the native water.

A few data obtained on particle-size distribution of bed material at Louisville, Waterloo, and Beatrice indicate that the material is 

finest at Waterloo, somewhat coarser at 

Louisville, and much coarser at Beatrice. 

(See following table.)

Bed material for the 3 percentages (by weight) shown is 

finer than the particles sizes listed

Stream

Elkhorn River at Waterloo- _

Platte

Blue E

River at Louisville _

uiver at Beatrice _____

Particle size

(millimeters)

15

percent

0.16

.22

.50

50

percent

0.27

.37

.80

85

percent

0.70

.87

2.2

CONCLUSION

The suspended-sediment discharge of some 

streams, as computed by standard methods, 

does not include all the suspended sediment 

in an unsampled zone about 0.4 foot deep immediately above the streambed. Also, the 

suspended-sediment discharge obviously does 

not include sediment that may be transported 

as bedload. Estimates of the total sediment 

discharge are shown in table 3. For Big Blue 

River at Beatrice, the measured suspendedsediment discharge, as indicated by a single 

computation, was 96 percent of the total discharge. For Platte River at Louisville and 

for Elkhorn River at Waterloo, measured 

sediment discharges ranged from about 87 to 

94 percent of the total discharge.

The available data are not sufficiently comprehensive for precise determination of total 

sediment discharge for each stream during 

the entire flood period. However, estimates 

of total sediment discharge based on the 

available data on streamflow and sediment 

discharge for three streams are as follows:

Elkhorn River at Waterloo, March 30 to 

April 8, 1960, 3.25 million tons; Platte River 

at Louisville, March 28 to April 8, 1960, 11

Table 3. Measured and total sediment discharge for 

selected streams in eastern Nebraska

Date 

(1960) Time

Discharge 

(cfs)

Sediment discharge (thousands of tons

per day)

Measured Total

Elkhorn River at Waterloo

Mar. 31_

Apr. 4_

Apr. 6_

3:40 p.m.

11:15 a.m.

11:45 a.m.

21,400

31,800

14,450

299

250

215

327

279

228

Platte River at Louisville

Mar. 31_

Apr. 1_

Apr. 4.

9:30 a.m.

11:35 a.m.

10:00 a.m.

88,400

59,700

59,300

1,280

843

874

1,410

913

1,010

Big Blue River at Beatrice

Apr. 1_ 11:50 a.m. 24,200 110 115
8 SEDIMENT DISCHARGE DURING FLOODS IN EASTERN NEBRASKA

million tons; Big Blue River at Beatrice, March 28 to April 8 would be sufficient to 

March 29 to April 3, 1960, 650,000 tons. form a deposit about 10 feet thick over 1

square mile.

The quantity of sediment transported by 

Platte River at Louisville during the period

INT.DUP.,D. C>62_ 16671