Presentation of the SEDDON II project

The suspended sediment and the bedload transported by the rivers has an immediate impact on the habitats, on the draining of floods, on shipping, and on drinking water exploitation. The direction and extent of this impact depends on the quantity and the composition of the transported sediment.

Determining the quantity of sediment with measurements has a significant history both in Hungary and in the other countries located along the Danube. However, the collected data at present are suitable for estimating the mentioned impacts and for planning the needed interventions only in a limited manner. This limited usability has technical reasons: samples are taken in a few sections only, with low frequency, differently by countries and often the sample taking devices are obsolete, while the laboratory procedures are not standardised.

Cross-border co-operation is needed for solving the mentioned problems in view of the fact that the flowing of the river and the transportation of its bedload are independent of the country borders.

The SEDDON project created as the first step of co-operation which realised between 2013-2014 under the co-ordination of the BOKU university of Vienna as the leading partner, with the participation of several partners including the ÉDUVIZIG. The purpose of the project is to carry out comparative analyses on the upper and middle sections of the Danube (gravel and sand bottom, high drop and low drop sections), and then to establish a common approach both in respect of the measuring and the modelling methods.

Project SEDDON II was created by the earlier project partners in order to carry out the examinations that were planned in the first phase and the developments that were recommended therein.

They provide basic data within the framework of the program with the aid of a large mass measurements carried out with the most modern measuring and sample taking devices, and with the analysis of the samples implemented in well-equipped laboratories for understanding the sediment transport processes and for planning the river flow controlling interventions that are needed for reducing the harmful impacts.

Participants of the project and their main tasks:
- Universität für Bodenkultur (BOKU, Vienna, leading partner: establishing a hydraulic engineering laboratory in Vienna
- Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME): onsite measurements, laboratory development, modelling
- North-Transdanubian Water Directorate (ÉDUVIZIG, Győr): onsite measurements, realising the sediment monitoring stations
- BOKU Wasserbaulabor G.m.b.H.: realising a hydraulic engineering laboratory

In the interest of realising the above targets, the North-Transdanubian Water Directorate in the framework of the investment carries out water discharge measurements and sediment sampling within its own area, moreover, it installed and it continuously operates monitoring stations for continuously measuring the water discharge and the sediment in the Gönyű staff gauge section of the Danube and the Győr staff gauge section of River Rába.

The data created at the sediment monitoring stations are available both to the experts and to the public at large on the www.teledan.eu website.

The sediment monitoring stations were implemented by installing the following building, instrument and software assets:

Instrument channel and pit made from stainless steel, formed as the substructure of the staff gauge, with the rail structure and rod system that are for moving and setting the instruments.

Water discharge measuring equipment the measurement of which is based on the Doppler-effect (H-ADCP) for measuring the quantity of water that flows through the section each second.

Optical turbidity measuring device for determining the concentration of the sediment that is suspended in the water.

Hydrographic remote measuring devices for measuring the water level and the water temperature, and for collecting and forwarding to the centre of the directorate water level, water temperature, water discharge and sediment concentration data

Calibrating and data processing software for calibrating the  measuring devices, for processing and evaluating the collected data.

For continuously measuring and calculating the concentration and the discharge of suspended sediment, the H-ADCP water discharge measuring equipment and optical turbidity measuring devices installed at the stations are calibrated by the experts of the directorate with water discharge measurements made on large masses, under different hydrological circumstances and with taking suspended sediment samples.

The project also placed a high emphasis - in addition to the suspended sediment - on the examination of the quantity of bedload transported at the bottom of Danube and on its distribution within the section. This purpose was served by a special sampler that was equipped with underwater video camera and which was lowered from the boat. The measuring team carried out more than 30 sample taking series during the duration of the project using this sampler.

Basic data of the SEDDON II project