Sedimentation Effect on the Storage Capacity in Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Authors

  • Parfait Iradukunda Department of Civil Engineering, Pan African University, Institute for Basic Sciences Technology and Innovation (PAUSTI), P.O. Box 62000-00200 Nairobi, Kenya.
  • Joseph K. Sang Department of Soil, water and Environmental Engineering, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, P.O Box 62,000-00100, Nairobi.
  • Maurice O. Nyadawa School of Engineering and Technology, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST), P.O. Box 210-40601 Bondo, Kenya
  • Caroline W. Maina Department of Soil, water and Environmental Engineering, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, P.O Box 62,000-00100, Nairobi.

Keywords:

Lake Nakuru; Sedimentation; Bathymetric Survey; lake volume; Echo sounder.

Abstract

The sediment accumulation in rivers and the sediment deposition in the reservoirs is currently influencing a remarkable
impact on the land and water resources in Kenya. Inappropriate land use and wastes disposal in the watershed are anthropogenic
activities resulting in the contamination of the water body in Lake Nakuru. This research study focusses in the lake sedimentation
assessment and examination of sediments impacts on the storage loss in Lake Nakuru. This was achieved by establishing the
engineering concepts using Bathymetric Surveying System (BSS) comprises navigation twin boats system (Dual-Jon-Boats), built-
in Global Positioning System (GPS) for collecting spatial data, acoustic multi-frequency system with higher frequency of 200 kHz
for determination of surface of the sediments and the lower frequency of 12 kHz for determination of deposited sediments layer to
pre-impoundment levels of the Lake. The software like Depthpic 5.0.2, Surfer 15.5 and ArcGIS 10.3 were used for mapping,
gridding and morphometric analysis. The study results show that the lake depth increasing from the shoreline to the middle patch
of the lake with the maximal depth of 6.2 meters and the water storage volume of 264,699,344.54 m 3 . The sediment deposition
with the layer thickness varies from 0 m up to 0.7 m (maximum) and the total sediment storage capacity of 24,191,688.67 m 3 , this
implies that the sediment storage in the lake occupies 8.37 % of its actual storage capacity. The water and sediment storage status
cater to accurate information to the water resources managers in making decisions to the resources’ management in or around the
lake.

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Published

2020-09-16

How to Cite

Iradukunda, P., Sang, J. K., Nyadawa, M. O., & Maina, C. W. (2020). Sedimentation Effect on the Storage Capacity in Lake Nakuru, Kenya. JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH IN ENGINEERING, 5(3), 149-158. Retrieved from https://jsre.jkuat.ac.ke/index.php/jsre/article/view/97

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 3 (2020): JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH IN ENGINEERING

Section

Articles

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