AQUATIC HABITAT CONDITION INDEX,STREAM TYPE,AND LWESTOCK BANK DAMAGE IN NORTHERN NEVADA1

ABSTRACT: The quality of stream habitat varies for a variety of natural and anthropogenic reasons not identified by a condition index. However, many people use condition indices to indicate management needs or even direction. To better sort natural from livestock influences, stream types and levels of ungulate bank damage were regulated to estimates of aquatic habitat condition index and stream width parameters in a large existing stream inventory data base. Pool/riffle ratio, pool structure, stream bottom materials, soil stability, and vegetation type varied significantly with stream type. Pool/riffle ratio, soil and vegetation stability varied significantly with ungulate bank damage level. Soil and vegetation stability were highly cross-correlated. Riparian area width did not vary significantly with either stream type or ungulate bank damage. Variation among stream types indicates that riparian management and monitoring should be stream type and reach specific.     

EVALUATION OF STORMSEWER CONTROL ALGORITHMS USING A TRANSIENT MIXED FLOW MODEL1

ABSTRACT: a hydraulic transient model that is capable of simultaneously modeling open channel and pressurized flows is used to study active control of a deep tunnel stormwater collection system. The simultaneous occurrence of open channel flow and pressurized flow is termed mixed flow. This paper demonstrates the application of a mixed flow hydraulic model to the development of an active control scheme. It is shown that dynamic conditions can exist in a storm sewer system even under moderate inflow conditions and that these conditions, particularly at the time of full system pressurization, can influence the operation of the dynamic control, so that accurate hydraulic modeling is essential to proper control formulation.     

ANNUAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION OF NATWE VEGETATION IN A MEDITERRANEAN-TYPE CLIMATE1

ABSTRACT: Annual evapotranspiration from a watershed (ETws) is a function of annual precipitation (P) and fraction of the watershed covered by shrubs and trees (C). Other characteristics are not significant in explaining variance of ETws. A rational equation, ETws = (1-C) ETg + CETst, wherein ETg is the ET of herbaceous cover and ETst is the ET of shrubs and trees, is proposed. The equation has been calibrated for ET and P in inches for the watershed of Lake Cachuma on the Santa Ynez River. This equation, ETmax = 2.14(1-C)P^0.647+ 4.53 C^1.76 P^0.68, is recommended for estimating maximum annual ET demand for conceptual models. Where C is not known, the upper limit of ET = f (P) may be approximated by use of 0.65 for C. The equation has been derived for large unmanaged watersheds. Applicability for evaluation of contemporary multiple purpose vegetation management should be determined by studies of the hydrology of small openings in shrub and tree cover.     

EFFECTS OF STORM PATTERNS ON RUNOFF HYDROGRAPHS1

ABSTRACT: As an alternative to the conventional single-peak design storms commonly used in hydrologic practice, a large number of Southeastern Pennsylvania storm events were selected from hourly U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) records, and their temporal distributions were analyzed. From these recorded events, design storms of a typical distribution were developed for storm durations between 6 and 18 hours. All of these generated design storms have two or more peaks. The conventional single peak as well as the “typical” multi-peak storms were then applied to a simulated watershed. It was found that the multi-peak storms consistently produced more dispersed hydrographs with lower runoff peaks than the conventional single peak storms.     

CHAPARRAL CONTROL IN MOSAIC PATTERN INCREASED STREAMFLOW AND MITIGATED NITRATE LOSS IN ARIZONA1

ABSTRACT: In a 16-year paired watershed study in Arizona, a 303-acre chaparral watershed was treated by helicopter in a mosaic pattern (55 percent of watershed) with tebuthiuron herbicide pellets to control the moderately dense, heavy water-using chaparral. The objective was to determine if annual stream discharge could be increased without degrading other resource values. An adjacent untreated chaparral watershed served as the control on which to base the water quantity and quality treatment effects. Annual streamflow was increased by 1.5 to 5 inches over a seven-year evaluation period. The streamflow increase was accompanied by a small but statistically significant increase in nitrate concentration. The relatively small nitrate response was attributed to the mosaic treatment. Nitrate released from the converted areas was diluted by streamflow from untreated areas, thereby reducing nitrate concentrations in streamflow at the watershed outlet.     

MEASURING EVAPORATION WITH CERAMIC BELLANI PLATE ATMOMETERS1

ABSTRACT: Ceramic atmometers were tested to determine their usefulness for measuring evaporation in water resources applications. Field experiments were used to evaluate the precision, responsiveness to a range of potential evaporation conditions in a forested catchment, and interpretation of water loss of Bellani plate atmometers. The experiments, conducted from April to October in a warm, humid climate in the southeastern United States, indicate that atmometers can be reliable monitoring instruments for estimating potential evaporation. The small size, portability, low internal thermal mass, low cost, and ability to integrate the effect of radiation, air temperature, humidity and windspeed into one direct measurement of potential evaporation, make atmometers a useful instrument for certain water resources applications.     

LONG-TERM CHANGES IN LOW-FLOW CHANNEL WIDTHS WITHIN THE SOUTH UMPQUA WATERSHED,OREGON1

ABSTRACT: Recent stream survey data (1989–1993) from 31 stream segments of 21 streams within the upper South Umpqua Watershed Oregon were compared to 1937 stream survey data collected from these same stream segments. Current low-flow wetted stream widths of 22 of the 31 surveyed stream segments were significantly different than in 1937; 19 stream segments were significantly wider while the remaining three stream segments were significantly narrower. In only 1 of 8 tributaries to the South Umpqua River which had headwaters within land designated wilderness area did low-flow stream channel width increase since 1937. Conversely, 13 of the 14 tributaries to the South Umpqua River which originated from lands designated as timber emphasis were significantly wider than in 1937. The observed change in stream width was linearly related to timber harvest (r²= 0.44), road density (r²= 0.45), and the amount of large organic debris remaining within the active stream channel (r²= 0.43). These findings suggest that timber harvest and road construction may have resulted in changes in channel characteristics. These channel changes may also be a factor in the observed decline of three of the four populations of anadromous salmonids within the basin.     

PARAMETER DETERMINATION FOR THE MUSKINGUM-CUNGE FLOOD ROUTING METHOD1

ABSTRACT: The proportionality coefficient, K, and the weighing parameter, X, required for the Muskingum-Cunge Flood Routing Method are dependent on the hydraulic characteristics of the channel and the dynamic characteristic of the flood wave. This work focuses on the determination of the Muskingum-Cunge Flood Routing Method parameters for streams where measured hydrographs are not available (i.e., ungaged streams) with floods that stay within the channel banks. In the present work, a gaged creek was used and a dynamic wave was routed to test the reliability of the parameters determined through the Schaefer and Stevens technique (Schaefer and Stevens, 1978). The predicted outflow hydrographs are compared to the hydrographs obtained for the same stream determined with the Muskingum Routing option of the HEC-1 program. Cypress Creek in Harris County, Texas, was the model for this work; and the corresponding data were extracted from the Grant Road and Westfield, Texas, USGS gaging stations.     

REGIONALIZATION OF LOW-FLOW FREQUENCY ESTIMATES: AN ALABAMA CASE STUI)Y1

ABSTRACT: Low-flow estimates, as determined by probabilistic modeling of observed data sequences, are commonly used to describe certain streamflow characteristics. Unfortunately, however, reliable low-flow estimates can be difficult to come by, particularly for gaging sites with short record lengths. The shortness of records leads to uncertainties not only in the selection of a distribution for modeling purposes but also in the estimates of the parameters of a chosen model. In flood frequency analysis, the common approach to mitigation of some of these problems is through the regionalization of frequency behavior. The same general approach is applied here to the case of low-flow estimation, with the general intent of not only improving low-flow estimates but also illustrating the gains that might be attained in so doing. Data used for this study is that which has been systematically observed at 128 streamflow gaging sites across the State of Alabama. Our conclusions are that the log Pearson Type 3 distribution is a suitable candidate for modeling of Alabama low-flows, and that the shape parameter of that distribution can be estimated on a regional basis. Low-flow estimates based on the regional estimator are compared with estimates based on the use of only at-site estimation techniques.