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DEQ Water Supply Planning. Integrating Monitoring, Modeling, and Scientific Study with Adaptive Management and Planning. DEQ-WSP Research Goals. Projecting the impact of future water use on surface water availability, and subsequent impact on instream resources (1,3,4)
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DEQ Water Supply Planning Integrating Monitoring, Modeling, and Scientific Study with Adaptive Management and Planning
DEQ-WSP Research Goals • Projecting the impact of future water use on surface water availability, and subsequent impact on instream resources (1,3,4) • Determining the extent of hydrologic alteration as a result of past, present, and future water use patterns (1,3) • Integrating water supply planning with water quality implementation – TMDL (2,6,7) • Stream and groundwater flow interactions • Levels of GW pollution • GW budgets by local area • Underground watersheds in Karst areas • Deepwater reservoirs • Air quality & water quality • Soil quality, water retention, water quality
DEQ-WSP Research Goals, cont. • Modeling water use alternatives to minimize the impact of withdrawals on instream resources, and maximize the availability for on/off-stream beneficial uses (1,2,6,7) • Developing decision support systems to integrate monitoring, modeling and scientific investigation with water supply planning (All) • In areas of significant impacts, to enhance/restore beneficial flow patterns (where possible) • Stream and groundwater flow interactions • Levels of GW pollution • GW budgets by local area • Underground watersheds in Karst areas • Deepwater reservoirs • Air quality & water quality • Soil quality, water retention, water quality
Current DEQ-WSP Research • VA USGS to perform low-flow analysis in un-gaged streams (follow on to recently completed study to characterize low/base flows in gaged watersheds) • DEQ groundwater characterization group is expanding GW monitoring network: • Expanded real-time well monitoring sites (Bath and Shenandoah county sites added this year, Page county site pending) • Developing updated spring location inventory (last update was in 1928) • Adding selected springs to monitoring network • All expanded monitoring data is integrated with USGS NWIS system • Developing online water use reporting and planning application for creation and evaluation of long-term regional and state-wide water supply plans • Design of DSS prototype based on “Stream Habitat Modeling to Support Water Management Decisions in the North Fork Shenandoah River, Virginia” (VT-FWS 2004)
DSS Components • USGS Real-time and Historical data • Stream gage flow • Groundwater well level (from adjacent basin) • NOAA gridded precipitation (4 km2 grid) • Model of habitat response to stream flow • Fish guild approach: riffle, fast generalist, pool-run, and pool-cover fishes • Conditions conducive to “nuisance” algal blooms • Drought flow levels defined for normal, watch, warning, and emergency • Hydrologic models • Land-use effects on flow • DEQ point source discharge data (quantity and quality) • VWUDS water withdrawal data • Web-based DSS interface • GIS components for navigation, visualization and analysis • Software libraries for data retrieval from USGS NWIS system, and NOAA gridded precipitation data • Software framework for generating model data inputs, executing models, and returning model output to the decision support system
Perceived Data/Analysis Gaps • Need to develop tools that facilitate the application of previous scientific, monitoring and modeling data/models into usable decision support systems • Short to mid-term forecasting of stream flows for drought management • Need to develop greater data sharing protocols, to bring data such as aquatic resource surveys, and implementation/response monitoring to the level currently exhibited by USGS monitoring data • Need to develop criteria for evaluating the uncertainties in the data and models informing the DSS, and their appropriate range of application • Understanding historical surface and groundwater use impacts on stream flows (what is a “pre-development” flow, and is it necessary to know this) • Better understanding of the magnitude of agricultural water use, and the consumptive nature of all uses in general • Impact of groundwater withdrawals on base flows (short term and long term)