COMPUTATION OF STAGE-DISCHARGE RELATIONSHIPS AFFECTED BY UNSTEADY FLOW1

ABSTRACT: The dynamic relationship between stage and discharge which is unique to a particular flood for a selected station along the river can be determined via a mathematical model based on the complete one-dimensional equations of unsteady flow, i.e., the equations for the conservation of mass and momentum of the flood wave, and the Manning equation which accounts for energy losses. By assuming the bulk of the flood wave moves as a kinematic wave, the need for spatial resolution of the flood can be eliminated, and only the time variation of either the discharge or stage at the selected station is necessary for the computation of the other. The mathematical model can be used in river forecasting to convert the forecast discharge hydrograph into a stage hydrograph which properly reflects the unique dynamic stage-discharge relationship produced by the variable energy slope of the flood discharge. The model can be used also in stream gaging to convert a recorded stage hydrograph into a discharge hydrograph which properly accounts for the effects of unsteady flow. The model is applied to several observed floods at selected stations along the Lower Mississippi, Red, and Atchafalaya Rivers. The root mean square errors between observed and computed discharges are in the range of 3 to 7 percent, values well within the accuracy of the observations. A simple, easily-applied graphical procedure is also provided for estimating the magnitude of the effect of the unsteady flow on stage-discharge ratings. As a general rule, the dynamic effect may be significant if the channel bottom slope is less than 0.001 ft/ft (about 5 ft/mi) when the rate of change of stage is greater than about 0.10 ft/hr.     

PREDICTION OF MEAN ANNUAL FLOWS IN THE FRASER RIVER CATCHMENT,BRITISH COLUMBIA1

ABSTRACT: A method of predicting annual flows is presented and is applied to the Fraser River catchment. Statistical tests show the annual flow records to be stationary and aerially independent and can be adequately approximated by Gaussian distributions. Estimates are made of the Gaussian parameters for each subbasin. The spatial variations of these parameters are described by third order trend surfaces. The fitted surfaces can then be used to predict parameters of ungaged basins using the latitude and longitude of the basin centroids. The predicted parametric values are substituted into the Gaussian distribution to generate flows of various return periods.     

OPEN CHANNEL INTERPOLATION OF CROSS SECTIONAL PROPERTIES1

ABSTRACT: This paper confirms the use of interpolated data to refine water surface profiles. Sources of error within these computations are due to truncation error, inaccuracies in geometric data, and improper modeling. Confirmation includes the development of an equation that models the effect of data measurement error on the computed water surface profile. A review of interpolation procedures includes a proposed method based upon geometric properties.     

FLOOD ROUTING THROUGH A FLAT,COMPLEX FLOODPLAIN USING A ONE-DIMENSIONAL UNSTEADY FLOW COMPUTER PROGRAM1

ABSTRACT: The routing of flood waves through the Central Basin of the Passaic River in New Jersey is complex because of flat gradients and flow reversals. The one-dimensional unsteady flow program DWOPER, developed by the National Weather Service, was used to simulate flood wave movement through the Basin. A historical event was used for calibration and two synthetic events were simulated. Boundary conditions consisted of discharge hydrographs at inflow points to the study area, local flow hydrographs at interior points, and a stage discharge relation for flow over the crest of a diversion dam at the basin outlet. Manning's n values were adjusted based on stage and discharge data for the historical event; however, verification data were not available for events comparable in magnitude to the synthetic events. Aspects of the investigation reported include techniques for characterizing the flow system, model calibration, techniques for representing a tunnel diversion, and simulation results.     

USE OF STREAMFLOW INCREASES FROM VEGETATION MANAGEMENT IN THE VERDE RIVER BASIN1

ABSTRACT: Although the effects of vegetation management on streamflow have been studied in many locations, the effects of augmented streamflow on downstream water users have not been carefully analyzed. This study examines the routing of streamflow increases that could be produced in the Verde River Basin of Arizona. Reservoir management and water routing to users in the Salt River Valley around Phoenix were carefully modeled. Simulation of water routing with and without vegetation modification indicates that, under current institutional conditions, less than one-half of the streamflow increase would reach consumptive users as surface water. Most of the remainder would accumulate in storage until a year of unusually heavy runoff, when it would add to reservoir spills. Under alternative scenarios, from 39 to 58 percent of the streamflow increase was delivered to consumptive users.     

THE STRUCTURE AND ROLE OF RIVER AUTHORITIES IN TEXAS1

ABSTRACT: Texas river authorities are a type of large, regional water district that must be financially self-sufficient. An institutional and historical study of Texas river authorities reveals the broad power of these organizations and their influence in water management. River authorities now control 25 percent of surface water deliveries in Texas. Over two-thirds of authority water was developed by river authorities; nearly one-third was purchased from private or public ventures. While river authority activities have been effective where these services are marketable, the provision of public good services is limited. Increased visibility of these organizations is paralleled by challenges to their traditional autonomy.     

SIMULATION AND DECISIONMAKING: THE PLATTE RIVER BASIN IN NEBRASKA1

Substantial conflict exists over water management and allocation in the Platte River Basin of Nebraska. An interdisciplinary computer simulation model, representing the water quantity, water quality, environmental, and economic dimensions of the conflict, was developed in order to analyze the tradeoffs among allocation scenarios. Most importantly, decisionmakers and interest groups were involved in model development. Simulation results for a base case and two scenarios are presented. One scenario favors protection of instream flow for wildlife; the other favors water diversions for agriculture. Impacts of the instream flow scenario, as measured by the amount of land irrigated, groundwater levels, the amount of wildlife habitat for cranes and catfish, and net agricultural benefits did not differ greatly from those of the base case. However, impacts of the diversion scenario were substantial. On the negative side, instream flows and wildlife habitat declined an average of 39 percent; while, on the positive side, groundwater levels and net agricultural benefits each increased 6 percent. The modeling process was successful insofar as it promoted an understanding among the highly diverse interest groups of the systems nature of the Basin. One agreement on a water diversion schedule among three of the parties has been reached, partly as a result of this process. More comprehensive compromises have not yet been forged. Our experience, however, indicates that modeling success at the policymaking level depends more on the extent to which the policymakers understand the model than it does on model sophistication.     

KALMAN FILTER ESTIMATION AND PREDICTION OF DAILY STREAM FLOWS: II. APPLICATION TO THE POTOMAC RIVER1

Results are reported from an application of the state space formulation and the Kalman filter to real-time forecasting of daily river flows. It is shown that the application of filtering techniques improves the overall forecasting performance of the model. As is true for most hydrologic systems, the model is not completely known. Therefore, the procedures pertaining to on-line parameter and noise statistics estimation, as presented in the first paper, are implemented. The example in this paper shows that these techniques also perform satisfactorily when applied to a real-world situation.     

INSTREAM FLOW REQUIREMENTS IN THE POWDER RIVER COAL BASIN1

ABSTRACT: As coal resources are developed in the Northern Great Plains regions, new reservoirs are being considered to meet expanding water demands. The amount of water available for industrial diversion, however, could be limited by regulations that require minimum flow levels to be maintained downstream of the reservoir sites. Computer simulations of potential reservoirs were used to determine to what extent, if any, instream flow requirements might limit the ability of reservoirs to deliver industrial water supplies. Data on instream flow requirements, potential reservoir sites, and historic runoff were input for the simulation of the Powder River Region of Montana and Wyoming. Results of the simulations compared the maximum amount of water available for industrial diversion with and without requiring instream flow criteria.     

MEASURED AND PREDICTED VELOCITY AND LONGITUDINAL DISPERSION AT STEAI)Y AND UNSTEADY FLOW,COLORADO RIVER,GLEN CANYON DAM TO LAKE MEAD1

ABSTRACT: The effect of unsteadiness of dam releases on velocity and longitudinal dispersion of flow was evaluated by injecting a fluorescent dye into the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam and sampling for dye concentration at selected sites downstream. Measurements of a 26-kilometer reach of Glen Canyon, just below Glen Canyon Dam, were made at nearly steady dam releases of 139, 425, and 651 cubic meters per second. Measurements of a 380-kilometer reach of Grand Canyon were made at steady releases of 425 cubic meters per second and at unsteady releases with a daily mean of about 425 cubic meters per second. In Glen Canyon, average flow velocity through the study reach increased directly with discharge, but dispersion was greatest at the lowest of the three flows measured. In Grand Canyon, average flow velocity varied slightly from subreach to subreach at both steady and unsteady flow but was not significantly different at steady and unsteady flow over the entire study reach. Also, longitudinal dispersion was not significantly different during steady and unsteady flow. Long tails on the time-concentration curves at a site, characteristic of most rivers but not predicted by the one-dimensional theory, were not found in this study. Absence of tails on the curves shows that, at the measured flows, the eddies that are characteristic of the Grand Canyon reach do not trap water for a significant length of time. Data from the measurements were used to calibrate a one-dimensional flow model and a solute-transport model. The combined set of calibrated flow and solute-transport models was then used to predict velocity and dispersion at potential dam-release patterns.     

DRAWDOWN AT TIME-DEPENDENT FLOWRATE1

ABSTRACT: The exact solution for the drawdown in and around a well in a homogeneous, isotropic, and confined aquifer is presented if the well discharge is a function of time. The effect of the storage capacity of the well is also taken into consideration. Two types of flowrate functions are studied, namely linear and exponential functions, and the results are plotted in graphs.     

AN OPERATIONAL WATERSHED MODEL: STEP 1-B: REGULATION OF WATER LEVELS IN THE KISSIMMEE RIVER BASIN1

Step-IB in the first phase of an “Operational Watershed Model” recently initiated by the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control District for managing its water resources is to compute water surface elevation, spatially and temporally, in the Kissimmee River Basin system of reservoirs, channels and spillways. An approach is based upon the principles of gradually varied flow. Mathematical relationships to compute lake stage as a function of storage, and to compute discharge through the control structures as a function of gate opening and differential head across the structures are developed. Their feasibility for application is clearly demonstrated by the simulated mean daily water surface elevation for a period of two years on the tail side of one typical gated spillway and on the head side of another gated spillway.     

MULTIOBJECTWE ALLOCATION OF WATER SHORTAGE IN THE SVARTA RIVER,SWEDEN1

ABSTRACT: A model is proposed for allocation of water shortages among competing water uses in the Svarta River basin in Sweden. The three major competing uses in the basin are hydroelectricity generation, irrigation water supply, and urban water supply. Minor uses that impact upon the allocation are minimum river flow requirements for fishlife and for dilution of treated wastewater, and storage level restrictions for recreation purposes in the main storage facility, Lake Sommen. Analysis of the competing demands on the water are modeled through the method-of-weights multiobjective technique using a deterministic mixed-integer optimization formulation. The (0–1) variables in the formulation are required to synthesize the restricted validity of permits for withdrawal of irrigation water from the river and to simulate the complex operating rules of the major regulation facility on the river. Due to the deterministic nature of the formulation, the model is used on a hydrologic scenario basis. Use of the model is demonstrated by application to the Svarta River.     

WATER QUALITY MODELING IN THE UPPER REACHES OF THE CHOWAN RIVER1

ABSTRACT: The Chowan River system consists of three rivers in southeast Virginia that form two confluences before flowing into Albermarle Sound in North Carolina. A computer program was written to simulate flows through the river system to determine flow rates, velocities, and depths. The output of the flow program was input into a second program that calculated the concentrations of BOD₅, COD, DO, and four nitrogen parameters (organic, ammonia, nitrite-nitrate and algal-N). Measured field data were used to calibrate the model. The effect of reducing the concentration of nutrients from overland runoff on algal concentrations at the mouth of the river was studied. The program was also run to simulate the water quality of the watershed in a primitive condition, in which the watershed was assumed to consist only of forests. The results of the computer program indicate that the major changes in the water quality of the river are simulated satisfactorily. The program can be used to assess the impact of any management scheme to improve water quality.     

EFFECT OF RAINFALL-EXCESS DETERMINATION ON RUNOFF COMPUTATION1

ABSTRACT: Four methods of determining rainfall-excess are considered. They include Ø-index and equations of Horton, Kostyakov and Philip. These methods are utilized in a nonlinear kinematic wave model to predict surface runoff from two natural agricultural watersheds. The effect of determining rainfall-excess on surface runoff response is then examined. It is observed that errors in rainfall-excess constitute a major source of error in runoff prediction. The choice of a method of determining rainfall-excess is thus crucial to runoff computation.     

ECONOMICS OF CONTROLLING NATURAL SALT SOURCES IN THE ARKANSAS RIVER BASIN1

ABSTRACT: The methodology underlying, and the estimates incorporated in the Corps of Engineers' economic evaluation of the Arkansas River Basin Chloride Control Project are evaluated and judged deficient in several ways. An improperly specified alternative cost analysis probably results in overestimates of the total regional demand for water, the demand for Arkansas River Water, and the cost-savings realized with the project in place. The quantitative effect of these errors is not determined. However, other adjustments are identified which are evaluated using the Corps' data. These adjustments reduce B/C from 2.64 to 0.57; principally as a result of corrections for over-estimates of cost-savings in steam-electric generation, and for use of improper discounting procedures and gross output-earnings ratios.     

CONSUMPTIVE USE OF STREAMFLOW INCREASES IN THE COLORADO RIVER BASIN1

ABSTRACT: This study examined the disposition of streamflow increases that could be created by vegetation management on forest land along the upper reaches of the Colorado River. A network optimization model was used to simulate water flow, storage, consumptive use, and loss within the entire Colorado River Basin with and without the flow increases, according to various scenarios incorporating both current and future consumptive use levels as well as existing and potential institutional constraints. Results indicate that very little of the flow increases would be consumptively used at current use levels, or even at future use levels, if water allocation institutions remain unchanged. Given future use levels and economically based water allocation institutions, up to one-half of the flow increases could be consumptively used. The timing of streamflow increases, and the institutional constraints on water allocation, often limit the potential for consumptive use of flow increases.     

ESTIMATING THE DEMAND FOR IRRIGATION WATER IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY OF CALIFORNIA1

ABSTRACT: This paper computes estimates of the demand for surface irrigation water directly from disaggregated profit functions for fields in the San Joaquin Valley of California. It finds that treating delivered surface water and pumped ground water as separate, imperfectly substitutable inputs to production matters a great deal. We find substantial ranges of inelastic demand for delivered water, and thresholds across which demand then becomes highly elastic. The results imply that moves toward freer water markets could lead to large quantities reallocated from agriculture to urban uses in the Western U.S., but would require large price increases and would induce extensive ground water mining and major changes in cropping patterns. While these results are dependent on our particular model and simplifying assumptions, evidence exists that they may be robust.     

DOCUMENTATION OF HIGH SUMMER FLOWS ON THE POTOMAC RIVER FROM THE WOOD ANATOMY OF ASH TREES1

ABSTRACT: Ash trees (Fraxinus americana L. and F. Pennsylvanica Marsh.) collected from the flood plain of the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., were studied for evidence of associations between known periods of above-average summer flows and changes in wood-growth anatomy. Concentric bands of latewood fibers with atypically large lumens and thin walls commonly developed in trees growing near the low-water channel. Discharge records indicate that roots of most trees with these “white rings” were flooded temporarily during the latewood-growth interval. Trees apparently were not damaged and a concomitant reduction of internal water stresses seems to have accelerated the rate of radial growth. The intra-ring position of anomalous fibers generally corresponded to the time of increased discharge within the estimated interval of latewood growth. Anomalous fibers occasionally formed in unflooded trees, but their position also coincided with episodes of increased discharge. The results of these studies may have applications for streamflow-reconstruction techniques where hydrologic data are incomplete or lacking.     

STREAMFLOW OF THE OCCOQUAN RIVER IN VIRGINIA AS RECONSTRUCTED FROM TREE-RING SERIES1

ABSTRACT Tree-ring indices representing seven sites were used to reconstruct monthly summer streamflow in the Occoquan River basin of northern Virginia from 1841 to 1975. Attempts were made to reconstruct flow for each of the months, April through August. Reconstructions for June, July, and August were judged most reliable. Major mid-summer flow minima persisting for more than one year were reconstructed as having occurred in the early 1870's, the early 1930's, and the mid-1960's. Aside from these major dry periods, a greater frequency of extreme low flow during individual years is indicated for the entire record than for the most recent 50 years.