Item talk:Q76983

{

 "USGS Publications Warehouse": {
   "schema": {
     "@context": "https://schema.org",
     "@type": "CreativeWork",
     "additionalType": "USGS Numbered Series",
     "name": "Evaluation of the hydrologic system and selected water-management alternatives in the Owens Valley, California",
     "identifier": [
       {
         "@type": "PropertyValue",
         "propertyID": "USGS Publications Warehouse IndexID",
         "value": "wsp2370H",
         "url": "https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/wsp2370H"
       },
       {
         "@type": "PropertyValue",
         "propertyID": "USGS Publications Warehouse Internal ID",
         "value": 31072
       },
       {
         "@type": "PropertyValue",
         "propertyID": "DOI",
         "value": "10.3133/wsp2370H",
         "url": "https://doi.org/10.3133/wsp2370H"
       }
     ],
     "inLanguage": "en",
     "isPartOf": [
       {
         "@type": "CreativeWorkSeries",
         "name": "Water Supply Paper"
       }
     ],
     "datePublished": "1998",
     "dateModified": "2012-02-02",
     "abstract": "The Owens Valley, a long, narrow valley\r\nalong the east side of the Sierra Nevada in eastcentral\r\nCalifornia, is the main source of water for\r\nthe city of Los Angeles. The city diverts most of\r\nthe surface water in the valley into the Owens\r\nRiver?Los Angeles Aqueduct system, which\r\ntransports the water more than 200 miles south to\r\nareas of distribution and use. Additionally, ground\r\nwater is pumped or flows from wells to supplement\r\nthe surface-water diversions to the river?\r\naqueduct system. Pumpage from wells needed to\r\nsupplement water export has increased since 1970,\r\nwhen a second aqueduct was put into service, and\r\nlocal residents have expressed concerns that the\r\nincreased pumping may have a detrimental effect\r\non the environment and the native vegetation\r\n(indigenous alkaline scrub and meadow plant\r\ncommunities) in the valley. Native vegetation on\r\nthe valley floor depends on soil moisture derived\r\nfrom precipitation and from the unconfined part of\r\na multilayered ground-water system. This report,\r\nwhich describes the evaluation of the hydrologic\r\nsystem and selected water-management alternatives,\r\nis one in a series designed to identify the\r\neffects that ground-water pumping has on native\r\nvegetation and evaluate alternative strategies to\r\nmitigate any adverse effects caused by pumping.\r\nThe hydrologic system of the Owens Valley\r\ncan be conceptualized as having three parts: (1) an\r\nunsaturated zone affected by precipitation and\r\nevapotranspiration; (2) a surface-water system\r\ncomposed of the Owens River, the Los Angeles\r\nAqueduct, tributary streams, canals, ditches, and\r\nponds; and (3) a saturated ground-water system\r\ncontained in the valley fill.\r\nAnalysis of the hydrologic system was\r\naided by development of a ground-water flow\r\nmodel of the ?aquifer system,? which is defined as\r\nthe most active part of the ground-water system\r\nand which includes nearly all of the Owens Valley\r\nexcept for the area surrounding the Owens Lake.\r\nThe model was calibrated and verified for water\r\nyears 1963?88 and used to evaluate general\r\nconcepts of the hydrologic system and the effects\r\nof past water-management practices. The model\r\nalso was used to evaluate the likely effects of\r\nselected water-management alternatives designed\r\nto lessen the adverse effects of ground-water\r\npumping on native vegetation.\r\nResults of the model simulations confirm\r\nthat a major change in the hydrologic system was\r\ncaused by the additional export of water from the\r\nvalley beginning in 1970. Average ground-water\r\npumpage increased by a factor of five, discharge\r\nfrom springs decreased almost to zero, reaches of\r\nthe Owens River that previously had gained water\r\nfrom the aquifer system began losing water, and\r\ntotal evapotranspiration by native plants decreased\r\nby about 35 percent. Water-management practices as of 1988\r\nwere defined and evaluted using the model. Simulation\r\nresults indicate that increased ground-water\r\npumpage since 1985 for enhancement and mitigation\r\nprojects within the Owens Valley has further\r\nstressed the aquifer system and resulted in\r\ndeclines of the water table and reduced\r\nevapotranspiration. Most of the water-table\r\ndeclines are beneath the western alluvial fans and\r\nin the immediate vicinity of production wells. The\r\nwater-table altitude beneath the valley floor has\r\nremained relatively constant over time because of\r\nhydrologic buffers, such as evapotranspiration,\r\nsprings, and permanent surface-water features.\r\nThese buffers adjust the quantity of water\r\nexchanged with the aquifer system and effectively\r\nminimize variations in water-table altitude. The\r\nwidespread presence of hydrologic buffers is the\r\nprimary reason the water-table altitude beneath the\r\nvalley floor has remained relatively constant since\r\n1970 despite major changes in the type and\r\nlocation of ground-water discharge.\r\nEvaluation of selected water-management\r\nalternatives indicates that long-term variations in\r\naverage runoff to the Owens Valley of as much as",
     "description": "175 p., 6 plates in pocket",
     "publisher": {
       "@type": "Organization",
       "name": "U.S. Geological Survey"
     },
     "author": [
       {
         "@type": "Person",
         "name": "Danskin, Wesley R. wdanskin@usgs.gov",
         "givenName": "Wesley R.",
         "familyName": "Danskin",
         "email": "wdanskin@usgs.gov",
         "identifier": {
           "@type": "PropertyValue",
           "propertyID": "ORCID",
           "value": "0000-0001-8672-5501",
           "url": "https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8672-5501"
         },
         "affiliation": [
           {
             "@type": "Organization",
             "name": "California Water Science Center",
             "url": "https://www.usgs.gov/centers/california-water-science-center"
           }
         ]
       }
     ]
   }
 }

}