Streamflow characteristic changes in a catchment with numerous high-capacity wells
Mentor 1
Woonsup Choi
Start Date
16-4-2021 12:00 AM
Description
In the presence of human activity, hydrological droughts may not solely occur from nature. Human activities such as irrigation and reservoir maintenance can be correlated with water levels. Water used for irrigation and reservoir maintenance comes from high-capacity wells. In the state of Wisconsin, high-capacity wells had increased by 12,000 since 1983 in 2014. It is important to understand the effect high-capacity wells have on their sources. The human impacts on hydrological droughts were investigated through the changes in streamflow characteristics in a drainage area with numerous high-capacity wells. The drainage area of the numerous high-capacity wells is known as the “Central Sands Region”, a region located east of the Wisconsin River that spans 1.75 million acres across the counties of Adams, Marathon, Portage, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, and Wood. The Waupaca weather station represented the weather station of the numerous high-capacity wells. The United States Geological Survey monitoring site at the Fox River in Berlin, Wisconsin, and the United States Geological Survey hydrologic boundary of 04073500 represented the monitoring site and drainage area of the normal number of high-capacity wells. There was a difference between precipitation and streamflow from 1980 to present day at the Waupaca weather station. The drought events recorded at the Waupaca weather station also had longer duration, larger deficits, and a larger number since 1980. The difference between precipitation and streamflow change at the Waupaca weather station allows one to question if human activity may have contributed. Coupled with the differences in drought statistics, there appears to be a lack of streamflow in the drainage area that makes up the Central Sands region. These drought characteristics may manifest in other areas where irrigation and reservoir maintenance are in demand. The implementation of many high-capacity wells may result in more droughts and lower streamflow.
Streamflow characteristic changes in a catchment with numerous high-capacity wells
In the presence of human activity, hydrological droughts may not solely occur from nature. Human activities such as irrigation and reservoir maintenance can be correlated with water levels. Water used for irrigation and reservoir maintenance comes from high-capacity wells. In the state of Wisconsin, high-capacity wells had increased by 12,000 since 1983 in 2014. It is important to understand the effect high-capacity wells have on their sources. The human impacts on hydrological droughts were investigated through the changes in streamflow characteristics in a drainage area with numerous high-capacity wells. The drainage area of the numerous high-capacity wells is known as the “Central Sands Region”, a region located east of the Wisconsin River that spans 1.75 million acres across the counties of Adams, Marathon, Portage, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, and Wood. The Waupaca weather station represented the weather station of the numerous high-capacity wells. The United States Geological Survey monitoring site at the Fox River in Berlin, Wisconsin, and the United States Geological Survey hydrologic boundary of 04073500 represented the monitoring site and drainage area of the normal number of high-capacity wells. There was a difference between precipitation and streamflow from 1980 to present day at the Waupaca weather station. The drought events recorded at the Waupaca weather station also had longer duration, larger deficits, and a larger number since 1980. The difference between precipitation and streamflow change at the Waupaca weather station allows one to question if human activity may have contributed. Coupled with the differences in drought statistics, there appears to be a lack of streamflow in the drainage area that makes up the Central Sands region. These drought characteristics may manifest in other areas where irrigation and reservoir maintenance are in demand. The implementation of many high-capacity wells may result in more droughts and lower streamflow.
