Suspended Sediment Data and Loads in the Fountain Creek Watershed, CO

This data release consists of daily mean streamflow, daily mean suspended sediment concentration (SSC), and daily mean suspended sediment load (SSL) data for selected U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgage sites within the Fountain Creek watershed, separated by water year. Each file also includes USGS approval levels and any associated qualifiers that were applied to the values. The daily mean SSC and daily mean SSL were calculated using the program, Graphical Constituent Loading Analysis System (GCLAS) , and are publicly available in the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) database. Methods used in GCLAS to calculate daily mean SSC and SSL will not be discussed in this data release (see: User's manual for the Graphical Constituent Loading Analysis System (GCLAS), U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods, 4-C1) . The datasets also are presented as monthly total streamflow and monthly total SSL for selected USGS streamgage sites within the Fountain Creek watershed. Seasonal totals of streamflow and SSL, ratio of SSL to streamflow, yields, and suspended sediment flux are also presented. Additionally, for each seasonal period from 1998 to 2023, there is a site comparison text file documenting net difference of streamflow and SSL between sites.
The final datasets, which are presented from 2018—2023 for sites 07106500 and 07103700, include previously unpublished continuous turbidity data that were used exclusively to aid in the estimation of concentration curves within GCLAS. These turbidity data are not publicly available in the NWIS database, but were processed generally following techniques and methods for continuous water-quality monitors.