PROGRAMS AND PLANS - Computation of sediment discharge


                                             June 8, 1966

QUALITY OF WATER BRANCH MEMORANDUM NO. 66.01

To:       District Chiefs and Staff Officials,
          Quality of Water Branch

From:     Chief, Quality of Water Branch

Subject:  PROGRAMS AND PLANS - Computation of sediment discharge

A simplified computer program for the computation of suspended
sediment discharge has been prepared and is available through the
Automation and Data Management Section, QW.

This program is designed to compute values of sediment discharge
from values of mean daily sediment concentration and mean daily
stream discharge.  Also, the program has the capability for
computing subdivided days.

In order to utilize this program, the following procedures should
be followed:

     The standard sediment card (Form 9-1539, 3-63) will be used
     as input for this program.  Data will be punched into the
     card as described in "Instructions for Preparing Water
     Quality Data for Publication by Automatic Techniques, 1965",
     with the exception of values for tons per day.  These values
     will be omitted when the data are submitted to Records
     Processing Center for punching on cards.  Values for tons
     per day will be computed and processed through normal
     processing procedures for publication.

     For those days in which subdivision is required, one card
     must be prepared for each subdivided period.  This card will
     contain the mean values of concentration and stream
     discharge for that interval only.  The subdivision time
     interval will be reported in tenths of an hour and will be
     punched in Card Columns 59-61.  No decimal will be punched
     in this data field.  Subdivision computations will be
     performed and a single card obtained as output.

     Daily values for subdivided days computed by the engineer,
     estimated values or other values deviating from normal
     procedures established for the program maybe used.  If at
     any time a value for tons per day is punched into the input
     card, this value over rides computations performed by the
     computer and the input data is accepted and transferred as
     direct output.  Copies of results from the program will be
     forwarded to the district office for approval before final
     processing is performed.

This program is being made available in addition to the program
written for the project, "A Digital Computer Method for the
Computation of Sediment Discharge," by M. D. Edwards, Project
Chief.  This program is available for use on a limited and
experimental basis.  Inquiries concerning the use of this program
should be forwarded to the ADMS marked to the attention of Mr.
Edwards, Code 4064 5402.



                                   S. K. Love

WRD Distribution:  A, B, S4, FO4