david p. lusch, ph.d. lusch@msu.edu 1 / 14 david p. lusch, ph.d. distinguished senior research...

1 / 14David P. Lusch, Ph.D.

lusch@msu.edu

David P. Lusch, Ph.D.Distinguished Senior Research Specialist

Michigan State UniversityDept. of Geography, Remote Sensing & GIS

Research and Outreach Services Group

Institute of Water Research

Michigan’s Michigan’s WWater ater WWithdrawal ithdrawal AAssessment Process ssessment Process

andand Using the WWA Tool for Planning Using the WWA Tool for Planning

and Watershed Managementand Watershed Management

and

2 / 14David P. Lusch, Ph.D.

lusch@msu.edu

Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process for Planning and Watershed Managementfor Planning and Watershed Management

• The Great Lakes Compact: why Michigan is regulating large-quantity water withdrawals

• Brief review of Michigan Water Law

• Tutorial on some key hydrologic terms and concepts

3 / 14David P. Lusch, Ph.D.

lusch@msu.edu

•Sources of Water in Rivers

– Overland Flow

– Baseflow (i.e., groundwater discharge)

– Interflow

– Direct precipitation in channel

Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process for Planning and Watershed Managementfor Planning and Watershed Management

4 / 14David P. Lusch, Ph.D.

lusch@msu.edu

•Sources of Water in Rivers

Precipitation

ET

Groundwater

Groundwaterflow path

Soil Moisture

Infiltration

Overland Flow (runoff)

InterflowWater table

Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process for Planning and Watershed Managementfor Planning and Watershed Management

5 / 14David P. Lusch, Ph.D.

lusch@msu.edu

•Baseflow of a river

−the amount of groundwater that discharges from an aquifer into the watercourse.

−Baseflow occurs year-round, but fluctuates seasonally depending on the level of the water-table aquifer.

−The baseflow of a river is supplemented by direct runoff during and immediately after precipitation or snowmelt events.

Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process for Planning and Watershed Managementfor Planning and Watershed Management

6 / 14David P. Lusch, Ph.D.

lusch@msu.edu

Runoff dominated river – very little baseflow: “flashy” and warm

Intermediate river – baseflow + runoff: warm/cool, but fewer extremes

Baseflow dominated river – very little runoff – cold/cold transitional

Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process for Planning and Watershed Managementfor Planning and Watershed Management

7 / 14David P. Lusch, Ph.D.

lusch@msu.edu

• Index Flow

– the flow that is met or exceeded 50% of the time for the lowest summer flow month of the flow regime, determined over the period of record or extrapolated from USGS flow gauges in Michigan.

Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process for Planning and Watershed Managementfor Planning and Watershed Management

8 / 14David P. Lusch, Ph.D.

lusch@msu.edu

•Groundwater Withdrawal Impacts on Rivers

– Reduced flow

– Altered water temperatures

Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process for Planning and Watershed Managementfor Planning and Watershed Management

9 / 14David P. Lusch, Ph.D.

lusch@msu.edu

•GW Withdrawal Impacts on Rivers

Precipitation

ET

Groundwater

GroundwaterFlow - COLD

Soil Moisture

Runoff - WARM

InterflowWater table

ReducedBaseflow

Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process for Planning and Watershed Managementfor Planning and Watershed Management

10 / 14David P. Lusch, Ph.D.

lusch@msu.edu

• Pumping well water sources

– Initially, water is removed from storage in the aquifer, and the head near the well is reduced inducing flow towards the well.

– As water is removed from storage, a cone of depression forms around the well.

Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process for Planning and Watershed Managementfor Planning and Watershed Management

11 / 14David P. Lusch, Ph.D.

lusch@msu.edu

• Pumping well water sources– In most cases, the cone of depression

continues to expand until the pumpage is balanced by a decrease in discharge from the system, resulting from the lowered head in the system which decreases the flow gradient in discharge areas and may shift the groundwater divide.

– The change in discharge due to pumping is called “capture.”

Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process for Planning and Watershed Managementfor Planning and Watershed Management

12 / 14David P. Lusch, Ph.D.

lusch@msu.edu

Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process for Planning and Watershed Managementfor Planning and Watershed Management

Source of water to a pumping well

Decrease in the discharge from

the system, resulting from the

lowered head in the system, decreased

gradients in discharge areas and shifts in the

groundwater divide.

Ground-waterdivide

Gro

un

d-w

ater

div

ide

Cone ofdepression

Q2 > Q1

gainingstream

streamgainsless

losingstream

13 / 14David P. Lusch, Ph.D.

lusch@msu.edu

Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process for Planning and Watershed Managementfor Planning and Watershed Management

• Source of water to a pumping well

14 / 14David P. Lusch, Ph.D.

lusch@msu.edu

• The next segment

– Water Withdrawal Tool Science

Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process Michigan’s Water Withdrawal Assessment Process for Planning and Watershed Managementfor Planning and Watershed Management