Continued Operation of a Raingage Network for the Imperial Valley Water Authority: Year Four: September 1995 - August 1996

Hollinger, Steven E.

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/54949 Copy

Description

Title

Continued Operation of a Raingage Network for the Imperial Valley Water Authority: Year Four: September 1995 - August 1996

Author(s)

Hollinger, Steven E.

Contributor(s)

Imperial Valley Water Authority

Issue Date

1997

Keyword(s)

• groundwater monitoring
• precipitation monitoring

Geographic Coverage

Mason County, Illinois; Tazewell County, Illinois

Abstract

Regional precipitation variability affects irrigation water demand on an aquifer, aquifer recharge, and the density of wells and irrigation systems required for agriculture and water supplies. These factors all affect any required water withdrawal allocations from an aquifer. Therefore, knowledge of the precipitation variability over an extensively irrigated region, such as the area within the Imperial Valley Water Authority (IVWA), should provide useful information for the management of ground-water resources in the region. The Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) has a long-term interest in precipitation measurement and related research. For the past 40 years, the ISWS has operated raingage networks over various time periods in both rural and urban areas. An agreement was reached between the IVWA and the ISWS in spring 1992, and a 25-site network was established in late August 1992. This report documents network operation, maintenance, data reduction and analysis, and management during the fourth year of operation (September 1995-August 1996). Data showing the differences among the first four years of operation are included. Several appendices also document actual raingage sites, instructions for raingage technicians, raingage maintenance information, graphs of monthly rainfall for each site, unusually large precipitation events recorded during the year, monthly precipitation variability at each site, and total rainfall during each storm period in the four years of operation. The fourth year was the driest of the four years of operation. It had the second driest spring (March-May) and the driest autumn (September-November), winter (December-February), and summer (June-August). The fourth observation year had the fewest rain days and rain events of the four observation years. Changes in the observation network were made during the year with the removal of sites 1, 5, 14, 17, and 25. Battery-driven clocks were installed in all the monthly observation raingages (sites 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 12, 15, and 20), and charts were changed once each month. All other stations in the network continue to deliver weekly raingage charts. These data and statistics, in combination with ground-water information now being collected in the area on a routine basis, should enhance the ability of the IVWA to accurately and efficiently manage the region's underground water resources.

Publisher

Illinois State Water Survey

Series/Report Name or Number

ISWS Contract Report CR 615

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/54949

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

Imperial Valley Water Authority

Copyright and License Information

This document is a product of the Illinois State Water Survey, produced for the Imperial Valley Water Authority. It has been selected and made available by the Illinois State Water Survey and the University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It is intended for research and educational use, and proper attribution is requested.

Owning Collections