Sediment Budget prepared for the Kankakee River Basin in Illinois and Indiana

Sediment Budget prepared for the Kankakee River Basin in Illinois and Indiana

A suspended-sediment budget was prepared for the Kankakee River Basin using data collected from January 1993 through December 1995 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Kankakee County Soil and Water Conservation District. The suspended-sediment budget and other data and analyses are presented in a recently released report by the USGS.

The Kankakee River (5,165 square miles) in northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana has undergone extensive changes in the past 100 years. As early as the 1860's, parts of the Kankakee River in Indiana were channelized to lessen flooding and assist in draining swampland areas. The Iroquois River contributed almost twice the amount of suspended sediment (862,000 tons) as the upper Kankakee River (489,000 tons) during the length of the study. Both rivers supply equal amounts of total water volume, but the Iroquois is the major source of discharge during high flow periods when most of the sediment is transported.

The report titled "Suspended-sediment budget for the Kankakee River Basin, 1993-95," by Robert R. Holmes, Jr., has been released as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 97-120. Copies of the report are available for inspection at the U.S. Geological Survey, 221 North Broadway Avenue, Urbana, Illinois, 61801. Paper and microfiche copies can be purchased at cost from the U.S. Geological Survey- Branch of Information Services, Box 25286, MS 517, Federal Center, Denver Colorado 80225-0046 (telephone: (303)202-4700). Orders must include check or money order payable to U.S. Department of Interior-U.S. Geological Survey and must specify report number OFR 97-120.