Supplies of suspended matter by surface water of the Mazafran drainage basin (western Algiers, Algeria)

The Mazafran wadi is characterized by a strong connection of the solids flow in kilograms per second to the liquid flow in cubic meters per second. However, high solids flow can also be associated to low liquid flow after severe summer storms. We also note that high water flows generate low solids transport; this is probably because of the groundwater draining after major floods. The relation between the daily solids flow and the average daily liquid flow varies from 50 to 600 m 3 s −1 . It is represented as follows: Qs = 2.03 Qmj 2.626 . The correlation of suspended matter and liquid flow concentrations follows the Serrat model which is presented as a second-degree logarithmic-based polynomial equation. Both equations show that the Total Suspended Solid (TSS) increases with the downstream and upstream flow. The suspended solids transport occurs mainly in the winter and to a less extent in the spring and autumn.