Status and Trends in Suspended-Sediment Discharges, Soil Erosion, and Conservation Tillage in the Maumee River Basin–Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana

The relation of suspended-sediment discharges to conservation-tillage practices and soil loss were analyzed for the Maumee River Basin in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Cropland in the basin is the largest contributor to soil erosion and suspended-sediment discharge to the Maumee River and the river is the largest source of suspended sediments to Lake Erie. Retrospective and recently-collected data from 1970–98 were used to demonstrate that increases in conservation tillage and decreases in soil loss can be related to decreases in suspended sediment discharge from streams.

The purposes of this report are to (1) identify the major source areas of sediment discharge in the Maumee River Basin, (2) quantify the suspended-sediment discharge delivered to the main stem from major tributaries and from the upper main stem to the lower main stem, (3) relate natural factors such as soil drainage, soil texture, and stream slope to discharges of suspended sediment, (4) examine whether conservation tillage has contributed to changes over time in suspended- sediment discharges, and (5) discuss the implications for management of soil erosion from cropland in the Maumee River Basin.