Water Science Update. William Guertal. Deputy Associate Director for Water. ICWP Meeting September 30, 2015

Transcription

1 Water Science Update William Guertal Deputy Associate Director for Water ICWP Meeting September 30, 2015 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey

2 Water Vision Providing real-time information to minimize loss of life and property from water-related hazards, such as floods, hurricanes, and oil spills USGS streamgage observations serve as foundation for NWS river forecasts and warnings. NOAA values our partnership and the USGS long history of responsiveness and professionalism. Dr. Thomas Graziano Chief, Hydrologic Services Division, NOAA National Weather Service A USGS hydrologist measures flow on the Black River at Black Rock, AR during flooding on the Mississippi River. When flooding happens, USGS field crews are among the first to respond.

3 Water Vision Providing water science to secure fresh water, now and into the future USGS water science improves the quality of life of every American citizen by providing information to help assure that water Is available and safe for drinking and recreation, Is protective of ecosystems, and Preserves our Nation s economic viability related to energy, irrigation, industry, navigation, and other water demands

4 Our Partners Total FY 2014 reimbursable funds: $263,508,507 OFA's 5% BOR 7% DOI-Other 3% DoD 4% EPA 4% USACE 12% States and municipalities 61% Foreign 0% Commercial 4% Tribes 1%

5 Water Budget Structure Aligns with the USGS Water Science Strategy, outlined in Circular 1383-G Observing, Understanding, Predicting, and Delivering Water Science to the Nation Four programs: National Groundwater and Streamflow Information National Water Quality Water Availability and Use Science Water Resources Research Act (WRRA) All streamgaging under one activity. Most WaterSMART work under one activity. Contains matching requirement to support local science needs that support Federal programs

6 Water Budget Structure CMF Cooperative matching funds, as requested in the 2016 President's budget, will be allocated among the three programs to support cooperative work with States, municipalities, and Tribes. $12,546 $17,468 $30,695 CMF in Thousands Water Availability and Use Science Program Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program National Water Quality Program

7 Groundwater Streamflow Information Program Funding Sources A collaborative effort with more than 850 partners spanning localities, Tribes, States, and other federal agencies (totaling about $160M) Reimbursable from States, localities, Tribes (53%) Cooperative Water Program (17%) Reimbursable from other federal agencies (16%) National Streamflow Information Program (14%)

8 Surface Water Streamgage Network About 8,100 realtime surfacewater discharge sites Funded by over 850 partners Totaling $160M in FY14 Funding Sources USGS National Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program 31% $49.6M Other Federal Agencies 16% $25.6M States, municipalities, and Tribes 53% $84.8M

9 Groundwater Monitoring Network Groundwater provides drinking water to urban and rural communities, supports irrigation and industry, sustains the flow of streams and rivers, and maintains riparian and wetland ecosystems. Groundwater data are increasingly important for tracking drought and groundwater depletion from overuse. Active wells (about 20,000) Real-time wells (about 1,440) Long-term wells (about 18,000) Climate response wells (about 600) High Plains aquifer (about 9,000 wells) and other principal aquifers National Groundwater Monitoring Network a WaterSMART collaborative of States, USGS and other organizations to provide access to a nationwide, long-term groundwater network needed to sustain management of groundwater supplies.

10 SiFTA: Site Funding Tracking Application Internal detailed reporting on streamgage funding sources will allow us to better support the network design and planning External partners will be able to understand how the funding sources interleave and support each other

11 Aquarius Implementation - CARP Generational change isn t easy We know how to do things that aren t easy Two transformations at once! ADAPS to AQUARIUS Cloud Architecture No interruptions in data delivery

12 Water Data Delivery NWISweb webpages WaterServices streamed data WaterAlert push WaterNow on demand WaterWatch mapping Surface WaterWatch GroundwaterWatch WaterQualityWatch (Temp)

13 Real-time Data Delivery Demands NWISWeb and NWIS Water Services in Millions of Successful Page Requests per month Water Services Water Data Through July, 2015

14 Future of water data delivery Redesigned to provide a nationwide interactive and map-based water data dashboard

15 Streamflow Information Collaborative New workgroup under the ACWI Subcommittee on Hydrology comprised of federal, state, and local partners Come together to further the implementation of a national network of streamgages to meet the myriad of streamflow information needs Optimize the synergy of coordinated and innovative actions Create cohesive messaging about the value, uses, economic benefits, and critical gaps in our Nation s streamflow information network Develop effective mechanisms to get the word out and tell our story (web portal, social media) Increase engagement

16 National Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program Priorities National streamgaging network (about 8,100 real-time gages) Stable groundwater level networks Growing network of interdisciplinary Super Gages Development and application of hazard information Flood inundation maps Time of travel for spill response Rapidly deployable gages and opportunistic networks Research, development, and application of cost-effective techniques Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility

17 Flood Inundation Mapping Program Create a flood map library at a USGS gage to depict flood risk Uses hydraulic modeling and GIS Sister program with NWS Allow anyone that meets USGS standards to submit a library (Furnished FIM) Current Research RapidFIM EcoFIM Library Lifecycle Uncertainty Communication and Display IWRSS Report: Design for the National Flood Inundation Mapping Services

18 National Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program Research Remote sensing to estimate streamflow Trends in snowpack and streamflow Hydroacoustics for enhancements to streamflow and sediment measurements

19 Asian Carp and Hydroacoustics Bighead Silver This invasive species has been migrating up the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. In their native habitats, they are lake dwelling fish, but require rivers to successfully spawn & reproduce Biologist, (USGS-CERC) asked: Can you use ADCPs to assess if a river is able to transport Asian carp eggs and larvae? Or more specifically: Can you tell me where the fish might spawn, where the eggs will hatch, and if the eggs remain in suspension until hatching? Slide provided by P. Ryan Jackson

20 Asian Carp Egg Concepts Learned that eggs must remain in suspension until hatching for the eggs to survive. Eggs are negatively buoyant, but become less dense as the egg develops u* 2.1 cm/s If u* > V s, eggs should remain in suspension V s = settling velocity u* = shear velocity Slide provided by P. Ryan Jackson

21 New SW Monitoring Approaches Network Locations RDG build party New Wave Sensors New RDG design New bracket design

22 Increases in the Rapid Deployment Gage capacities nationwide Permanent Gage Acoustic Streamflow Measurement

23 Expansion of the STN System Focuses on opportunistic networks to document large events Fills gaps between streamgages for large events National HWM database Supports perishable data collection

24 Water Availability and Use Science Program Components Water Use WaterSMART Water Energy Food Nexus Environmental Flows Regional Groundwater Availability Evaluations Drought Science

25 National Water Quality Program Research Understanding of the processes that affect contaminants in aquatic environments New statistical and modeling tools to interpret water quality data Modeling geochemical reactions in groundwater Analytical methods for characterizing harmful algal blooms Documenting sources of nutrients in surface waters

26 National Water Quality Assessment Project Cycle Nationally consistent descriptions of current water quality conditions Monitoring & Understanding Cycle Trends & Understanding Monitoring & Modeling NAWQA has evolved from a water-quality program emphasizing data collection and trend assessments to one that has the potential to predict and forecast pollutant occurrence and trends under multiple scenarios at nationally significant scales. (NRC, 2012 ) Cycle Enhanced tracking of trends Modeling for decision makers, forecasting & scenario testing

27 National Water Quality Program Monitoring and Modeling of Groundwater Quality Developing a Comprehensive Understanding of Groundwater Quality How quickly will contaminants move to wells and streams? What is the likelihood that contaminant levels might impact drinking-water supplies? How many people rely upon groundwater with elevated contaminant levels? What areas are most at risk? Predict contaminant concentrations at unmonitored locations Nitrate Concentration, mg/l < >10

28 National Water Quality Program Monitoring and Modeling of Stream and River Quality Developing a comprehensive understanding of how contaminants move from land to the stream and downstream to reservoirs and estuaries Nitrogen contributions to Gulf of Mexico High Legume crops 9% 7% Sources Urban Areas 7% Wastewater Low Farm Fertilizer 41% 26% 10% Manure

29 Contact William Guertal