Water erosion is considered one of the most prominent and dangerous forms of soil erosion, especially in the coastal region, where it rains in large quantities. Consequently, this results in sweeping away tons of soil into the river streams; some of
this will be deposited in the rivers, some in the dam lakes constructed on these rivers, while the rest will be deposited in the sea into which rivers flow. The aims of this study are to calculate the ratio between the amount of sediments related to water erosion of the soil and the amount of the sediments transported in Zgaro River which reach the lake of 16 Tishreen Dam, and to suggest the appropriate solutions which will insure reducing the sedimentation rate and its correlated negative impacts. This study demonstrates the characteristics of the watershed of Zgaro River using Watershed Modeling System (WMS 7.1), and also the calculation of the total amount of sediments related to water erosion of the soil in the area of study, applying the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). The amount of sediments transported by water was also calculated using internationally recognized measuring devices. These devices were manufactured for the purpose of this study. A total of 24886 tons of transported sediments was measured in Zgaro River, constituting 36% of the total annual amount of 69401 tons of sediments resulting from water erosion of the soil. This value comprises the actual amount of sediments deposited in the lake of 16 Tishreen Dam, which is then transported through the river stream. Consequently, this sedimentation has resulted in a downward trend of the reservoir capacity of the dam lake. These findings require feasible solutions to reducing the rate of sedimentation and its correlated negative impacts.
