A sediment study: South Alligator River

Ian Lancaster - Power and Water Authority NT , 02 October, 1990

This document gives a detailed account of the sediment study done by BHP, with the assistance of Northern Territory Power And Water Authority staff, on the upper South Alligator River in the 1988 / 89 Wet Season.

The introduction includes a location description; locality maps; a short discussion on sediment transportation, measurement and analysis, plus some of the reasons for undertaking the study.

The individual methods by which each aspect of the study were approached and performed, are then discussed. The six major aspects, as listed in the index, are :

  • Suspended sediment sampling
  • Equal Traversing Rate samples
  • Suspended sediment analysis
  • Discharge measurement
  • Rainfall
  • Particle size analysis .

The results obtained for each of the above mentioned aspects are documented and some discussion about these results is included. There are also several graphic interpretations of these results giving some comparisons between the different aspects and some time-period and spatial relations.

Some conclusions are then drawn about the study as a whole, and about the interactions between the individual aspects and other influencing factors.