Overview
Located near a perennial-to-intermittent river reach, the water supply for this facility was previously pumped from production wells completed in deep basin-fill sediments that could meet peak demands exceeding 16,000 AF/yr. Today, the wells supply water for limited municipal uses.
Services
Adjudication & Water Rights Support
- Reviewed legal and technical documents prepared by the adjudication court and stakeholder experts to evaluate evolving definitions and approaches for distinguishing surface water and groundwater and characterizing associated impacts
- Prepared expert reports and provided expert testimony regarding the technical criteria to be used for delineating subsurface water that is legally deemed to be surface water
- Monitored streamflow and vegetation via visual inspection, automated cameras, and satellite imagery, focusing on a 6-mile perennial-to-intermittent reach adjacent to the wellfield
- Analyzed geologic, precipitation, streamflow, groundwater withdrawal, water level, and geochemical data to evaluate the relationship between groundwater pumping and surface water flows
- Interfaced with field biologists and conservation groups to support the evaluation of streamflow and riparian ecosystems
- Designed and oversaw the installation of a monitoring well network
- Designed a monitoring program to characterize water sources / types and assess the hydraulic connection between aquifer zones
Groundwater Modeling
- Developed a groundwater flow model to project the long-term drawdown response to pumping in the deeper basin-fill aquifer on the shallow alluvial system
- Integrated long-term monitoring and hydrogeologic data into the model
- Evaluated and updated transport projections to improve the site conceptual model
Water Resource Economics
- Developed an economic analysis to assess the impact of potential surface water reductions on a downstream agricultural user with senior surface-water rights
- Used the results of this evaluation to conclude a reduced risk from potential adjudication claims