Watershed-scale controls outweigh local crossing effects on sediment loss from unpaved roads.

ABSTRACT: In rural areas, unpaved roads can drive water quality degradation via sediment inputs. Excess sediment loss from poorly maintained unpaved roads to adjacent waterways blocks sunlight, decreasing primary productivity and increasing nutrient concentrations. This is particularly relevant to Arkansas, where 85% of county roads are unpaved; however, few studies have explored the impacts of unpaved roads in rural watersheds dominated by pasture. We sampled Brush Creek (Arkansas) to understand local (i.e., road crossing type) and watershed-scale (e.g., land cover/use) controls on sediment loss. We collected monthly baseflow and four opportunistic storm flow samples for total suspended solids (TSS) upstream and downstream at bridge, culvert, and direct stream crossings. Mean TSS yields downstream

SUBMITTER: Cutting KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12823549 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan-Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature