Technical Note: Evaluation of EPM empirical model using sediment survey of small reservoirs in Fars Province

Erosion and sediment resulting from it, is one of the most important factors in watershed management. The estimation of sediment yield and prioritization of watersheds in terms of water erosion is the main objectives of watershed management. One of the ways to estimate soil erosion and sediment yield is to use empirical models. The aim of this research is to evaluate the efficiency of the EPM Model in Fars Province. To examine this, five small watersheds were selected in Fars Province. Five basins in which the earth dams and check dams were built were selected. There is no overflow from these dams in rainfall events and the most of them was made near to 10 years. The amount of sediment deposited in upstream of the reservoirs was calculated by means of precision mapping. Deposit bulk density was determined in the field to convert the volume into the weight. In parallel, the sediment yield of the basins was determined by EPM Model. Results showed that the minimum and maximum sediment yield measurements varied from 0.89 to 2.62 tonh-1y-1, but the estimated sediment was between 3.3 to 6 tonh-1y-1. The results of the relative error of estimation of EPM Model in each of the studied basins showed an over estimation in all basins (minimum 121.5 and maximum 447.2 percent). The Relative Root Mean Square Error (RRMSE) of the model was calculated as 2.39, which indicates a too much error of the model. Statistical analysis results comparison of actual sediment yields of watersheds with estimated values by model, using paired t-test, shows that there is a significant difference between these values (t=8.728 and sig.=0.001). According to the presented findings, the results of this model estimation for the investigated areas are not accepted.