Faithin Omaha eBook Collection

Download or read book Hyrologic Trends in the Upper Nueces River Basin of Texas written by Ermon Dave Thomas and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Access to and the availability of reliable water sources are central to human and environmental health. In south Texas, the Nueces River Basin directly or indirectly plays that important role for many counties that use the watershed. Several segments of the Nueces River Basin are designated as ecologically significant as they serve crucial hydrologic, ecologic, and biologic functions. The hydrologically significant streams are of particular interest because they recharge the Edwards Aquifer, an essential water source for the region’s agricultural, industrial, and residential activities. Unfortunately, the semiarid to arid south Texas climate leads to large inter-annual precipitation variability which impacts streamflow reliability, and by extension, the aquifer’s recharge. The disruption of both surface and groundwater flows could then affect the region’s water supply causing concerns for water management as well as its aquatic communities. In this study, we evaluated the Nueces River Basin’s hydroclimatic trends from 1970 to 2014 and their impact on the watershed’s ecologically significant stream segments. Precipitation and streamflow data were compiled from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) and Hydroclimatic Data Network (HCDN) respectively, and they were evaluated for statistical trends using various hydrologic indicators. The study consistently showed statistically significant decreasing trends for certain low-flow indicators in the streamflow gauges over various temporal scales likely due to water rights owners and minimal land use changes. The declining flows would potentially be problematic to south Texas because they could affect the water supply of that region as well as disrupt natural migration patterns of aquatic species, decrease the biodiversity of the region, and lead to habitat loss for the organismal populations in the watershed. The anticipated impacts of this research include aiding resource planners and decision makers develop the necessary tools to manage water resources in the Nueces Basin region, particularly given their significance for domestic consumption and ecological health.