Advanced Technologies and Modeling
Advanced Technologies and Modeling
USGS Nebraska Water Science Center scientists have extensive modelling expertise and experience including advanced regional and local numerical groundwater models which run on an extensive computer array; multi-dimensional and steady and unsteady flow models; flood inundation maps and flood insurance studies; empirical and theoretical run-off models; and innovative and complex numerical optimization and parameter estimation techniques. These simulations can identify risks both to water resources and infrastructure and can also develop management scenarios to minimize those risks.
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High Plains Groundwater Availability Study
Water availability is a function of many factors, including the quantity and quality of water and the laws, regulations, economics, and environmental factors that control its use. The focus of the High Plains Groundwater Availability Study is on improving fundamental knowledge of the water balance of the basin, including the flows, storage, and water use by humans and the environment. An improved...
Elkhorn-Loup Model
In the Elkhorn River and Loup River Basins, Natural Resources Districts (Upper Elkhorn, Lower Elkhorn, Upper Loup, Lower Loup, Middle Niobrara, Lower Niobrara, Lewis and Clark, and Lower Platte North) are collecting data and developing tools to assist with water resource planning. Critical planning issues in the Elkhorn River and Loup River basins are focused on the availability of the groundwater...
Sand Hills and Dissected Plains Water Budgets
A detailed annual water budget is invaluable for effective interrelated water management, particularly in river valleys where streamflow and crop demands are key components of the budget. Extraction of groundwater or diversion of surface water can affect flow to streams, wetlands, and other surface-water bodies. We are providing new insights into the water budget by estimating quantities of...
Flood Inundation Mapping
Flood inundation maps are a sequence of maps which show where flooding may occur at different stream levels. These maps can help communities prepare for, understand, and mitigate flood risks in their area.
Groundwater/Surface-Water Interactions in the Loup River Basin
Streams in the Loup River basin are sensitive to groundwater withdrawals because of the close hydrologic connection between groundwater and surface water. Pumping from aquifers that are hydrologically connected to surface-water bodies can have a significant effect on the streams by reducing the groundwater discharge to surface water. An evaluation of any groundwater management strategy needs to...
Water Movement Through the Unsaturated Zone of the High Plains Aquifer in the Central Platte Natural Resources District, Nebraska
Eight unsaturated-zone research sites were installed in the Central Platte Natural Resources District as part of the High Plains Unsaturated-Zone Research Network. These 8 sites were installed to determine recharge and chemical transport rates in the unsaturated zone beneath important land-use settings and climate gradients across the Central Platte Natural Resources District.