TEMPORAL VARIATIONS IN RATES OF SEDIMENT DEPOSITION WITHIN OKLAHOMA RESERVOIRS: IMPLICATIONS FOR WATER MANAGEMENT

Sedimentation within reservoirs is a serious problem facing the management of water resources in Oklahoma. A comparison between published rates of sedimentation within several Oklahoma reservoirs and long term averaged rates of sedimentation obtained from cores is apparent. Studies from other depositional systems, such as marine deltas, and numerical models suggest such temporal changes in the rate of sedimentation are due to climatic fluctuations at the decadal to annual scale. Developing a management plan that incorporates climatic and anthropogenic variations in sediment supply is critical to water managers planning and preparing for future climate change.