42-20 Integrating Remote Sensing, Hydrologic, and Water Budget Analyses Reveals Surface Water–Groundwater Connectivity Through a Karst Watershed: Snake Creek, Great Basin National Park

Abstract:

Both surface water and groundwater are economically and ecologically indispensable to agriculture, forests, industry, and residential communities. The location of water within a system is important; while agriculture depends on surface flow to fill water diversions, forest ecosystems and residential communities depend on groundwater storage. Because of the intricate paths of sub- and over-surface flow and the diverse water needs of anthropogenic and natural systems, devising successful water resource management plans is difficult. This difficulty is heightened in Great Basin National Park (GRBA), where limestone and dolomite streambeds increase karstic drainage, numerous fault zones abruptly alter flow paths, and aridity causes streams to be ephemeral. Snake Creek is one such stream in GRBA, and it was diverted in 1961 by a three-mile pipeline that bypasses a losing reach of the stream and delivers water to downstream users. The pipeline over Snake Creek has exceeded its life expectancy and is degrading, and future management of Snake Creek requires a more complete understanding of groundwater–surface water connectivity and its impact on riparian zones and downstream users. Although it was previously thought that infiltration from the losing reach of Snake Creek was lost to deep aquifers, analyses combining satellite-derived measures of riparian vegetation condition, streamflow measurements, and regional water budgets show that Snake Creek infiltration recharges both shallow and deep aquifers. This finding, along with an improved understanding of water behavior in the region, will prepare National Park Service water managers to make an informed decision regarding updates to the pipeline. The decision to restore or remove the pipeline will not only affect local water availability but will also influence water security on a broader scale, as excessive groundwater depletion in Snake Valley could reduce groundwater recharge in neighboring aquifers. This research advances the management of a critical natural resource by integrating larger datasets and more comprehensive analytical methods. The resulting synthesis of Snake Creek's hydrologic and ecological function equips stakeholders throughout the region to better steward the river's health and share its water in a fair and organized manner. Water planners across the greater Great Basin region should consider taking similar steps to fully understand the water systems on which they depend.

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