Continued Operation of a Raingage Network for the Imperial Valley Water Authority, Year Five: September 1996 - August 1997

Hollinger, Steven E.; Scott, Robert W.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/54950 Copy

Description

Title

Continued Operation of a Raingage Network for the Imperial Valley Water Authority, Year Five: September 1996 - August 1997

Author(s)

• Hollinger, Steven E.
• Scott, Robert W.

Contributor(s)

Imperial Valley Water Authority

Issue Date

1998

Keyword(s)

• precipitation monitoring
• groundwater monitoring

Geographic Coverage

Mason County, Illinois; Tazewell County, Illinois

Abstract

Regional precipitation viability 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 that 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 fifth year of operation (September 1996-August 1997). Data showing the differences among the first five 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 five years of network operation. The fifth year was the second driest of the five years of operation. It had the driest spring (March-May) and autumn (September-November), second wettest winter (December-February), and third wettest summer (June-August). The fifth observation year ranked third among rain days and rain events of the five observation years, exceeded only by 1992-1993 and 1994-1995. No major changes were made in the observation network during this year. 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 625

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/54950

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.

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