Upper San Pedro Basin Instrumentation and Monitoring Update

Upper San Pedro BasinUpper San Pedro Basin

Instrumentation and Monitoring Instrumentation and Monitoring UpdateUpdate

Dustin Goering Chad Radford John Smith Tim KeeferDustin Goering Chad Radford John Smith Tim Keefer

Southwest Watershed Research CenterSouthwest Watershed Research Center

USPP Technical Meeting November 29, 2006USPP Technical Meeting November 29, 2006

OverviewOverviewIn support of USPP and in collaboration with USGS and BLM the USDA-ARS-SWRC is monitoring:

San Pedro River flow presenceFort Huachuca and Sierra Vista detention basinsUSP Basin precipitation at recording raingages

Tasks include:Installing and maintaining gagesCollecting, checking, archiving data

Monitored Data Uses:Water Balance calculationEco-hydrologic modelingPublic Information

Instrumentation & Monitoring:Instrumentation & Monitoring: CURRENTCURRENT 8 SP River Flow/Persistence Sites8 SP River Flow/Persistence Sites 5 Detention Basins5 Detention Basins 25 Raingages with soil moisture in USPB25 Raingages with soil moisture in USPB FY 2007FY 2007

• Make available flow, basin and soil dataMake available flow, basin and soil data• Based on USPP prioritization:Based on USPP prioritization:• ~7 Additional Raingages~7 Additional Raingages• ~3 Additional Detention Basins~3 Additional Detention Basins

SWRC monitoring sites in USPB

Sierra Vista and Fort Huachuca detention basins

Methods for Determining Flow Methods for Determining Flow Presence:Presence:

1.1. Pressure Transducers used in the past.Pressure Transducers used in the past.

2.2. Change to occasional photo image at Change to occasional photo image at same location as pressure transducers.same location as pressure transducers.

3.3. Monsoon 2006 installed one stationary Monsoon 2006 installed one stationary cameracamera

4.4. Currently installing stationary “game” Currently installing stationary “game” cameras that will take daily photos at cameras that will take daily photos at each of the other 7 monitoring sites.each of the other 7 monitoring sites.

Floods damaged or destroyed pressure transducers in pastNo control structures to prevent channel from migrating or channel bottom from moving, eroding or depositing sedimentRiver channels migrated away from pressure transducer sites leaving them high and dryRiver channel cut under PT site where water may pond giving inaccurate “flow” presence

Issues of Determining Flow Presence:Issues of Determining Flow Presence:

Occasional Photos:Occasional Photos:July 2006July 2006 August 2006August 2006

October 2006October 2006Moson Photo SiteMoson Photo Site

Issues:Access changes with road/weather

conditionsNot identical camera positionTime/Travel intensiveOne image ~once every 3-5 days or longer

Stationary Camera:Stationary Camera:

Installed June 2006Installed June 2006 Boquillas Monitoring SiteBoquillas Monitoring Site Hourly images during daylightHourly images during daylight Site visit ~ once per month to Site visit ~ once per month to collect data and change batterycollect data and change battery

5 Basins with pressure transducers5 Basins with pressure transducers

4 located on eastern edge of Fort H4 located on eastern edge of Fort H

1 near Fry & Hwy 921 near Fry & Hwy 92

Data recorded every 15 minutes Data recorded every 15 minutes

Download data every 1-3 monthsDownload data every 1-3 months

No SWRC raingages located within No SWRC raingages located within detention basin watersheds – detention basin watersheds – precipitation and basin hydrograph precipitation and basin hydrograph not necessarily linkednot necessarily linked

Solar PanelSolar Panel

Data LoggerData Logger

Radio & ModemRadio & Modem

Load CellLoad Cell

Rain CollectorRain Collector

Raingage typical installationRaingage typical installation

Elevations range fromElevations range from3600 to over 7500 feet3600 to over 7500 feet

Data collected daily by radioData collected daily by radio

Soil moisture and temperatureSoil moisture and temperaturecapability added in 2006capability added in 2006

Rainfall variability for June – OctoberRainfall variability for June – October 0.25” to 1.14” ~ 0.3 miles apart 0.25” to 1.14” ~ 0.3 miles apart 0.5” to 1.3” ~2.3 miles apart0.5” to 1.3” ~2.3 miles apart

Almost no difference in event occurrences and only small difference in event depths at short distances, but adds up over season

Rainfall variability for June – OctoberRainfall variability for June – October

0.7” to 3.4” ~7 miles apart 0.0” to 13.1” ~ 30 to 40 miles apart0.7” to 3.4” ~7 miles apart 0.0” to 13.1” ~ 30 to 40 miles apart

Greater difference in event occurrences and event depths at longer distances

Kartchner Caverns State Park USPP RG414 9/5/2006 Precipitation 19:03 to 20:17 Soil values 17:00 to 22:00

Total depth 1.12 in Peak rate 5.03 iph Total duration 74 min Time to peak rate 5 min

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0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300

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Soi

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Depth Rate Soil VWC Soil Temp

Precipitation event with accompanying soil moisture and temperaturePrecipitation event with accompanying soil moisture and temperature

Current Data AvailabilityCurrent Data Availability

Preliminary Daily Precipitation:Preliminary Daily Precipitation:

6:00 am on following day6:00 am on following day

Final QAQC precipitation event:Final QAQC precipitation event:

““Breakpoint” event data – time, depth Breakpoint” event data – time, depth intensity, resolution 1 minute, 0.01”intensity, resolution 1 minute, 0.01”

about 2 weeks for QAQC dataabout 2 weeks for QAQC data

2007 Data Availability2007 Data AvailabilitySoil moisture and temperature:Soil moisture and temperature:

20 minute intervals20 minute intervals

about 2 weeks for QAQC dataabout 2 weeks for QAQC data

San Pedro Flow:San Pedro Flow:

Daily flow presence will be tabulated from archived Daily flow presence will be tabulated from archived images.images.

Detention Basin Stage:Detention Basin Stage:

Stage and volume at 15 minute intervalsStage and volume at 15 minute intervals

Both flow and basin data available within 90 days at SWRC Both flow and basin data available within 90 days at SWRC website.website.

Data AvailabilityData AvailabilitySWRC ftp siteSWRC ftp siteftp://www-ftp.tucson.ars.ag.gov/DailyReports/Current/USPP/ftp://www-ftp.tucson.ars.ag.gov/DailyReports/Current/USPP/

Daily precipitationDaily precipitation

SWRC websiteSWRC websitehttp://www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/dap/

Checked precipitation, soil moisture and soil temperature, detention basin stage/volume, river flow persistence

Considerations

1. More raingages associated with detention basins

2. More raingages on Ft Huachuca 88 acres near La Terreza

3. Locations of 7 additional raingages

4. Locations of 3 additional detention basins

5. Budgetary trade off between more detention basins or raingages