Part of the Initiative US Department of the Interior US Geological Survey Our objective for the Water Census To place technical information and tools in the hands of stakeholders allowing them to answer two primary questions about water availability ID: 704481
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Slide1
Update onA National Water Census * Part of the Initiative
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological SurveySlide2
Our objective for the Water Census:
To place technical information and tools in the hands of stakeholders, allowing them to answer two primary questions about water availability:
Does the Nation have enough freshwater to meet both human and ecological needs?
Will this water be present to meet future needs?Slide3
Report to Congress - Every 5 years thereafter:
The current availability of water resources in the United States,
Significant trends affecting water availability, including documented or projected impacts as a result of global climate change,
The
withdrawal and use
of surface water and groundwater by various sectors,
Significant trends
relating to each
water use
sector, including significant changes in water use due to the development of new energy supplies,
Significant water use conflicts or shortages
that have occurred or are occurring,
Each
factor
that has
caused
, or is causing, a conflict or shortage.Slide4
Account for water with a “budget”
Complex
: P + Qswin + Qgwin = ETsw
+
ETgw
+
ETuz
+
ΔSsw + ΔSsnow + ΔSuz + ΔSgw + Qgwout + RO + Qbf
Simple:
P + Qin = ET + ΔS + Qout Slide5
PrecipitationEvapotranspirationStorage in Reservoirs, Lakes, Snow and Ice
Surface WaterGroundwater
Recharge ratesWater level in aquifersEcological Needs
Water Withdrawals
Return Flows
Consumptive Uses
Run-of-the-River Uses
A Nationwide System to deliver water accounting information addressingSlide6
Information Delivery A web application for delivering water availability information at scales that are relevant to the user
Select the area of interest.
Generate information on
w
ater accounting components
Work with the online tool to construct your water budget
Access trend informationSlide7
Estimating Flows at
Ungaged Areas – Selection of models
Drainage-area ratio
Scaling by the at-site mean and variance
Non-linear spatial interpolation
(Hirsch, 1979)
(Fennessey, 1994; Smakhtin, 1999; Smakhtin et al. 1997, Mohamoud, 2008; Archfield and others, 2010)
Estimate flow-duration curve
EXCEEDANCE PROBABILITY
STREAMFLOW
TIME
Obtain flow series from reference gageSlide8
Conduct Tests in LocationsRepresenting Varying Conditions
Sagehen
Flint
Flathead
Feather
Sprague
Yampa
East
Starkweather
Clear
Blackearth
Spring
Pomperaug
Cathance
Upper Yakima
Incline
YakimaSlide9
Fig. 5Slide10
Enhancing the Nation’s Water Use Information
Use New Methods to Estimate Water UseStratified Random Sampling
Regression ModelsAbility to track water from
point of withdrawal thru to
return of flow.
Develop models of water use based on land useSlide11
Thermoelectric WithdrawalsSlide12
The new frontier -
CONSUMPTIONSlide13Slide14
New Authority: Water
Use Grants to StatesSlide15
Flows Needs for Wildlife and Habitat
Assist classifying water bodies for their hydro-ecological typeProvide tools and data to systematically assess
the ecological affects of hydrologic alterationAssist users to develop flow or water level alteration – ecological response relationships by type of water bodySlide16
Use the strength of andenhance the resourceswithin this program to provide
the information on:Recharge
GW yieldsChanges in storage.Saltwater Intrusion
Trends in GW Indices
Artificial Recharge
GW/SW
Interactions
Assess Groundwater’s role in Water AvailabilitySlide17
Finally, three studies focused on selected watersheds: the Colorado River, the Delaware River, and the ACF Rivers - where there is significant competition over water resources. Here, the USGS will work collaboratively with stakeholders to comprehensively assess the technical aspects of water availability.Slide18
Focused Water Availability Assessments
State, Local, Regional
Stakeholder Involvement
SW Trends,
Precipitation, etc
Defined Technical Questions to
be Answered
Eco Flows
Water Use
Water Quality
Groundwater
Resources
Global ChangeSlide19
The objective is to place the information and tools into stakeholders hands to answer the questions they are facing.Slide20
GREAT LAKES BASIN PILOT PROJECT
http://water.usgs.gov/wateravailability/greatlakesSlide21
National Emphasis—Regional FocusDevelop methods applicable to national program
Respond to Great Lakes issues—Compact Slide22
Groundwater equals another Great Lake
Annual flow out of GL is
1 percent of water in storageWater use is 65,000 cfs
Consumptive use is
3000 cfsSlide23
http://water.usgs.gov/wateravailability/greatlakesSlide24
Eric J EvensonWater Census CoordinatorU.S. Geological Survey
810 Bear Tavern Road, Suite 206Trenton, New Jersey 08628
609-771-3904eevenson@usgs.gov
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey