Suspended sediment
Overview
Suspended sediment is a measurement of the particulate matter in water. High concentrations of suspended sediment can cause problems for fish by clogging gills and for aquatic plants by limiting growth because of reduced light penetration. Suspended sediment provides a medium for the accumulation and transport of other constituents such as phosphorus and bacteria and metals.
Water-quality standards and criteria are developed by the States, approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and then promulgated (passed into law) as standards by each State. Graphs on this website allow comparison of measured and computed data to these standards and criteria by plotting them as straight lines. When evaluating data to decide whether water quality is suitable for the intended use, viewers are cautioned to consider the uncertainty associated with these computed data.
Water-quality Standards and Criteria
Kansas maximum (narrative)
Current water-quality criteria in Kansas for TSS (a measurement similar to total suspended sediment) are narrative criteria that state that artificial sources of suspended solids cannot be added that would interfere with aquatic life.
Source: Kansas Department of Health and the Environment (view online)
Stations That Measure or Compute Continuous Suspended sediment
Click a station to view measurements of suspended sediment.
