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USGS2026

The electric vehicle “EV”-crane—A next-generation system for fluvial sediment and water-quality sampling using an electric cart with integrated crane and accessories

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), with support from the Federal Interagency Sedimentation Project (FISP), developed the electric vehicle (EV)-crane, a modified electric cart equipped with a rigid swivel-mounted crane and integrated accessory holders. The EV-crane was developed to improve the efficiency and safety of fluvial sediment and water-quality sampling from bridges. USGS field staff have relied on foldable cranes on a four-wheeled base or nonstandardized platforms, such as utility terrain vehicle (UTV) mounted cranes, which highlight the need for a safer, standardized, and more adaptable solution. This redesigned platform replaces the foldable cranes on a four-wheeled base with a compact, powered system that reduces physical strain, enhances operator safety, and streamlines field operations on bridges. Dedicated holders for samplers, a controller, batteries, counterweights, and a field computer or tablet create a versatile, organized workspace that supports a wide range of sampling and heavy-lift applications. The EV-crane described here is version 1 of the prototype. Evaluation of the design is ongoing, and the findings summarized here are from initial qualitative user feedback and early quantitative testing. Potential plans may include additional testing and refinement to inform subsequent design iterations.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2025

Suspended sediment and bedload transport along the Main and South Branches, Wild Rice River, northwestern Minnesota, 1979 through 2023

The geologic history and anthropogenic modifications of Minnesota’s Wild Rice River have caused major morphological adjustments, which induce erosion and excess fluvial sediment transport. The excess sediment deposits in the lower Wild Rice River, exacerbating flooding. To help mitigate these problems, the Wild Rice Watershed District has future plans to implement a river restoration on the lower Wild Rice River. The Wild Rice Watershed District collaborated with the U.S. Geological Survey to measure and analyze sediment transport along the Wild Rice River’s Main and South Branches to assess any potential changes in sediment transport among sites and time periods. Time differencing results indicated that all suspended-sediment constituents showed a significant difference between the two sampling periods at one South Branch site but not at the Main Branch site. Piecewise regression analysis better matched the suspended-sediment constituents transport process at most sites by differentiating no relation between suspended-sediment constituents at lower streamflows and a positive relation at higher streamflows at most Wild Rice River sites. Five of the sites showed elevated sediment transport with increasing streamflow. In contrast, the site farthest downstream showed a negative relation with increasing streamflow, indicating that that the lower Wild Rice River is supply limited and deposition is likely occurring upstream and (or) near the site. Overall, the uncertainty in results indicates the complexity of sediment transport in a river when using streamflow as the sole explanatory variable and suggests a need for multisite, multiyear, and multifaceted data.

Minnesota↗