Sediment removal during an extreme summer storm: Muskwa River, northeastern British Columbia

• Published in: Canadian Geotechnical Journal
• Main Author: Sherstone, David A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1983
• Subjects: Civil and Structural Engineering; Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology; Canada; British Columbia; Fort Nelson; Muskwa; Fort Nelson River
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/t83-035; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/t83-035

Extreme summer storms in northwestern Canada can produce large changes in river channels and sediment loads in a short time. These infrequent events cause effects downstream that persist over several years. Photogrammetric measurement was made of sediment removed during a 36-h storm flood in June, 1977, on the Muskwa River near its confluence with the Fort Nelson River. The approximate volume of material removed was 1 398 000 m 3 . The sediment load added to the Fort Nelson River was between 2.3 and 2.4 million tonnes. Photogrammetric measurement techniques, combined with field samples, can provide adequate information on sediment removed during severe storms. Keywords: erosion, sediment, photogrammetry, storms, floods.