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Monitoring and Assessing Water Quality
Begin Hierarchical Links EPA Home > Water > Wetlands, Oceans, & Watersheds > Monitoring and Assessing Water Quality > Volunteer Stream Monitoring: A Methods Manual > Chapter 5 > 5.1 Stream Flow > Figure 5.6 End Hierarchical Links

 

Figure 5.6

Determining Average Cross-Sectional Area (A)

Transect #1 (upstream) Transect #2 (downstream)
... Interal width
(feet)
... Depth
(feet)
... Interal width
(feet)
... Depth
(feet)
A to B = 2.0 1.0 (at B) A to B = 2.5 1.1 (at B)
B to C = 2.0 0.8 (at C) B to C = 2.5 1.0 (at C)
C to D = 2.0 0.5 (at D) C to D = 2.5 0.4 (at D)
D to E = 2.0
----
0.0
----
(shoreline) D to E = 2.5
----
0.0
----
(shoreline)
Totals 8.0 2.3 10.0 2.5
Average depth = 2.3/4 = 0.575 feet Average depth = 2.5/4 = 0.625 feet
Cross-sectional area of Transect #1 Cross-sectional area of Transect #2
= Total width X Average depth
= 8.0 ft X 0.575
= 4.60 ft2
= Total width X Average depth
= 10.0 ft X 0.625
= 6.25 ft2
Average area = (Cross-sectional area of Transect #1 + Cross-sectional area of Transect #2)/2
= (4.60 ft2 + 6.25 ft2)/2
=5.42 ft2
Figure 5.6

A sample calculation of average cross-sectional area


 

 
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