Arkansas - Upper Ark WCD Hydrologic Water Balance Study_Application

Home Browse Search

Water Supply Reserve Account- Grant Application Form Form Revised May 2007 a. The water activity addresses multiple needs or issues, including consumptive and/or non-consumptive needs, or the needs and issues of multiple interests or multiple basins. Data generated from the hydrologic water balance will be used to meet both consumptive and non- consumptive water needs related to increased demands, and projected climate change. Many components of a water balance study are also components of climate change studies, such as precipitation (P), evapotranspiration (ET), and tributary streamflow hydrographs. TABLE 6: NEEDS 1 ISSUES ADDRESSED Need How Addressed Currently 38% of District water use; information generated will include baseline P/ET data, contour Irrigation maps of ground water levels and flow direction, and ground water recharge data that can help manage reservoir o erations includin flood control and drou ht stora e to hel meet irri ation needs. Currently 25% of District water use and growing; site-specific data generated can help meet the M&I Municipal gap - the Arkansas Basin Consumptive Use Water Needs Assessment: 2030 - 2008 Update (June 2008 identified a M&I shortfall b 2030 of 31,500 a.f. Currently 18% of District water use and growing; data can help manage augmentation by providing operational flexibility to water resource managers and land use planners related to timing of reservoir Augmentation releases and placement of ground water welis; the State Engineer will be able to use new data regarding stream reaches that are losing or gaining to evaluate stream-aquifer interaction to fine-tune um in and au mentation decisions. Data can be used to manage reservoir, diversion, and conveyance structures to accommodate changes in snowpack, stream flow timing, and hydrograph evolution; for instance, during the 2002 drought, ground water levels declinetl substantially in wells near the South Arkansas - new data Climate Change related to surface water and ground water interactions on major tributaries Cottonwood Creek, Chalk Creek, and Poncha Creek can be used to analyze and predict how wells along those tributaries will res ond to climate chan e. Data can be used to evaluate how the availability of ground water may be affected by changes in recharge as a result of climate change and to human-caused changes, such as increased ground water withdrawals; for instance, ground water recharge is rapid where streams cross alluvial fans, and Domestic Wells changes in runoff volume antl timing can affect ground water recharge - better information on changes in ground water recharge rates can be coupled with data regarding the increased demand for domestic welis clustered in a tight area (given that 82% of county land is publicly-ownetl) to plan for ossible decreased well ields and the need to dee en or re lace wells. Currently at least 27% of study area jobs are in the tourism and recreation sector; data generated can help support the Arkansas headwaters as a destination for those who fish and climb 14-ers; hydrologic Economy I Tourism data can help manage storage related to fisheries, and preserve aquatic ecosystems, riparian areas, and mountain habitats, by understanding tributary streamflow intensity and recharge and discharge on ma'or tributaries Cottonwood, Chalk, and Poncha Creeks. Study area includes -40 miles of mainstem river; AHRA estimates -800,000 visitors within the three- month summer season; data generated can help manage river rafting if earlier spring pulse reduces Recreational later summer flows and can be used to determine affects on fishing since if ground water levels decrease, then round water dischar e to streams will decrease, diminishin recreational value. Data generated regarding the level of the water table can be used to protect decreed lake levels antl stream inflows, since a lower water table can dry up streams if not managed properly; data generated Environmental can help develop management strategies that balance water needs of humans with water needs of the environment. Federal and State Data used can help address interplay among hydrology, forests, wildfires, and pests; coincides with Resource U.S. Forest Service Resource Emphasis Area related to water resource protection called Rocky Mana ement Mountain Re ion Water Em hasis, which calls for data sharin . Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District (UAWCD) Page 11 of 42