understanding water use in montana

8/3/2019 Understanding Water Use in Montana

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Understanding Water Use in Montana

an Experiment in Geospatially Enabling the DNRC Water Rights Database

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Yellowstone River Conservation Districts CouncilNovember 4, 2011

Montana DNRC Jim Robinson

Troy Blandford

Elizabeth Murray

Kris Hardman

Montana NRIS Evan Hammer

Duane Lund


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Montana Water Planning


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Montana Water Planning


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NHD Surface Water Features and Flowlines

Source: USGS


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POD2NHD Migration Experiment

Overall Goal: Assess the feasibility of geospatially enabling the DNRC Water Rights

Database (WRDB) and integrating it with other event data

associated with the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD).

Objectives 1. Develop water use data associated with individual water rightsin a form that supports hydrologic analysis and water planning;

2. Estimate level of effort to implement on a larger scale;

3. Education and demonstration purposes.


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Location Map: Tongue River Basin and Pumpkin Creek

Subwatershed, MT


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Warrior Trail (now Hwy 212)

1880s Homesteader Cabin

Pumpkin Ck


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Pumpkin Creek

Pumpkin Creek at Hwy 212


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0

5

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Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

cfs

Mean Monthly Discharge

Pumpkin Creek


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Pumpkin Creek Streamflow Statistics

Total volume of surface water diverted for irrigation in Pumpkin Creek = 124,603 ac-ft


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Pumpkin Creek Irrigated Lands:

From adjudication data (acres)

Claimed = 14,640

Examined = 13,670

WRS = 10,432 (Custer 1948 , Powder River 1961)

From DOR FLU data (acres)

flood = 94pivot = 2

sprinkler = 0

Total = 96


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ResultsPhase II Pumpkin Creek (sub-basin within 42C)

1697 PODs - 17 different means of diversion.

No Action= 593/ 1697 (35.6%) = 97 Instream Fisheries (100 %) +

467 Wells (100%) +

29 Livestock Direct +

minor developed and undeveloped springs, spring boxes

and pumps.

Manually Placed to NHD = 1028/1697(60.6.6%)

Placed on Proposed NHD = 76/1697 (4.5%)



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0

100

200

300

400

500

600

PUMPKIN CREEK BY MEANS OF DIVERSION



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Springs = 223 PODs(13%)

Developed Springs (63)

Springbox (28) Undeveloped Springs (15) Livestock Direct (117)

Wells = 495 PODs

(29%)

Pumpkin Creek Watershed

Groundwater Rights


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Value added to NHD Dams

Dams currently

in the NHD

high-resolution

dataset: 23

Water Right

Dams: 488


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POD Dams versusNHD Dams

WRDB Dam

WRDB Dam

WRDB/NHD Dam


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Surface Water Rights

Dikes, Diversions, etc.

= 346 PODs (20%)


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Water Right No.42C 129192 00

(Example of a many-to-many relationship)

Priority date = 1900

(22) POUs

Diversion means:

Dike w/ water spreading

Max flow rate:

No specific flow rate b/c use consists of

direct flow water spreading

Max Volume: 665 AC-FT

(7) PODs

Max Acres: 686

Abstract Note: POD is moveable all along source within legal land description

Mapped Acres: 651


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Conclusions:

It is possible to index Montanas water right data to the NHD, but the

purpose and need must clarified.

Some of the diversions types are straight forward to map (e.g. dams),

others are not (water spreading dikes). Some simplification is

necessary to index certain diversion types to the NHD.

Next Steps:

1. Update the high-resolution NHD in partnership with federal, state and

local partners;

2. Work with USGS and NRIS to publish the data as part of the NHD;

3. Investigate the effect of surface water development on prairie stream

hydrology in a suitable drainage in the Yellowstone Basin.


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Questions?

Pumpkin Creek - June 2011

understanding water use in montana

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