The Feasibility of Enhacing Streamflow in the Sevier River Basin of Utah by Seeding Winter Mountain Clouds

The Bureau of Reclamation conducted a feasibility study of seeding winter mountain clouds as a possible means of enhancing the water supplies of the Sevier River Basin of Utah. A considerable body of pertinent meteorological observations from in or near the basin is examined. The evidence indicates that Utah winter mountain clouds often have more supercooled liquid water available than is naturally converted to snowfall. Thus, the needed raw material for cloud seeding to be effective is frequently available. Much of the excess liquid water has been found in the lowest kilometer or less over the mountain barriers, a region that can be seeded with properly located ground generators. This zone is too warm for silver iodide seeding during some storms and other agents, such as propane, should also be considered. Past operational and experimental seeding projects in the region are examined. There are suggestions from some analyses that seeding has produced about 10 percent more precipitation on a seasonal basis. However, other analyses have disputed these suggestions and it is concluded that the question of the effectiveness of current seeding practices is still an open one. It is recommended that a two phase demonstration program be conducted to place the emerging technology of winter cloud seeding on a firm scientific foundation. Physical experiments should be emphasized which document all key links in the chain of physical processes following seeding. Benefit-cost ratios for an operational seeding program are estimated with the caveat that a number of assumptions need further testing. However, if seeding could produce additional snowfall even approaching 10 percent per winter, the value of the additional water would likely exceed, and perhaps far exceed, the cost of seeding operations

Comprehensive survey of sedimentation in Lake Mead, 1948-49

Reservoirs are becoming an increasingly prominent feature of the American landscape. Built for flood mitigation and to change a fluctuating river into a dependable source of water for irrigation, power, and other purposes, they are predestined, like natural lakes, to be destroyed sometime following their creation. Sedimentation sooner or later robs most lakes and reservoirs of their capacity to store water. The significance of sedimentation in the life of Lake Mead, the largest artificial reservoir in the world, was realized when the plan for the reservoir was conceived, and an aerial survey of the floor was made in 1935 before the reservoir filled with water. The survey provided a base for the study of future sedimentation. A casual view of the magnificent expanse of Lake Mead in its desert environment gives no more than a hint of the complex actions and interactions within and near the lake that are critical in relation to the long-term service for which the lake was impounded. The reservoir impounds sediment, dissolved salts, and heat as well as water. Each of these has important effects on the usefulness of the reservoir. Accurate appraisal of the magnitude of the impounded items is the key to longtime successful reservoir management. Such appraisals take the form of budgets, showing the balance between income, outgo, and storage. The sediment budget affects the life of the reservoir, the salt budget affects the chemical quality and usefulness of the impounded water, and the heat budget affects evaporation and the water balance. This report, although centered about the sediment budget, treats the other items to some extent, but each in time will require separate inquiry. The importance of evaporation already has led to a separate report on the heat budget. These problems relate to all reservoirs; but, because of the great size of Lake Mead, the importance and complexity of the problems there reach major proportions. The lake offers an opportunity to test and apply principles that can be derived from study of the sediment, salt, and heat balances. For these reasons the Bureau of Reclamation, the steward of the reservoir on behalf of the people of the country, asked the Geological Survey to lead a joint study by many scientists of the diverse and complicated aspects of Lake Mead. The resulting report is unique in its field because it represents a study by a diversified group of research scientists trained in several different fields of research, including oceanography, hydrology, and geology, working together on a common problem. Such pooling of talents promises to become more common in future hydrologic research because the results of this study have proved the synergistic value of collaboration. The specific results of the study are food for speculation about future accumulations of sediment and the movement of salt. We have assurances that Lake Mead will not be filled with sediment for at least 350 years and that it will not become a salt lake. The wealth of information in this report undoubtedly will be useful in the operation, not only of Lake Mead, but of many other reservoirs already built or in prospect

Managed Aquifer Recharge as a Tool to Enhance Sustainable Groundwater Management in California

A growing population and an increased demand for water resources have resulted in a global trend of groundwater depletion. Arid and semi-arid climates are particularly susceptible, often relying on groundwater to support large population centers or irrigated agriculture in the absence of sufficient surface water resources. In an effort to increase the security of groundwater resources, managed aquifer recharge (MAR) programs have been developed and implemented globally. MAR is the approach of intentionally harvesting and infiltrating water to recharge depleted aquifer storage. California is a prime example of this growing problem, with three cities that have over a million residents and an agricultural industry that was valued at 47 billion dollars in 2015. The present-day groundwater overdraft of over 100 km3 (since 1962) indicates a clear disparity between surface water supply and water demand within the state. In the face of groundwater overdraft and the anticipated effects of climate change, many new MAR projects are being constructed or investigated throughout California, adding to those that have existed for decades. Some common MAR types utilized in California include injection wells, infiltration basins (also known as spreading basins, percolation basins, or recharge basins), and low-impact development. An emerging MAR type that is actively being investigated is the winter flooding of agricultural fields using existing irrigation infrastructure and excess surface water resources, known as agricultural MAR. California therefore provides an excellent case study to look at the historical use and performance of MAR, ongoing and emerging challenges, novel MAR applications, and the potential for expansion of MAR. Effective MAR projects are an essential tool for increasing groundwater security, both in California and on a global scale. This chapter aims to provide an overview of the most common MAR types and applications within the State of California and neighboring semi-arid regions

Reconnaissance of stream geomorphology, low streamflow, and stream temperature in the mountaintop coal-mining region, southern West Virginia, 1999-2000 /

Shipping list no.: 2001-0287-P.Includes bibliographical references (p. 17-18).Mode of access: Internet

Simulation of the effects of management alternatives on the stream-aquifer system, South Fork Solomon River Valley between Webster Reservoir and Waconda Lake, north-central Kansas /

Two maps on folded sheet in pocket.Shipping list no.: 86-797-P.Bibliography: p. 19.Mode of access: Internet

How Boulder Canyun Dam Ended Up in Black Canyon as Hoover Dam

Investigations of potential dam sites along the lower Colorado River in Boulder and Black Canyons were initially carried out by the Hydrology Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey in 1901-02. These were further evaluated by the newly-formed Reclamation Service from 1914 until the dam\u27s eventual construction in 1931-35. The seminal event triggering these studies was the accidental flooding of the Imperial Valley in 1905-07, which inundated more than 500 square miles of irrigable lands. It was assumed that a great embankment dam would be constructed near the head of Boulder Canyon, where the gorge was narrowest and comprised of granite. At this location the average depths of channel sands and gravels was about 65 feet. The site\u27s location thereafter caused the federal effort to be part of the Boulder Canyon Project. In 1919 California representatives in the House and Senate began introducing bills to approve what would eventually become the largest line item appropriation in American history, up to that time. In 1922-24 Reclamation received funds to explore alternative dam sites in Black Canyon, 18 to 23 miles downstream of the Boulder Canyon site. Dams of similar height built 20 miles downstream would increase the reservoir storage by about 40%, but the average depth to bedrock in the river channel was 120 feet. In 1924 Reclamation recommended a concrete gravity arch dam 740 ft high in Black Canyon. During each session of Congress in the 1920s the Boulder Canyon Act was introduced but failed to win congressional approval for nine years. Along the way, it became a more multi-faceted project, providing irrigation to an enlarged area, increased flood storage, constructing an All-American Canal along the international border, and the novel proposal for Reclamation to construct and operate the world\u27s largest hydroelectric facility, using the proceeds to repay to cost of the project. In 1927 a board of advisors were appointed to make detailed surveys of the Lower Colorado River and answer five questions that had been raised by critics of the act. These refinements and concessions eventually led to congressional approval in May 1928, but with a special proviso resulting from the recent failure of the St. Francis Dam built by the city of Los Angeles, which had killed ~430 people. Congress appointed a Colorado River Board (CRB) comprised of eminent engineers and geologists to make a detailed evaluation of Reclamation\u27s designs and report their findings within six months. The CRB\u27s recommendations were accepted and the Boulder Canyon Act was approved by Congress and President Calvin Coolidge in December 1928