Puerto Rico Water Resources and Environmental Research Institute

National Competitive Grants Program

National Institutes for Water Resources and U.S. Geological Survey
National Competitive Grants Program
2007 Competition Results

This information was taken from http://water.usgs.gov/wrri/07grants/national/national_index.html

Project ID: 2007CA195G
Title: Improving aquifer storage recovery operation to reduce nutrient load and benefit water supply
Project Type: Research
Start Date: 7/01/2008
End Date: 6/01/2011
Congressional District: 17th
Focus Categories: Water Supply, Water Quality, Nitrate Contamination
Keywords: aquifer storage and recovery, denitrification, surface water - ground water interactions
Principal Investigators: Fisher, Andrew (University of California, Santa Cruz); Los Huertos, Marc (University of California); Wheat, Charles Geoffrey
Federal Funds: $ 242,508
Non-Federal Matching Funds: $ 311,431
Abstract: We propose a project that will develop tools and methods, applicable in many settings, to help manage aquifer storage recovery (ASR) systems so as to simultaneously benefit both water supply and water quality objectives. Enhancements to water supply will help to reduce ground water overdraft, contributing to reductions in the extent of subsidence, seawater intrusion, upflow of lower-quality water from depth, loss from critical surface reservoirs (including streams, lakes, and wetlands), and associated damage to fragile and valuable ecosystems. ASR systems can be run as part of a regional conjunctive use strategy, generating significant benefits to water managers, regulators, stakeholders, and aquatic ecosystems by shifting resource use patterns on the basis of (often unpredictable) availability; this characteristic will become increasingly important in coming decades as climate changes force modification of resource availability and use patterns. Most studies of ASR systems to date have focused on physical aspects of their operation, particularly causes and impacts of clogging. In contrast, our work will focus on quantitative reduction to nitrate loads during ASR operation. Improvements to water quality during ASR operations have been documented in a few cases, but no other studies have combined evaluation of ASR operation with quantitative reductions in nitrate load. We propose to complete this work as part of the Harkins Slough ASR project, developed and operated by a local water agency to reduce overdraft and its impacts. The project design includes extraordinarily strong control on system mass balance (water, solutes), will apply novel technologies and techniques, and provides unique opportunities to link water supply and water quality objectives, and to quantify relations between processes, properties, and ASR operations. The project comprises a newly-developed collaboration between USGS and non-USGS researchers, regional and local agencies and stakeholders, will support graduate and undergraduate student researchers (helping to training the next generation of water resource specialists), and leverage considerable non-federal project dollars.

Project ID: 2007CA215G
Title: A Bayesian approach to snow water equivalent reconstruction
Project Type: Research
Start Date: 6/01/2008
End Date: 5/31/2010
Congressional District:
Focus Categories: Hydrology, Surface Water, Water Supply
Keywords: Snow; Data Assimilation; Remote Sensing; Modeling
Principal Investigators: Molotch, Noah Paul (University of California, Los Angeles); Margulis, Steven
Federal Funds: $ 61,312
Non-Federal Matching Funds: $ 62,102
Abstract: Climate in the semi-arid Western U.S. exhibits considerable inter-annual variability; and the temporal and spatial distributions of precipitation, snowmelt, soil moisture, evapotranspiration, streamflow, and other hydrologic processes are sensitive to this variability. Sensitivity to climate change varies across gradients of physiography (e.g. elevation, vegetative community structure, and latitude) but the drivers and degree of this sensitivity in different mountainous landscapes are not fully comprehended. Similarly, the impact of these changes on basin-scale snowpack water storage cannot be determined because observations are not distributed across a range of elevations and other physiographic conditions that control snow distribution. As a result, statistical interpolation models of these scarce observations inadequately represent spatial patterns of snow accumulation. For nearly three decades, remotely sensed observations of snow cover depletion have been used to forecast seasonal snowmelt runoff and (indirectly) seasonal snow accumulation integrated over a watershed. The use of these data to reconstruct snow accumulation is based on the simple concept that deeper snow takes more time (or energy) to melt than shallower snow. More recently advances in remote sensing have enabled sub-pixel detection of snow cover depletion and the development of pixel-specific snow accumulation reconstruction models. The scarcity of ground-based observations needed to evaluate model performance and refine algorithms has restricted reconstruction modeling studies to small headwater catchments. Similarly, reconstruction techniques have not been used to resolve the temporal variability in snow distribution during the accumulation season. To address these inadequacies the proposed research will synergistically develop new observing and modeling systems for estimating the spatial distribution of snow accumulation.

Project ID: 2007GA165G
Title: Multi-Scale Investigation of Seawater Intrusion and Application in Coastal Georgia
Project Type: Research
Start Date: 5/01/2008
End Date: 4/30/2011
Congressional District:
Focus Categories: Groundwater, Hydrology, Models
Keywords: seawater intusion; groundwater withdrawal; variable-density flow; transport; mixing
Principal Investigators: Luo, Jian
Federal Funds: $ 194,083
Non-Federal Matching Funds: $ 194,346
Abstract: Seawater intrusion causes salinization of fresh groundwater resources in costal aquifers, exacerbating the stresses on vital water resources in populated coastal areas. For example, in the coastal area of Georgia (GA), South Carolina (SC), and Florida (FL), increased groundwater withdrawal has substantially lowered the groundwater level and allowed seawater to seep into the freshwater supply. To achieve sound understanding of the transport processes that control seawater intrusion, we outline an ambitious and comprehensive research plan to systematically study seawater intrusion by conducting laboratory experiments, numerical, stochastic, and geostatistical analyses to examine seawater intrusion over various scales ranging from pore grain scale to field scale.

Project ID: 2007IN227G
Title: Nutrient and carbon delivery to streams in artificially drained landscapes of the Midwest: matrix flow, overland flow or macropore flow?
Project Type: Research
Start Date: 4/01/2008
End Date: 3/31/2011
Congressional District: 7
Focus Categories: Solute Transport, Surface Water, Hydrology
Keywords: Macropore flow, tracer, tile drain, nutrients
Principal Investigators: Vidon, Philippe Gilles (Indiana Univ, Purdue Univ, Indianapolis); Baker, Nancy T. (U.S. Geological Survey); Frey, Jeffrey W.
Federal Funds: $ 129,042
Non-Federal Matching Funds: $ 131,041
Abstract: Understanding the processes controlling the delivery of nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon to streams in artificially drained landscapes of the Midwest is of critical importance to developing comprehensive nutrient management strategies at the watershed scale. Most nutrient and carbon losses in artificially drained landscapes of the Midwest occur during precipitation events through tile drain flow and overland flow. In addition, recent research has identified preferential flow through soil macropores as an important export mechanism contributing to tile drain flow. There is nevertheless a lack of empirical data documenting the relative importance of overland flow (OLF), matrix flow (MF) and preferential flow through soil macropores (PF) on nitrogen, phosphorus and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) losses to streams. For this project, a team of USGS scientists has teamed up with the PI (Vidon) to measure the relative importance of OLF, MF and PF during 6-8 storms over a two-year period in an artificially drained Midwestern watershed, and to identify the changes in the nature of in-stream nitrogen (nitrate, ammonium, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN)), phosphorus (soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), total phosphorus (TP)), and DOC (aromaticity) during storms. The work will take place in a small first order watershed, which is continuously monitored by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) for the White River, Great, and Little Miami River Basins. Water quality data will be collected in precipitation and at 2-4 hour intervals during storms in overland flow, tile flow and the stream. The PIs will used a two phase (tile + stream) multi-tracer (chloride, cation, oxygen-18) approach to independently estimate the relative importance of tile drain flow, overland flow, precipitation and seepage in the stream, and the relative importance of matrix flow and preferential flow through soil macropores in tile flow. In addition, the team of PIs will assess the impact of till vs. no-till practices on N, P and DOC (NPC) losses to streams during storms by monitoring water quality in two tile drains that drain fields with till and no-till. The potential of DOC and DOC specific UV absorbance (SUVA) as potential hydrologic tracers to identify water sources in a watershed context will also be evaluated.

Project ID: 2007MD160G
Title: Integration of Stormwater Management Ponds into Urban Communities: Long-term Water Quality Protection, Wildlife, and Environmental Awareness
Project Type: Research
Start Date: 2/01/2008
End Date: 1/31/2010
Congressional District: 3
Focus Categories: Water Quality, Hydrogeochemistry, Ecology
Keywords: metals, amphibians, stormwater, groundwater, water quality, wildlife
Principal Investigators: Snodgrass, Joel Wade (Towson University); Casey, Ryan E. (Towson University); Landa, Edward R.; Lev, Steven
Federal Funds: $ 187,474
Non-Federal Matching Funds: $ 187,690
Abstract: Stormwater management ponds are common features of more recent development and are required by most state and local governments as part of more comprehensive stormwater management practices. Storm water ponds are design to mitigating the impacts of pollutants and stormwater runoff generated by impervious areas, lawns, and other highly managed surfaces typical of urban and suburban areas. By intercepting and detaining runoff before it enters natural water bodies, storm water ponds promote biological and physical removal and detention of pollutants, dissipation of thermal pollution, and groundwater recharge, ultimately protecting hydrological and water quality characteristics of natural streams and wetlands. While storm water ponds are human created habitats, they may superficially resemble natural wetlands and attract wildlife use; some have even suggested that storm water ponds be used as mitigation for wetlands destroyed during development. However, others have argued that these ponds may represent significant threats to wildlife in urban and suburban areas as they may serve to expose wildlife to the pollutants they are designed to sequester. Moreover, while short-term (individual storm event) studies indicate storm water ponds are affective at removing pollutants, the effectiveness of ponds over longer time scales (years) and the interaction of these ponds with human populations have received little or no attention. Preliminary studies of ponds in the Washington DC/Baltimore metropolitan region suggest that under some conditions ponds may not be effective at retaining pollutants such as Zinc (Zn) and road deicing salts (primarily NaCl), and may even act as ecological traps for amphibians. Ecological traps are habitats that attract wildlife only to reduce the reproductive success or survival of individuals that utilize the habitat. Here we propose investigations in three areas: 1) longer-term storage and fate of pollutants entering storm water ponds; 2) habitat quality of storm water ponds for amphibians and their potential role as ecological traps; 3) human perceptions and interactions with storm water ponds. We will focus on Zn and NaCl because of their known association with storm water ponds and their potential for synergistic toxicological interactions. We will use a large-scale survey of sediment and water chemistry and use of ponds by wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) and American toads (>Bufo americanus) over a range of land use conditions (commercial/industrial, residential, transportation) to assess the potential for a sensitive amphibian species to be attracted to ponds with potentially toxic conditions. To directly assess toxicity under realistic field conditions established during the large-scale field survey, we will use field assessments and laboratory bioassays of wood frog and American toad embryo and larval development and survival. To investigate long-term storage, transformation, and potential groundwater transport of metals, NaCl, and PAHs entering storm water ponds, we will use more intensive investigation of representative ponds from different land uses and laboratory experiments. We will use surveys of citizen attitudes toward ponds to assess the potential for ponds to serve as a focal point of contact for wildlife education in urban and suburban settings. Ultimately, by incorporating both laboratory and field studies at the intersection of biology, chemistry and geology, and relating our findings to land use/land cover, we hope to provide a basis for proactive management of storm water ponds while providing undergraduate and graduate students opportunities to engage in interdisciplinary research typical of today’s environmental problems.