Study of sediment transport in Taleghan basin in Iran

Water is one of the most effective and important factors in erosion. Sedimentation is one of the most important factors in planning the Taleghan reservoir capacity. Its basin with 805 km(2) area is situated within the southern part of Alborz Mountains. The Taleghan Watershed has steep slopes and limited vegetation cover. The main purpose of this study is to calculate the amount of sediment transport in a month, a year, and during flood period of the Taleghan river and also determine the spatial distribution of sediment in the basin. This study indicates that the average suspended sediment for Taleghan basin is about 940 ton/km(2)/year. This value seems to be very high. Note that 89% of this sediment is transported in the spring, or in other words, when the water is more abundant is due to flooding. Therefore, it could express the need for soil conservation practices in the basin.