Continued Operation of a Raingage Network for the Imperial Valley Water Authority Year Three: September 1994 - August 1995

Hollinger, Steven E.; Peppier, Randy A.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/54948 Copy

Description

Title

Continued Operation of a Raingage Network for the Imperial Valley Water Authority Year Three: September 1994 - August 1995

Author(s)

• Hollinger, Steven E.
• Peppier, Randy A.

Contributor(s)

Imperial Valley Water Authority

Issue Date

1996

Keyword(s)

• precipitation monitoring
• groundwater 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 allocation 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 third year of operation (September 1994-August 1995). Data showing the differences among the first three years of operation are included. Several appendices also document actual raingage sites, instructions for raingage technicians, raingage maintenance information, unusually large precipitation events recorded during the year, monthly precipitation variability at each site, and total rainfall during each storm period in the three years of network operation. The third year was the driest of the three years of operation. It had the wettest spring (March-May) and the driest winter (December-February) and summer (June-August). The third observation year had on average approximately two more rain days at each station, and an average of three more rain events per station than were observed during the second observation year. Both the second and third years had fewer rain events and rain days than during the first observation year. Because of the relatively dense raingage spacing, the network also is providing high-quality data for research purposes. Data from the first three years of observation will be analyzed during the next year to determine correlations of precipitation amounts between raingage sites and to identify regions of spatial coherency in the precipitation-producing systems traversing the region, allowing further assessment of the spatial variability of the precipitation. Estimates of the probabilities of different storm paths and precipitation patterns in the area also will be developed. 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 597

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/54948

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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