World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2018
Development of a Monitoring Network in a Paired Watershed Study to Investigate Water Supply Benefits of Controlling Yellow Starthistle Infestation in Northern California
Publication: World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2018: International Perspectives, History and Heritage, Emerging Technologies, and Student Papers
ABSTRACT
Yellow starthistle is a winter annual plant native to the Mediterranean region. Its infestation in the northwestern United States is considered as a serious problem in rangelands, grasslands, and wildlands. Due to the plant’s high water usage, yellow starthistle increases water conservation costs and threatens native plant ecosystems, which necessitates control of starthistle. This study focuses on plant water use through direct quantification of surface water and groundwater responses to different vegetation treatments–with and without yellow starthistle–in small sub-watersheds located in Northern California. Four sub-watersheds that are heavily infested by the yellow starthistle and representative of the larger landscape (with varying sizes from 1.8 to 3.6 hectares) are identified. Meteorological stations, soil moisture sensors, piezometers, and flumes are installed in the watersheds. The monitoring system provides data via wireless communication technology which allows continuous monitoring from the remote project site, and makes data acquisition and analysis more efficient and cost effective. Data collection will be performed over the whole study period, starting from January 2018 and spanning a total of three years. The first year of the experimental study will be without treatment and the remaining two will include treatment. The monitored meteorological information, surface runoff, and changes in groundwater conditions and soil moisture conditions will be used to characterize baseline and after-treatment hydrologic functioning of the watersheds.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2018: International Perspectives, History and Heritage, Emerging Technologies, and Student Papers
Pages: 53 - 58
Editor: Sri Kamojjala, Las Vegas Valley Water District
ISBN (Online): 978-0-7844-8139-4
Copyright
© 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: May 31, 2018
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