Improved Methods for Correlating Turbidity and Suspended Solids

Category:

Operating Procedures

Description:

Specially designed settling columns have proven useful in correlating turbidity and suspended

solids for project-specific conditions. In order to correlate turbidity and suspended solids during

dredged material disposal monitoring efforts on a sediment-specific basis, measurements can be

used as an operational aid in monitoring dredging and disposal operations in lieu of more costly

and time-consuming suspended solids measurements.

A suspension-specific TSS-turbidity correlation curve can be developed and used in the

following situations as an aid in routine monitoring of a dredging operation for which TSS

standards or operating guidelines have been set:

1) Monitoring resuspension of solids in the immediate vicinity of the dredge.

2) Monitoring for TSS limitation the point of compliance for open-water disposal.

3) Monitoring for TSS in the effluent discharge from containment area or sedimentation pond for

upland disposal.

In addition, more accurate and appropriate procedures have been developed for:

1) Sampling.

2) Use of settling columns.

3) Correlation's procedures.

Work can be performed by any commercial soil testing lab that is equipped with settling column.

Cost at WES is roughly $5,000 per sample. Commercial soil testing labs contacted charge

roughly $3,000 for this work.

Reviewer:

C. Woolley

Company / Organization(s):

Information Sources:

Literature:

Month:

June

Year:

1998

LitType:

Report/Proceedings

Publisher:

WODCON XV, Las Vegas

Page:

Chapter 5 Other Technologies Reviewed