HYDROLOGIC LANDSCAPES ON THE DELMARVA PENINSULA PART 1: DRAINAGE BASIN TYPE AND BASE-FLOW CHEMISTRY1

ABSTRACT: The relation between landscape characteristics and water chemistry on the Delmarva Peninsula can be determined through a principal-component analysis of basin characteristics. Two basin types were defined by factor scores: (1) well-drained basins, characterized by combinations of a low percentage of forest cover, a low percentage of poorly drained soil, and elevated channel slope; and (2) poorly drained basins, characterized by a combinations of an elevated percentage of forest cover, an elevated percentage of poorly drained soil, and low channel slopes. Results from base-flow sampling of 29 basins during spring 1991 indicate that water chemistry of the two basin types differ significantly. Concentrations of calcium, magnesium, potassium, alkalinity, chloride, and nitrate are elevated in well-drained basins, and specific conductance is elevated. Concentrations of aluminum, dissolved organic carbon, sodium, and silica are elevated in poorly drained basins whereas specific conductance is low. The chemical patterns found in well-drained basins can be attributed to the application of agricultural chemicals, and those in poorly drained basins can be attributed to ground-water flowpaths. These results indicate that basin types determined by a quantitative analysis of basin characteristics can be related statistically to differences in base-flow chemistry, and that the observed statistical differences can be related to major processes that affect water chemistry.     

QUALITY OF 1995 SPRING TOTAL DISSOLVED GAS DATA: COLUMBIA AND SNAKE RWERS1

ABSTRACT: The quality of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (Corps) total dissolved gas (TDG) data base for the 1995 spring spill season was reviewed to determine the value of this information in real-time management decisions regarding river operations. We concluded that problems in transmitting, archiving, correcting and interpreting the records constitute significant sources of data anomalies that affect the accuracy and reliability of information necessary to manage spill and TDG in the Columbia and Snake rivers. The data base that was reviewed covers 25 selected Columbia and Snake river stations, and includes real-time TDG data needed to regulate spill operations to maintain gas levels within state water quality standards and to monitor effects on fish and aquatic life during the salmon migration season. A wide range of anomalies (daily averages missing or in error or based on incomplete records) was detected in more than one-third (37 percent) of the Corps' gas data base. Extreme anomalies (daily averages including errors and discontinuities for more than eight hours in a day) were found in 16 percent of the data base. The Fish Passage Center, also reviewed the Corps' data and reported an overall 33 percent incidence of anomalous days. Despite arriving at similar findings about the Corps' data base, we detected a 28 percent discrepancy in the type of data anomalies between our analyses. Real. time improvements in the quality of the dissolved gas data base are necessary to provide managers with a reliable product from this monitoring effort.     

STABLE ISOTOPE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE IMPACTS OF ARTIFICIAL GROUND WATER RECHARGE1

ABSTRACT: Stable isotopes of deuterium and oxygen-18 of surface and ground water, together with anion concentrations and hydraulic gradients, were used to interpret mixing and flow in ground water impacted by artificial recharge. The surface water fraction (SWF), the percentage of surface water in the aquifer impacted via recharge, was estimated at different locations and depths using measured deuterium/hydrogen (DIH) ratios during the 1992, 1993, and 1994 recharge seasons. Recharged surface water completely displaced the ground water beneath the recharge basins from the regional water table at 7.60 m to 12.16 m below the land surface. Mixing occurred beneath the recharge structures in the lower portions of the aquifer (>12.16 m). Approximately 12 m down-gradient from the recharge basin, the deeper zone (19.15 m depth) of the primary aquifer was displaced completely by recharged surface water within 193, 45, and 55 days in 1992, 1993, and 1994, respectively. At the end of the third recharge season, recharged surface water represented ～50 percent of the water in the deeper zone of the primary aquifer ～1000 m downgradient from the recharge basin. A classic asymmetrical distribution of recharged surface water resulted from the recharge induced horizontal and vertical hydraulic gradients. The distribution and breakthrough times of recharged surface water obtained with stable isotopes concurred with those of major anions and bromide in a tracer test conducted during the 1995 recharge season. This stable isotope procedure effectively quantified mixing between surface and ground water.     

OFF-LINE STORMWATER DETENTION SYSTEMS1

ABSTRACT: This paper looks at the use of off-line detention systems as a means of stormwater management. Conventional detention basins are typically designed and built as in-line systems in which all runoff is directed to the basin. Off-line systems are designed so that only a portion of the runoff is directed to the basin. Several simulation experiments were run to examine the behavior of in-line and off-line systems designed to reduce the peak flow from a developed area to the pre-development level. The results demonstrate that off-line systems require considerably less storage than in-line systems to achieve the same management goal. The results also show that off-line and in-line systems have significantly different flow-duration characteristics with the off-line system generally producing lower flows over longer periods. Unfortunately, off-line systems may exacerbate downstream flooding problems, especially when used in the upper portions of a watershed. Nevertheless, an off-line system can be an alternative to in-line detention in many cases.     

POSTFIRE SUSPENDED SEDIMENT FROM YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK,WYOMING1

ABSTRACT: Wildfires in 1988 burned over 2000 square miles of the greater Yellowstone area in Montana and Wyoming in the largest fires in the history of Yellowstone National Park (YNP). A four-year postfire study to estimate fire-related changes in suspended sediment transport on the Yellowstone River and its principal tributary in YNP, the Lamar River, benefitted from a recently completed three-year prefire baseline study. Both studies took daily depth-integrated samples from April through September. Fire-related changes in suspended sediment were distinguished from natural climatic variations by two methods: comparison of forecast postfire sediment loads estimated with prefire sediment-rating equations to measured postfire loads; and by postfire changes in suspended sediment load expressed per unit volume runoff. Both methods indicated postfire sediment increases that varied according to season. The higher elevation Lamar River basin had little postfire increase in spring snowmelt season sediment but large increases in summer sediment load. The Yellowstone River had postfire increases in sediment load for the spring but did not reflect the large summer increases of its upstream tributary. The reasons for the difference in postfire snowmelt sediment response are unclear but may relate to basin elevation differences, the effects of unburned watersheds, and cooler postfire springs. The few high streamflow snowmelt events in the postfire period mitigated postfire sediment increases.     

222RN IN THE WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM OF TUCSON,ARIZONA1

ABSTRACT: A study of ²²²Rn concentrations in the water distribution system of Tucson, Arizona, revealed levels of 60 to 1260 pCi/L in domestic waters. These measurements are comparable to levels of between 80 and 1400 pCi/l for ²²²Rn found in ground water samples in the North-Central Tucson basin (Kahn et al., 1994). Estimated loss of ²²²Rn due to radioactive decay during travel from the well head to the home ranges from 8 to 50 percent.     

SIMULATING THREE-DIMENSIONAL GROUND WATER RESPONSE IN A SMALL MOUNTAINOUS WATERSHED1

ABSTRACT: Snowmelt from deep mountainous snowpacks is seldom rapid enough to exceed infiltration rates; thus, the source of streamflow in many mountainous watersheds is snowmelt recharge through shallow ground water systems. The hydrologic response and interaction between surface and sub-surface flow processes in these watersheds, which is controlled by basin structure, the spatial distribution of snowmelt, and the hydrogeology of the subsurface, are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to test a three-dimensional ground water model using simulated snowmelt input to simulate ground water response to spatially distributed snowmelt on the Upper Sheep Creek Watershed located within the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed in Southwestern Idaho. The model was used to characterize the mountainous aquifer and to delineate the subsurface flow mechanisms. Difficulty in finding a reasonable combination of grid spacing and time stepping within the model was encountered due to convergence problems with the Picard solution to the non-linear variably saturated ground water flow equations. Simulation results indicated that flow may be either unconfined or confined depending on inflow rate and hydrogeologic conditions in the watershed. The flow mechanism had a much faster response time when confined flow occurred. Response to snowmelt from a snow drift approximately 90 m away took only a few hours when flow was confined. Simulated results showed good agreement with piezometer measurements both in magnitude and timing; however, convergence problems with the Picard solution limited applicability of the model.     

DEVELOPING A FIELD COMPONENT IN HYDROLOGIC EDUCATION1

ABSTRACT: Recent assessments have emphasized the lack of a field and laboratory component in hydrologic education at the university level. Consequences of this lack include: (1) an unwarranted faith in published data; (2) lack of appreciation for the spatial and temporal variability of most hydrologic processes; (3) lack of appreciation for the difficulty of collecting good quality field data; (4) an inability to design and execute projects to collect field data; (5) a lack of field experience which can be applied when confronted with different problems or new environments; (6) an inability to evaluate published materials or models against “field reality;” (7) an excessive reliance on, and trust in, theoretical or conceptual models; and (8) reduced potential for lifelong learning through observation and analysis. Field courses need not be costly or difficult, but the instructor must be willing to adapt to the uncertainty and problems associated with field measurements. A recently updated course on watershed measurements at Colorado State University illustrates the type of field courses which can be developed if there is the necessary commitment and flexibility. The lack of a current text can be overcome by assembling selected portions of existing government documents, and a sample bibliography is included.     

EFFECT OF SIMULATED CLIMATE CHANGE ON SNOWMELT RUNOFF MODELING IN SELECTED BASINS1

ABSTRACT: The projected increase in the concentration of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is likely to result in a global temperature increase. This paper reports on the probable effects of a temperature increase and changes in transpiration on basin discharge in two different mountain snowmelt regions of the western United States. The hydrological effects of the climate changes are modeled with a relatively simple conceptual, semi-distributed snowmelt runoff model. Based on the model results, it may be concluded that increased air temperatures will result in a shift of snowmelt runoff to earlier in the snowmelt season. Furthermore, it is shown that it is very important to include the expected change in climate-related basin conditions resulting from the modeled temperature increase in the runoff simulation. The effect of adapting the model parameters to reflect the changed basin conditions resulted in a further shift of streamflow to April and an even more significant decrease of snowmelt runoff in June and July. If the air temperatures increase by approximately 5°C and precipitation and accumulated snow amounts remain about the same, runoff in April and May, averaged for the two basins, is expected to increase by 185 percent and 26 percent, respectively. The runoff in June and July will decrease by about 60 percent each month. Overall, the total seasonal runoff decreases by about 6 percent. If increased CO₂ concentrations further change basin conditions by reducing transpiration by the maximum amounts reported in the literature, then, combined with the 5°C temperature increase, the April, May, June, and July changes would average +230 percent, +40 percent, ?55 percent, and ?45 percent, respectively. The total seasonal runoff change would be +11 percent.     

VALIDATION OF AGNPS FOR SMALL WATERSHEDS USING AN INTEGRATED AGNPS/GIS SYSTEM1

ABSTRACT: The AGNPS (AGricultural NonPoint Source) model was evaluated for predicting runoff and sediment delivery from small watersheds of mild topography. Fifty sediment yield events were monitored from two watersheds and five nested subwater-sheds in East Central Illinois throughout the growing season of four years. Half of these events were used to calibrate parameters in the AGNPS model. Average calibrated parameters were used as input for the remaining events to obtain runoff and sediment yield data. These data were used to evaluate the suitability of the AGNPS model for predicting runoff and sediment yield from small, mild-sloped watersheds. An integrated AGNPS/GIS system was used to efficiently create the large number of data input changes necessary to this study. This system is one where the AGNPS model was integrated with the GRASS (Geographic Resources Analysis Support System) GIS (Geographical Information System) to develop a decision support tool to assist with management of runoff and erosion from agricultural watersheds. The integrated system assists with the development of input GIS layers to AGNPS, running the model, and interpretation of the results.