joel galloway associate director usgs north dakota water science center international legislators...
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Joel GallowayAssociate Director
USGS North Dakota Water Science CenterInternational Legislators Forum
Deadwood, South DakotaJune 24-26, 2015
An Overview of the Missouri River Basin
U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Geological SurveyU.S. Department of the Interior
• Only Federal Agency within DOI that has no regulatory authority or management responsibilities
• USGS stands as the sole science agency for the DOI• Mission:
provide reliable scientific information to describe and understand our natural resources; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and
protect our quality of life
The USGS is the science provider of choice in accessing the information and understanding to help resolve complex natural resource problems across the
Nation and around the world
Missouri River Basin - The Basics
• Mainstem Length – 2,341 mi– 2ND longest River in the U.S.– Begins with confluence of
Madison, Gallatin, and Jefferson Rivers near Three Forks, MT
– Enters the Mississippi at St. Louis, MO
– 10 States and 2 Canadian Provinces
• Basin – 530,000 mi2
– 1/6th of the US• Elevation range - 400 to
14,000 feet
The Missouri River Basin –complexity of size
• Physiography• Climate• Hydrology
– 2011 flood• Sediment
Physiography
Photos from: http://www.panoramio.com
Norton and others, 2014
Population
• Approx. 12 million people –mostly in lower portion of Basin
• 28 native tribes
Landuse
http://water.usgs.gov/lookup/getspatial?nhd_nlcd01 29% cropland55% hay and pasture13% forest, 3% urban
28% of all farm land in the U.S.
NRCS, 2012
Climate -Temperature
Mean annual maximum temps ranged from 35 to >60 OF
Norton and others, 2014 Norton and others, 2014
Mean annual minimum temps ranged from <5 to >45 OF
Climate - Precipitation• Mean annual total precip. ranges from 14
in/yr (NW portion) to 41 in/yr (SE portion)
Norton and others, 2014
Hydrology
Norton and others, 2014
Hydrology
Norton and others, 2014
“Taming” of the Missouri River
Channelized
Reservoir - regulated
“free flowing”, unchannelized
The Yellowstone River is the longest “free flowing “ River in the U.S.
“Taming” of the Missouri River
Yellowstone
Missouri
Bismarck
Missouri River - Regulation• Approx. 100 single purpose reservoirs in the Basin• More than 1,200 multipurpose reservoirs• 6 major mainstem reservoirs
– Fort Peck (Fort Peck Dam)– Sakakawea (Garrison Dam)– Oahe (Oahe Dam)– Sharpe (Big Bend Dam)– Francis Case (Fort Randall Dam)– Lewis and Clark (Gavin’s Point Dam)
Authorized purposes: flood control, navigation, irrigation, hydropower,water supply, fish and wildlife, water quality, and recreation
Galat and others, 2005U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, 2015
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, 2015
1st Largest:Lake Meade – 28.9 MAF current -10.7 MAF
3rd largest in U.S.
4th largest in U.S.
5th largest in U.S.
Missouri River at Bismarck, NDAnnual Peak Streamflow
1930
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
Pea
k st
ream
flow
, in
cubi
c fe
et p
er s
econ
d
0
100000
200000
300000
400000
500000
600000
Missouri River at Sioux City, IAAnnual Peak Streamflow
1930
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
Pea
k st
ream
flow
, in
cubi
c fe
et p
er s
econ
d0
100000
200000
300000
400000
500000
600000
Dam completion
Dam completion
2011
2011
1952
1952
Peak Streamflow 500,000 cfs
150,000 cfs
441,000 cfs
192,000 cfs
Annual RunoffMissouri River at Bismarck, ND
Annual Runoff
1930
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
Ann
ual r
unof
f, in
mill
ion
acre
-fee
t
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Missouri River at Sioux City, IAAnnual Runoff
1930
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
Ann
ual r
unof
f, in
mill
ion
acre
-fee
t
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Mean
Mean
2011
2011
1 foot of water over entire state of ND
The Flood of 2011• Previous “ recent” floods
– 1952: caused extensive flooding in the basin prior to reservoir construction
– 1997: Last large-scale runoff in the basin since the reservoirs and highest releases from the reservoirs prior to 2011
• How was the 2011 flood different?– Surprisingly few peaks of record; volume event– Tributary contributions to mainstem in 2011 almost
always greater than 1952– 1997 runoff greater than 2011 from SD tribs– Therefore, the 2011 flood had to move water from the
upper basin through the entire reservoir system instead of runoff from the entire basin.
Vining and others, 2013
Annual RunoffMissouri River at Bismarck, ND
Annual Runoff
1930
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
Ann
ual r
unof
f, in
mill
ion
acre
-fee
t
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Missouri River at Sioux City, IAAnnual Runoff
1930
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
Ann
ual r
unof
f, in
mill
ion
acre
-fee
t
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Mean
Mean
2011
2011
May-July 2011 runoff34.3 MAF
Hydrology
Alexander and others, 2013
Will this happen again?
Driscoll and others, 2014
Sediment – it isn’t call the “Big Muddy” for nothing
“…The water we drink, or the common water of the missourie at this time contains half a comn wine glass of ooze or mud to every pint…”21 June 1804, William Clark
Before flood-control dams – the suspended sediment load at the mouth was approx. 320 million tons per year.
….Currently it is about 86 million tons per year
Moody and others, 2003
Sediment – it isn’t call the “Big Muddy” for nothing
• Why is sediment important?– Habitat – Delivery to Mississippi Delta– Navigation– Water supply– Reservoir capacity– Flooding, ice jams
Post-Dam Conditions:-Mature vegetation
-Sediment free water
-Stabilized Hydrograph
Complexities of the Missouri – Implications and Issues
• Sedimentation issues• Habitat loss/restoration• Endangered species• Invasive species• Upstream – downstream interests
– Navigation vs. water supply, recreation– Flood control
References• http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/assessments/pdfs/Missouri_floods11.pdf• Holmes, R.R., Jr., Wiche, G.J., Koenig, T.A., and Sando, S.K., 2013, Peak streamflows and runoff volumes for the
Central United States, February through September, 2011: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1798–C, 60 p., http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1798c/.
• Driscoll, D.G., Southard, R.E., Koenig, T.A., Bender, D.A., and Holmes, R. R. Jr., 2014, Annual exceedance probabilities and trends for peak streamflows and annual runoff volumes for the Central United States during the 2011 floods, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1798–D, 89 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/pp1798D.
• Alexander, J.S., Jacobson, R.B., and Rus, D.L., 2013, Sediment transport and deposition in the lower Missouri River during the 2011 flood: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1798–F, 27 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/pp1798F
• Alexander, J.S., Wilson, R.C., and Green, W.R., 2012, A brief history and summary of the effects of river engineering
• and dams on the Mississippi River system and delta: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1375, 43 p.• Galat, D.L., Berry Jr., C.R., Peters, E.J., and White, R.G., 2005, Missouri River in Benke, A.C. and Cushing, C.E.
(eds.) Rivers of North America, Elsevier, Oxford• Norton, P.A., Anderson, M.T., and Stamm, J.F., 2014, Trends in annual, seasonal, and monthly streamflow
characteristics at 227 streamgages in the Missouri River watershed, water years 1960–2011: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2014–5053, 128 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20145053
• Vining, K.C., Chase, K.J., and Loss, G.R., 2013, General weather conditions and precipitation contributing to the 2011 flooding in the Mississippi River and Red River of the North Basins, December 2010 through July 2011: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1798–B, 22 p.
• http://water.usgs.gov/lookup/getspatial?nhd_nlcd01 • http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1048710.pdf
Thank you! Questions?