When the IVEX dam failed catastrophically in 1994, it provided an opportunity to study a dewatered reservoir containing new outcrops, and to collect vibracores. As a result of this, fourteen intervals were dated using historical flood records, the maximum depth of unsupported 210Pb, 137Cs peaks, paleosols, and pre reservoir sediments. The high sediment yield matched deforestation of the watershed during the1840s 1850s. From the 1910s 1960s, declines in farming corresponded to generally increased sediment yields.
Sediment yield appears strongly controlled by the occurrence of peak flows.
This implies that changes in sediment conveyance rates can mask changes in land use practices.