COVE SEDIMENTATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN LAKE WYLIE, NC: CHARACTERIZING SEDIMENT IN FIVE COVES ASSOCIATED WITH VARIOUS LEVELS OF UPSTREAM DEVELOPMENT

Small coves within Piedmont reservoirs are known to shallow as they fill with sediment. Development both increases the sediment source and creates additional stormflow that transports sediment. As the coves fill in, they impact property values and reduce recreational access. While previous work has examined individual coves in great detail, no study has examined variability between coves. To better understand the relationship between watershed development and increased sedimentation in downstream coves, we conducted an exploratory study in five coves along the east shore of Lake Wylie. Using a Livingstone coring system, we took cores and examined organic content, particle size, and magnetic susceptibility in each layer of sediment. We found that natural variation within each cove is significant and complicates a direct comparison between coves. Contextualized within each cove and watershed, sediment trends suggest that development increases sedimentation rates, although the spatial patterns are quite complex. Here we present multiple cores from each cove to assess both the natural variability between coves and the impacts of land use changes.