Targeting erosion control using spatially distributed sediment budgets.

There is a growing interest in restoring rivers; however, the restoration work required often exceeds the resources available. Consequently, management actions need to be targeted to achieve the greatest benefit. A thorough knowledge of local sediment budgets could represent a substantial management technique in this regard. The SedNet model has been used extensively to construct local sediment budgets throughout river networks. In the model, sediment is supplied to each link of the network from hillslope erosion, gully erosion, and channel bank erosion, and then routed through the network, with deposition occurring in river channels, on flood plains, and in reservoirs. The model enables the determination of the contribution from each erosion source, at each point in the river network. The SedNet model is applied to the Murrumbidgee River, and shows how spatially distributed sediment budgets can be used to target erosion control activities.