Hydrology and Water Resources in Arizona and the Southwest, Volume 15 (1985)

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Proceedings of the Hydrology section of the Annual Meeting of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science. Full text manuscripts of work presented. Research related to water resources, water management, and hydrologic studies primarily focused regionally on southwestern US.
Volume 15. Proceedings of the 1985 Meetings of the Arizona Section - American Water Resources Association and the Hydrology Section - Arizona - Nevada Academy of Science.
April 27, 1985, Las Vegas, Nevada
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Recent Submissions
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Hydrology and Water Resources in Arizona and the Southwest, Volume 15 (1985)Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science, 1985-04-27
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Evaluating the Effectiveness of Curtain Wells Against Subsurface Flooding in Yuma, ArizonaDuring 1983 the Colorado River experienced high flow conditions due to abnormally high snowmelt and runoff from the upper basin states. Flood stages provided sufficient hydraulic head to force water under the protective levee system around Yuma, Arizona. This caused inundation of adjacent urban and agricultural lands from the subsequent rise in the local water table. A methodology was planned whereby a series of "curtain wells" would be installed and the water table pumped down to below grade conditions. The feasibility of accomplishing this was studied by retrofitting an existing agricultural well located on "Yuma Island", and installing a series of monitor wells in a two-dimensional array perpendicular and tangential to the levee. The production well was pumped continuously for eight weeks, and the subsequent drawdown within the piezometers monitored. Based on the data gathered, it was possible to predict the effectiveness of the proposed curtain well system.
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An Empirical Evaluation of the Costs of Groundwater OverdraftEstimates of the variable costs for groundwater pumping and overdraft in Central Arizona are compared to the price of water delivered via the Central Arizona Project (CAP). The respective marginal costs of supplying irrigation water through each of the two alternative sources are compared to the marginal demand for water by farmers. Finally, the relative cost competitiveness of groundwater versus CAP water is evaluated against a number of alternative rates of energy cost escalation and groundwater decline.
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Storm Runoff and Sediment Production After Wildfire in ChaparralStormflow and sediment production increased greatly after a wildfire on three small cha3parrlal watersheds in .entral Arizona. Peaks frequently exceeded 5 m³ s⁻¹ km⁻² (450 cfg mi⁻²) when 15-minute rainfall intensity exceeded 50 mm hr⁻¹ (2 in hr⁻¹) on catchments that, before burning, responded little to intense rainfall. Source water for the flashy spates and heavy erosion was surface runoff on the severely burned, unprotected, water -repellent soils. For a few years after the fire, intense summer rains produced a disproportionate amount of the runoff and sediment. Early postfire recovery was rapid; severe flooding and erosion were over in 3 years, and within 5 to 10 years stormflows and peaks declined to near prefire levels. Postfire conversion to grass on one watershed did not appreciably change the rate of recovery.
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Evaluation of Hydrologic and Hydraulic Procedures for Small Urban Watersheds in the SouthwestHydrologic and hydraulic design procedures developed by the Pima County Department of Transportation and Flood Control District were proposed for use by the Department of Transportation, Engineering Division of the City of Tucson, Arizona. These procedures were evaluated with respect to their reasonableness of approach and in comparison with other methods and existing data used to derive similar methodology and standards. The proposed criteria/methodology were found to be consistent with procedures used in other cities in the Southwest, and with the current state of the art in urban hydrology and hydraulic engineering practices and procedures. However, locally derived rainfall intensity -duration relationships were found to be superior to regionally based relationships, and minor modifications were suggested for channel design procedures.