Analysis of the Seasonal Variations of Streamflow and Water Quality of the Upper Mississippi-Minnesota Rivers Basin in South Dakota

The South Dakota Water Resources Commission is in the process of developing a State Water Plan to analyze current water and land needs and problems, to set goals of water ·management, and to promote the prosperity and general welfare of the state through wise use and management of the water and land resources. The State Water Plan will inventory the present and future water and related land resources and offer guidance on the management of the state\u27s water resources. In order to facilitate planning, the South Dakota Water Resources Commission has designated 16 major drainage areas in the state including two noncontributing drainage areas. As a result of the study by Rakness, personnel of the South Dakota Water Resources Commission requested the Civil Engineering Department of South Dakota State University to process streamflow data for 75 gaging stations within the state and to assemble similar tables to be used in preparing the State Water Plan. For this investigation, the Upper Mississippi-Minnesota Rivers Basin in South Dakota was selected for study. This river basin is one of 16 major drainage areas designated by the South Dakota Water Resources Commission for the State Water Plan and is also a major hydrologic basin designated by the South Dakota Committee on Water Pollution for water quality management planning. While analyzing the streamflow variation of the Upper Mississippi-Minnesota Rivers Basin, flow records of 72 other stream-gaging stations on major rivers of South Dakota with ten or more years of record were also analyzed to fulfill the request of the South Dakota Water Resources Commission. However, in this study only the two streamflow-duration tables of the gaging stations within the Upper Mississippi-Minnesota Rivers Basin are presented. The main objectives of this study were to determine the seasonal flow duration relationships for gaging stations in the Upper Mississippi-Minnesota Rivers Basin, to compare the seasonal variation of water quality and streamflow, and to investigate the existing water quality data for comparison to the water quality needed for designated beneficial uses of the surface water in the river basin. The results of this study were expected to be of assistance to the South Dakota Water Resources Commission in developing the State Water Plan and the Department of Environmental Protection in developing the Water Quality Management Plan

Water Quality Trading and Offset Initiatives in the U.S.: A Comprehensive Survey

This document summarizes water quality trading and offset initiatives in the United States, including state-wide policies and recent proposals. The following format was used to present information on each program. We attempted to have each program summary reviewed by at least one contact person for program accuracy. In the cases where this review occurred, we added the statement "Reviewed by.." at the end of the case summary

Minnesota Agricultural Economist 692

Environmental Economics and Policy, Livestock Production/Industries,

THE FEASIBILITY OF WETLAND RESTORATION TO REDUCE FLOODING IN THE RED RIVER VALLEY: A CASE STUDY OF THE MAPLE RIVER WATERSHED, NORTH DAKOTA

The economic feasibility of alternative wetland restoration activities to store water and reduce flood damage was evaluated in the Maple River Watershed, North Dakota, a sub-watershed of the Red River of the North Watershed. The evaluation was based on recent hydrologic modeling and wetland restoration studies, the National Wetland Inventory, local land rental values, and site-specific historical flood damage. With benefit-cost ratios ranging from 0.08 to 0.13, neither simple wetland restoration based on plugging existing drains, nor restoration with outlet control devices, nor complete restoration intended to provide a full range of wetland-based environmental services were economically feasible over a 20-year future period. Peak flood stages and flood damage would need to be reduced by between 4 and 12 percent in order for wetland restoration options to break even. The inclusion of additional wetland benefits did not make wetland restoration economically feasible. It is, therefore, not recommended that public funds be used for extensive wetland restoration projects throughout the Maple River Watershed or the Red River Valley in order to reduce flood damage.Economic feasibility, wetland restoration, flooding, Red River Valley, Land Economics/Use,

Georgia Water: "A Public Resource Or A Commodity" What Are The Real Policy Questions?

In this paper we first address the question as to the strength of Georgia's commitment to protect public interests in the state's water resources as such commitments are expressed in existing laws. Comparing legislative declarations of state policy in Georgia with those in 36 other Eastern States, we find that none of the states have expressions of this commitment that would reasonably be regarded as more strongly stated than Georgia law. In conclusion, we find that Georgia water law currently recognizes the public's dependence on the state's water resources and its commitment to policies and programs that assure that water is used prudently for the maximum benefit of the people. Adding "public resource" language to the law would not substantively strengthen these existing policy declarations.Attention is then turned to the "water as a commodity" issue. We argue here that the "water as a commodity" issues is at best poorly framed. In our view debate in Georgia should center on alternatives for resolving the reallocation issue; it should focus on the question as to how Georgia is to strike a balance between private, competing use of water and public, non-competing uses of water (e.g., instream flows), and how this balance is to be adjusted over time in response to changes in social, environmental, and climatic conditions. When market mechanisms are considered as one of the means to achieve reallocation, evaluation of their effectiveness is dependent on a particular set of market institutions. Thus, being "for" or "against" markets makes no more sense that being "for" or "against" water use permits -- everything depends on the provisions and protections of specific laws and proposals. Working Paper # 2002-00

ANALYZING ALTERNATIVES IN REGIONAL RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Guidelines for Economic Evaluation of Public Sector Water Resource Projects

Water development plays an important role in the economy of states and regions. However, procedures for estimating the expected net worth of proposed projects have never been simple, and results have rarely been without controversy. This report presents some guidelines for the application of economic evaluation procedures in project analysis of public sector water development in North Dakota. A brief history of North Dakota water development and two case studies of North Dakota water projects are included in this report.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

RETURNS FROM INVESTMENTS IN IMPROVING VILLAGE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS: AN EXAMPLE FROM INDIA

Community/Rural/Urban Development,