Increased sediment may impact plant communities. Primary production will decline because of a reduction in light penetration. Sediment may damage plants by abrasion, scouring, and burial. Finally, sediment deposition may encourage species shifts because of a change of substrate. Sediment deposition may also affect the physical characteristics of the stream bed.
Sediment accumulation causes stream bed elevation and a decrease in channel capacity.
As a result, recreational use may be threatened because moving parts of boats may become tangled in aquatic plants. Sediment, which is generally negatively charged, attracts positively charged molecules. These positively charged pollutants are in equilibrium with the water column and are ofttten released slowly into the water resource. Sediment may be transported to surface waters via overland flow. Sediment may also be eroded from stream banks during high flows and resuspended from the substrate by changes of speed or direction of the water current.