Resourceful Study Provides Trend Analysis of Historical Data
2011
Freese and Nichols knows a thing or two about water – since our firm’s founding in 1894, we’ve been a leading engineering consultant for water supply projects. When our skilled water resources professionals set out to study the potential causes of inflow decline in the Lake Meredith watershed (between Ute Reservoir in New Mexico and Lake Meredith), we looked to a few techniques never before used in a comprehensive reservoir study in Texas.
While there are many theories about the causes of reservoir inflow decline, no comprehensive analysis existed on the potential causes of the decline. Our team used an unique approach to assess precipitation and present the net hydrologic loss in a logical manner by developing a GIS technique to spatially estimate the total historical amount of precipitation for the reservoir area.
This study demonstrated that annual average precipitation and temperature were not contributing to the reduction of water in the Lake Meredith watershed. Instead, it found that there was not one major contributing factor, but rather a combination of factors (e.g., rainfall intensity, brush, groundwater decline) that possibly tipped the hydrologic balance of the watershed.
By employing the GIS Inverse Distance Weighted interpolation method to track historical data, Freese and Nichols provided a method for data tracking and set the foundation for future projects.
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