Author : Carlos Ignacio Flores Arenas
Publisher :
Page : pages
File Size : 10,88 MB
Release : 2016
Category :
ISBN : 9781369616798
Book Description
Modern water management aims for sustainability of water use in evolving socioeconomic and environmental scenarios, nevertheless under great defies. In Mediterranean environments such as Chile and California, climate change, droughts, floods, and increasing water demand are challenging our sustainability on water use. As spring arrives early and highland precipitation is frequently rain-on-snow, the snowpack melts sooner, more water runoff in rivers, reservoirs quickly reach capacity, and water is released for flood control. This uncaptured water becomes available across lowland streams and floodplains, away from upgradient areas where recharge normally occurs, and is eventually lost downstream, unless we can store it underground. Moreover, groundwater is not managed very effectively, causing overdrafts and subsidence. If changes in groundwater storage, pumping, and recharge could be tracked in real time, feedback could be provided to water users to minimize undesirable effects. However, groundwater accounting is difficult, done by complex models, and costly in terms of data, money and time. Thus, this research aims to address (1) how the increased early streamflows can be managed in floodplains to maximize recharge in downgradient areas compensating for the loss of surface water storage? and (2) how can dynamics in groundwater be tracked in real time to improve management and transparency? To conduct this work, an existing IWFM (Integrated Water Flow Model) for Yolo County, California, was updated, calibrated, and used as study case. Results presented a promising conjunctive use framework in the Yolo Bypass, a lowland floodplain environment, by recharging Sacramento River excess water, along with a regional pumping scheme to facilitate recharge. Also, hydrologic proxy models are presented to estimate instantly change in storage, pumping, and recharge, with minimum calculations and data. For similar settings, these results can serve water users and managers to enhance water supply and accounting, in order to make well informed decisions for sustainable water use.