Figure - 3: is a comparison of the water flow in cubic feet/second for the 1992 water-year at the water 

 quality monitoring site in lower Big Creek and on the mainstem of North Fork of the Flathead River, at 

 Glacier Rim. 



NF FLATHEAD AND BIG CR 



DAILY DISCHARGE 



10/1/92 



9/30/93 



WATER YEAR 1993 



Water quality-monitoring site (FL7012) is located at the Lookout Bridge, about two miles upstream from 

 the mouth of Big Creek. Starting in 1986, Big Creek was one of the watersheds where suspended 

 sediments and bedload sediments were measured to validate sediment yield assumptions made in the 

 forest plan. Table - 3 displays the results of the suspended sediment monitoring data for seven years. 



Table - 3: Annual Suspended Sediment Yield for Big Creek at Lookout Bridge in tons/square mile/year. 



At this monitoring site, annual sediment yield is variable, as streamflow increases, suspended and 

 bedload sediment loads increase. Sediment pulses occasionally move downstream after a mass failure 

 or other major sediment producing action occurs upstream. However, it is during the annual snowmelt 

 peak discharge that sediment transport rates are predictably high and the duration of high sediment 



