Abstract
Determination of water resources management thresholds, such as conservation releases, passby flows, and water availability limits, is a contemporary challenge facing water resources managers. With recent advancements in environmental flow science, including the ecological limits of hydrologic alteration (ELOHA) framework, environmental flow standards can be developed for a variety of stream types throughout a particular region or watershed. Environmental flow standards typically cover the entire natural flow regime, including low-flow, seasonal-flow (medium), and high-flow components. However, it can be difficult for water resources managers to directly apply these standards to establish practical management thresholds. This study proposes a novel approach to assessing water capacity based on ELOHA environmental flow standards. The procedure entails iterative simulations to identify withdrawal limits for gaged streams and regional regression analysis to predict withdrawal limits for ungaged streams. The approach was applied for 63 reference gages with long-term, continuous, minimally altered, daily streamflow records within the Susquehanna River basin. The results of the investigation demonstrate that the approach can be used to assess water capacity from gaged and ungaged streams via iterative withdrawal simulations and regional regression analysis respectively. The regression equation developed through analysis of the reference gages has an adjusted R-square value of 0.96 and a standard error of 27%. Determination of a water capacity value, based on a suite of environmental flow standards, provides water resources managers with a valuable tool for informing the establishment of water resources management thresholds.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1469-1480 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | River Research and Applications |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 1 2016 |
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Keywords
- ELOHA
- environmental flows
- water availability
- water capacity
- water resources management
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Chemistry
- Water Science and Technology
- Environmental Science(all)
Cite this
Assessment of Water Capacity and Availability from Unregulated Stream Flows Based on Ecological Limits of Hydrologic Alteration (ELOHA) Environmental Flow Standards. / Zhang, Z.; Balay, J. W.; Bertoldi, K. M.; MaCoy, P. O.
In: River Research and Applications, Vol. 32, No. 7, 01.09.2016, p. 1469-1480.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessment of Water Capacity and Availability from Unregulated Stream Flows Based on Ecological Limits of Hydrologic Alteration (ELOHA) Environmental Flow Standards
AU - Zhang, Z.
AU - Balay, J. W.
AU - Bertoldi, K. M.
AU - MaCoy, P. O.
PY - 2016/9/1
Y1 - 2016/9/1
N2 - Determination of water resources management thresholds, such as conservation releases, passby flows, and water availability limits, is a contemporary challenge facing water resources managers. With recent advancements in environmental flow science, including the ecological limits of hydrologic alteration (ELOHA) framework, environmental flow standards can be developed for a variety of stream types throughout a particular region or watershed. Environmental flow standards typically cover the entire natural flow regime, including low-flow, seasonal-flow (medium), and high-flow components. However, it can be difficult for water resources managers to directly apply these standards to establish practical management thresholds. This study proposes a novel approach to assessing water capacity based on ELOHA environmental flow standards. The procedure entails iterative simulations to identify withdrawal limits for gaged streams and regional regression analysis to predict withdrawal limits for ungaged streams. The approach was applied for 63 reference gages with long-term, continuous, minimally altered, daily streamflow records within the Susquehanna River basin. The results of the investigation demonstrate that the approach can be used to assess water capacity from gaged and ungaged streams via iterative withdrawal simulations and regional regression analysis respectively. The regression equation developed through analysis of the reference gages has an adjusted R-square value of 0.96 and a standard error of 27%. Determination of a water capacity value, based on a suite of environmental flow standards, provides water resources managers with a valuable tool for informing the establishment of water resources management thresholds.
AB - Determination of water resources management thresholds, such as conservation releases, passby flows, and water availability limits, is a contemporary challenge facing water resources managers. With recent advancements in environmental flow science, including the ecological limits of hydrologic alteration (ELOHA) framework, environmental flow standards can be developed for a variety of stream types throughout a particular region or watershed. Environmental flow standards typically cover the entire natural flow regime, including low-flow, seasonal-flow (medium), and high-flow components. However, it can be difficult for water resources managers to directly apply these standards to establish practical management thresholds. This study proposes a novel approach to assessing water capacity based on ELOHA environmental flow standards. The procedure entails iterative simulations to identify withdrawal limits for gaged streams and regional regression analysis to predict withdrawal limits for ungaged streams. The approach was applied for 63 reference gages with long-term, continuous, minimally altered, daily streamflow records within the Susquehanna River basin. The results of the investigation demonstrate that the approach can be used to assess water capacity from gaged and ungaged streams via iterative withdrawal simulations and regional regression analysis respectively. The regression equation developed through analysis of the reference gages has an adjusted R-square value of 0.96 and a standard error of 27%. Determination of a water capacity value, based on a suite of environmental flow standards, provides water resources managers with a valuable tool for informing the establishment of water resources management thresholds.
KW - ELOHA
KW - environmental flows
KW - water availability
KW - water capacity
KW - water resources management
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84949267372&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84949267372&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/rra.2979
DO - 10.1002/rra.2979
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84949267372
VL - 32
SP - 1469
EP - 1480
JO - River Research and Applications
JF - River Research and Applications
SN - 1535-1459
IS - 7
ER -