Development and Application of a GIS Based Instream Flow Extrapolation Procedure for Watershed Planning in the Nooksack River Basin

Presenter Information

Ekaterina Saraeva
Thomas B. Hardy

Location

Space Dynamics Laboratory

Event Website

http://water.usu.edu/

Start Date

3-26-2004 9:15 AM

End Date

3-26-2004 9:30 AM

Description

From a strategic watershed planning perspective it is best that the reach specific instream flow requirements are determined with the highest degree of resolution throughout a watershed to guide the planning process. At a practical level however, reach specific instream flow assessments in even a moderate sized watershed become cost prohibitive and impractical given time and logistical constraints. The conflict between resolution of instream flow requirements at the reach specific level and cost/time constraints represents one the most challenging facets of watershed planning efforts. This paper presents research on the development of a procedure to estimate the instream flow requirements for specific reaches in the Nooksack river watershed (Washington state) based on the extrapolation of site-specific data collected and analyzed at a limited number of sites within the watershed. The research relies on the development of a GIS based stratification procedure to characterize drainages (and reaches) into homogenous strata based on hydrologic, geomorphologic, land use, biotic, and related watershed parameters by application of multivariate statistical data analysis techniques. Site-specific parameters are then extrapolated from measured to unmeasured streams within the same strata. Validation of the method is examined by comparison of extrapolated instream flow requirements to site specific derived results.

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Mar 26th, 9:15 AM Mar 26th, 9:30 AM

Development and Application of a GIS Based Instream Flow Extrapolation Procedure for Watershed Planning in the Nooksack River Basin

Space Dynamics Laboratory

From a strategic watershed planning perspective it is best that the reach specific instream flow requirements are determined with the highest degree of resolution throughout a watershed to guide the planning process. At a practical level however, reach specific instream flow assessments in even a moderate sized watershed become cost prohibitive and impractical given time and logistical constraints. The conflict between resolution of instream flow requirements at the reach specific level and cost/time constraints represents one the most challenging facets of watershed planning efforts. This paper presents research on the development of a procedure to estimate the instream flow requirements for specific reaches in the Nooksack river watershed (Washington state) based on the extrapolation of site-specific data collected and analyzed at a limited number of sites within the watershed. The research relies on the development of a GIS based stratification procedure to characterize drainages (and reaches) into homogenous strata based on hydrologic, geomorphologic, land use, biotic, and related watershed parameters by application of multivariate statistical data analysis techniques. Site-specific parameters are then extrapolated from measured to unmeasured streams within the same strata. Validation of the method is examined by comparison of extrapolated instream flow requirements to site specific derived results.

https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/runoff/2004/AllAbstracts/31