SALTCEDAR INFLUENCE ON SEDIMENTATION IN THE BRAZOS RIVER Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) infestations along the Brazos River between Seymour, Texas, and the river's confluence with the Clear Fork occupied 57% of the original river channel by 1979. As saltcedar established on sandbars and channel edges, the plants stabilized the channel sediments causing deposition. By 1979, 3m of sediment had been deposited in the saltcedar-infested channel, and the river channel's width had been reduced by 89.6m. The presence of saltcedar and subsequent sediment deposition and channel closure in the Brazos River effectively reduced sedimentation of Possum Kingdom Lake. However, the saltcedar invasion resulted in higher flood stages for similar flow volumes, thus enlarging the area inundated by flood waters. -Authors

published proceedings

  • JOURNAL OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION

author list (cited authors)

  • BLACKBURN, W. H., KNIGHT, R. W., & SCHUSTER, J. L.

complete list of authors

  • BLACKBURN, WH||KNIGHT, RW||SCHUSTER, JL

publication date

  • January 1982