Monitoring water flow and quality
Database and GIS provide timely information for Rio Grande
By Jenna Smith
For more information regarding this subject, contact:
Zhuping Sheng
(915) 859-9111
z-sheng@tamu.edu
or visit http://www.pdnwc.org
Technology has hit the Rio Grande, from Elephant Butte Dam, New Mexico, to Fort Quitman, Texas.
Research scientists from Texas A&M University (TAMU), New Mexico State University (NMSU) and Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez have teamed up with federal and state agencies, irrigation districts, and water organizations from both sides of the border to provide input for the development of a Coordinated Water Resources Database & Geographic Information Systems (GIS) by the Paso del Norte (PDN) Watershed Council.
Leading the research teams are Zhuping Sheng, assistant professor of hydrogeology at the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center in El Paso, and Christopher Brown, assistant professor of geography at NMSU.
Organizations have measured and recorded flow and water quality data for years. Yet, until now, there has been no collaboration among these groups to collect and share this information.
"All of these entities have interests in monitoring the river and its canals and drain waters," Sheng said. "They want to effectively collect relevant data to prevent many of the problems we now encounter, such as duplications and inconsistency."
The Rio Grande is the only major source of renewable water in the Paso del Norte region, which includes El Paso, Las Cruces and Ciudad Juarez in Mexico. In order to use the available river supply as effectively as possible, a system for monitoring river and water quality using real-time data is necessary.
The Coordinated Water Resources Database & GIS is designed to collect, synchronize and provide timely online access to flow and water quality data for use by stakeholders, scientists, water agencies and irrigation districts.
Phase I of the project was completed in 2003, and helped to identify sources, locations and parameters of water flow and quality measurements. At the same time, NMSU developed a Web site with a GIS interface that details the Rio Grande irrigation network, measurement stations and archival water-resources-related data within the Paso del Norte Region.
"We are currently in Phase II of this project," Sheng said. "We are in the process of creating digital records of historical data, sharing real-time data, providing resources and information through the Coordinated Database Web site, and coordinating water resources measurements and reporting."
Creating an easy method for incorporating all the flow and water quality data from a variety of sources and providing access through a Web-based interface will help to better serve the Paso del Norte Region stakeholders in water resources planning and management.
For example, in the past, flash flooding in the region has led to overbank spills and cresting of flood control levees. Integrated, real-time flood tracking using the coordinated system will allow for accurate preventive actions at diversion dams and spillways to ensure containment of floodwaters.
Since the completion of Elephant Butte Dam in 1916, little water has been released into the Paso del Norte River region during the non-irrigation season (November through February). Advances in flow monitoring by using real-time technology will help ensure that proper amounts of water are delivered at the prescribed times.
"This up-to-date system of real-time water flow and water quality monitoring is necessary to assure more efficient delivery of specific amounts of water to communities along the river," he said. "By effectively and efficiently monitoring and operating the passage of Rio Grande flows and water quality in our region, we can also maintain water quality within acceptable limits for effective water treatment, especially during low flow periods."
Several organizations are providing support to develop the PDN Watershed Council’s Coordinated Database and GIS. These include El Paso Water Utilities, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rio Grande Basin Initiative, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, NMSU’s Water Resources Research Institute and TAMU.
