Earth Sciences Commons^™

A Conceptual Framework For Managed Aquifer Recharge In The Columbia River Basalts Of The Lower Yakima River Basin, Bethany Kharrazi

All Master's Theses

In the Yakima River Basin in south-central Washington, increasing demands for water, overallocation of surface water, and a changing climate are leading to a loss of water storage and increasing water deficits in drought years. A warming climate has reduced snowpack in the Cascade Range, a vital reservoir for the irrigated agricultural industry which supports the basin’s economy. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is a sustainable and cost-effective approach for securing water supply by storing water underground for recovery during drought. Diminishing groundwater levels in regional basalt aquifers over the last several decades suggest there is significant storage available for intentional …

Estimating Evapotranspiration And Analyzing Soil Moisture And Heat Flux Parameters At Taneum Creek, Central Washington, Edward Vlasenko

All Master's Theses

In the past two decades, stream restoration work, primarily in the form of wood emplacement, has been undertaken in the Taneum Creek watershed, resulting in increased channel-floodplain connectivity. One of the goals of stream restoration was to boost dry season groundwater storage in the shallow floodplain aquifer. However, any gains in groundwater due to increased connectivity may be nullified by increased evapotranspiration (ET) losses because of denser floodplain vegetation. Within the floodplain aquifer budget, ET is a major flow of water out of the system and is not well quantified.

In order to quantify ET, a monitoring site was established …

A Geochemical Assessment Of Potential Groundwater Storage Locations Within The Yakima River Basin, Silas Sleeper

All Master's Theses

Currently in the Yakima River Basin more people possess surface water rights than there is available surface water. As a result, the local community devised the Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Management Plan, with the goal of creating a sustainable source of water for the foreseeable future. One of seven elements outlined in this plan is groundwater storage. The idea is to take available water during high spring flows and store it in the subsurface. The water will then be used to increase stream flows and decrease stream water temperatures during the summer months. A main challenge associated with groundwater …