Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management

A method for sizing a flow‐way to remove phosphorus from surplus rainfall runoff is presented. The flow‐way area would consist of a seasonal wetland community wherein the plants take up the nutrient. The paper presents the integration of scientific water quality study results with engineering surface water quantity procedures. Benefits of the plan include: (1) Use of surface water reduces agricultural use of groundwater; (2) use of surplus runoff reduces use of existing surface water resources; (3) use of a flow‐way maintains regional water quality; and (4) use and management of existing surface water provides economic benefits.

A new methodology and computer program, DAPROG 2, have been developed by the Baltimore District, Corps of Engineers to estimate urban flood damages. Stage‐damage relationships are computed for individual residential and commercial properties. These individual relationships are then aggregated into composite stage‐damage relationships for an entire reach. For residential properties, replacement values for the structure and contents are estimated and applied to depth‐percent damage relationships in order to develop stage‐damage relationships. Regression equations have been developed to estimate structure replacement cost from physical attributes which are easily obtained in the field. Contents values are also estimated from the data obtained in the field. For commercial properties, standard stage‐damage relationships for 67 types of businesses are used. Utility and transportation damages and emergency care costs are also computed. The computer program is interactive and allows the user to correct data errors online. The program has several optional features and reports which are selected by the user. DAPROG 2 has been successfully used by the Baltimore District in several flood control studies. DAPROG 2 has also been used by other Corps Districts and state agencies.

In New Jersey, existing water supply problems involve water availability during droughts and other emergencies, contamination, especially of ground water, and institutional problems. A drought occurred in 1980, just as the new Water Supply Master Plan was completed; and a large bond issue was approved, together with statutes greatly strengthening the State's authority for water supply management. As a consequence, the State has a very advanced water supply planning, regulatory and management program, which includes both positive and negative incentives to follow State guidance. To date, the State has built and manages only three water supply projects, and the Federal government, none. Thus, the greater part of new development and of system rehabilitation, is carried out by the 620 public water supply systems of the State (many of which are privately owned). New Jersey policy emphasizes management and problem‐solving. Feasibility planning, backed up by regulatory requirements to provide an adequate standard of service, encourages local initiative. Low interest loans, rather than grants, are used to encourage high priority programs such as remedial work in contaminated well fields.

A methodology is described for estimating a “Ground Water Working Inventory” for areas of the eastern Piedmont Province drawing ground water from crystalline rocks. The approach can improve efficiency in water resource and land‐use planning and use of surface and ground water resources. Calculation of the 7‐day, 10‐year and 7‐day, 1‐year flows from stream gage data together with application of geologic data and information calculated from 24‐hr pumping tests allow the outlining of areas more favorable and less favorable for ground water development. The Ground Water Working Inventory based on the 7‐day low‐flow calculations allows estimates of available water to be made and permits land‐use planners to make rational decisions about residential densities and other water‐related issues. Political bodies and planners can use the methodology to guide development according to how large a role ground water is to play in local water supply planning and management. High density development can be discouraged in those areas where ground water is limited and encouraged where commitments for surface water supplies have been made. Additionally, the inventory provides information which strengthens planning for use of ground water as a supplement to surface water supplies.

A hydrodynamic groundwater model is integrated with a multi‐level management model to formulate a composite model for investigating groundwater reservoir operation for drought management. The hydrodynamic model solves the three‐dimensional groundwater flow equation by the finite difference method. A U.S. Geological Survey Model with extensions is used for this purpose. For given hydrogeological conditions, the management model assists the planner to design a system for augmenting low streamflows according to stipulated water supply requirements, by: (1) Arranging the wells within each unit of a multiaquifer system; and (2) establishing the withdrawal pattern for the system. Sensitivity analyses are made of the parameters pertaining to the conjunctive use of water by applying the model to the Mashipacong Island area in the Delaware Basin. The studies consider the hydrogeological properties of the aquifer and streambed, artificial measures to reduce induced infiltration, and arrangements of wells and pumping schedules. Among the infiltration reduction measures studied, a vertical semi‐pervious core extending through the entire thickness of the aquifer can reduce losses from over 60% to less than 40%. Such a cutoff core, constructed by the slurry trenching process, may be economically attractive.

In 1967 the U.S. Water Resources Council (WRC) published Bulletin 15 recommending that a uniform technique be used by all Federal agencies in estimating floodflow frequencies for gaged watersheds. This uniform technique consisted of fitting the logarithms of annual peak discharges to a Pearson Type III distribution using the method of moments. The objective was to adopt a consistent approach for the estimation of floodflow frequencies that could be used in computing average annual flood losses for project evaluation. In addition, a consistent approach was needed for defining equitable flood‐hazard zones as part of the National Flood Insurance Program. In 1976 WRC published Bulletin 17 which extended and updated Bulletin 15 but still recommended the use of the “log‐Pearson Type III” method. Since 1976, two updates of Bulletin 17 (17A and 17B) have been published which clarify or improve on this base method, or do both. This paper gives a brief historical review of the development of these bulletins and the motivation and justification for the adoption of this uniform technique. Special emphasis is given to Bulletin 17B, the current guidelines used by Federal agencies. Specific techniques examined are the development of regional skew, weighting of regional and station skew, the basis for the low‐ and high‐outlier tests, and the basis for the adjustment of frequency curves using historical information.

Water resources engineering education may hinder the development of practitioners who must be not only technically proficient, but also capable of managing engineering problems in a social, political, and economic context. Professional water resources engineering requires the ability to communicate in interdisciplinary efforts, to plan public information programs, and to factor legal and social input, as well as technical know‐how, into problem solving. Opportunities to improve water resources engineering education include: (1) New methods of evaluating students that include assessments of communications skills; (2) broadened course requirements linking technical and social science/humanities programs through joint appointments, faculty exchanges, or social science/humanities courses tailor‐made for the engineering student; (3) a shift from traditional graduate training to providing an opportunity for graduate research on open‐ended problems typically found in water resources engineering; (4) nonoptional co‐op experience in the real world; and (5) evaluation outside of the accreditation process to encourage program experimentation. Professional practitioners can only benefit by such educational improvements and should provide substantial external support for basic research evaluating engineering education curricula, as well as support for and involvement in curriculum development.

In the southern San Francisco Bay Area, a state regulatory agency carried out a questionnaire survey to determine the locations and characteristics of underground chemical storage and handling facilities at industrial sites in the area. Sampling of soil and ground water were required at sites where underground tanks containing solvents were reported. The survey identified 1,692 tanks at 388 sites. The largest fraction were pretreatment sumps for industrial wastewater, followed by fuel tanks, solvent tanks, and tanks containing corrosives. Solvent tanks were reported at 96 sites. Subsurface investigations resulted in discovery of soil or ground water contamination at 75 of the 96 sites with solvent tanks, or both. Further investigations and remedial actions are underway at these sites, and new regulations have been adopted at the state and local levels to prevent future release of industrial chemicals into soil and ground water.