Measuring water and sediment discharge from a road plot with a settling basin and tipping bucket

A simple empirical method quantifies water and sediment production from a forest road surface, and is well suited for calibration and validation of road sediment models. To apply this quantitative method, the hydrologic technician installs bordered plots on existing typical road segments and measures coarse sediment production in a settling tank. When a tipping bucket gauge and a flow splitting device are added to the installation, both coarse and fine sediment can be collected along with a continuous discharge record. Included in this report is the design of a simple and inexpensive tipping bucket system and the procedures for measuring plot discharge up to 60 gal (227 L) per minute.