place since the 1980s, all four basin states now have reporting requirements for
users whose withdrawals exceed specified thresholds.
2.2 Objective
The objective of the ICPRB project is to develop a comprehensive, flexible, and
transparent analysis and mapping tool for water withdrawals and consumptive use
in the upper Potomac River Basin to ultimately facilitate collaborative water
resources planning in the region. The tool is being designed to support development
of a basin-wide water supply management strategy, including existing water supply
planning efforts. It will provide a long-term time series of monthly water use data
and allow for analyses of seasonality and inter-annual variability as well as trends.
The tool will make data, at the watershed scale, easily accessible to water managers
in all basin states. It will also provide information on consumptive use in the upper
Potomac Basin from 1985 to the present, in a monthly time step at the small
watershed scale. The project comprises three components: (1) a relational database
containing a compilation of available monthly water withdrawal data from basin
states, supplemented by 5-year datasets of annual withdrawals aggregated to the
county level by the US Geological Survey (USGS); (2) a Water Balance Conveyance Model which computes consumptive use, including the effects of interwatershed transfers of water; and (3) an interactive web-based mapping tool to
readily share information. Each of these components is discussed in subsequent
sections of this chapter.
Such information will help governmental agencies evaluate the impact of potential water withdrawal permitting decisions in the sub-watersheds within the basin
and those that cross state boundaries. It will improve estimates of cumulative
consumptive use upstream of the Washington, DC, metropolitan area water suppliers’ Potomac River intakes, an important input for the area’s long-term planning
and operational models. The information will also assist multiple stakeholders with
local, state, and basin-wide planning.
3 Methods
The major focus of this chapter is on consumptive use of water. The analysis and
mapping tool described here provides estimates of consumptive water use at a
spatial and temporal resolution commensurate with planning needs in the Potomac
River Basin. Details of the methods are provided below.
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users whose withdrawals exceed specified thresholds.
2.2 Objective
The objective of the ICPRB project is to develop a comprehensive, flexible, and
transparent analysis and mapping tool for water withdrawals and consumptive use
in the upper Potomac River Basin to ultimately facilitate collaborative water
resources planning in the region. The tool is being designed to support development
of a basin-wide water supply management strategy, including existing water supply
planning efforts. It will provide a long-term time series of monthly water use data
and allow for analyses of seasonality and inter-annual variability as well as trends.
The tool will make data, at the watershed scale, easily accessible to water managers
in all basin states. It will also provide information on consumptive use in the upper
Potomac Basin from 1985 to the present, in a monthly time step at the small
watershed scale. The project comprises three components: (1) a relational database
containing a compilation of available monthly water withdrawal data from basin
states, supplemented by 5-year datasets of annual withdrawals aggregated to the
county level by the US Geological Survey (USGS); (2) a Water Balance Conveyance Model which computes consumptive use, including the effects of interwatershed transfers of water; and (3) an interactive web-based mapping tool to
readily share information. Each of these components is discussed in subsequent
sections of this chapter.
Such information will help governmental agencies evaluate the impact of potential water withdrawal permitting decisions in the sub-watersheds within the basin
and those that cross state boundaries. It will improve estimates of cumulative
consumptive use upstream of the Washington, DC, metropolitan area water suppliers’ Potomac River intakes, an important input for the area’s long-term planning
and operational models. The information will also assist multiple stakeholders with
local, state, and basin-wide planning.
3 Methods
The major focus of this chapter is on consumptive use of water. The analysis and
mapping tool described here provides estimates of consumptive water use at a
spatial and temporal resolution commensurate with planning needs in the Potomac
River Basin. Details of the methods are provided below.
146
J. Ducnuigeen et al.