Evaluation of Groundwater Resources in the White River Watershed Completed
The Issue: The White River/Sunrise area of Mount Rainier National Park currently uses surface water for supplying water to local visitor and operational facilities. The Park is considering instead to use groundwater supplies that would likely be more resilient and less prone to contamination, but they need a better understanding of groundwater in the upper White River watershed to assure that park natural resources would not be negatively impacted.
How USGS will help: The groundwater balance for the White River watershed upstream from the White River Entrance will be estimated and compared to surface-water fluxes. The groundwater balance will include the inflows of groundwater recharge from snowmelt and rainfall, and the outflow of groundwater discharge to streams. The summer groundwater discharge to streams (outside of the thick, gravel-rich periglacial floodplain of the White River) should be similar to the estimated summer recharge rate. This study will focus on quantifying the magnitude of the groundwater resource in comparison to the water-use needs for park facilities in this area.
Problem: Variability in the typically low summer precipitation and uncertainty in the long-term climate outlook prompts an evaluation of alternative, more resilient groundwater water sources to supply the areas that are currently supplied by the three water intake locations in the event that current surface water sources become unreliable. A study that improves the understanding of groundwater in the upper White River area by evaluating the groundwater resource in terms of total inflows and outflows will help park managers make informed decisions regarding the development of groundwater resources to supplement the current water supply.
Objectives: The objective of this study is to estimate the groundwater inflows and outflow, or groundwater balance, for the upper White River watershed to better inform park managers regarding the potential to access and use groundwater for operational needs. The study will focus on the White River watershed upstream from the White River Entrance that includes the White River Campground and Sunrise Visitor Center.
Relevance and Benefits: Estimating the groundwater balance for a watershed in the national park to help assess groundwater availability is consistent with the USGS principles of observing, understanding, predicting, and delivering water information that allows society to meet the water challenges of the Nation.
Approach: Developing a groundwater balance will require three tasks:
- Soil-Water Balance (SWB) modeling to estimate groundwater recharge.
- Conducting a seepage run, which consists of 10 – 12 streamflow measurements done on the same day during low flow conditions.
- Groundwater balance – Comparing the rate of groundwater recharge to the measured stream discharge for August 2020, and assessing uncertainty in the estimates. Then, compare the total groundwater flow rate through the system to the desired water use rate. This quantifies the proportional impact of water use on groundwater resources.
The Issue: The White River/Sunrise area of Mount Rainier National Park currently uses surface water for supplying water to local visitor and operational facilities. The Park is considering instead to use groundwater supplies that would likely be more resilient and less prone to contamination, but they need a better understanding of groundwater in the upper White River watershed to assure that park natural resources would not be negatively impacted.
How USGS will help: The groundwater balance for the White River watershed upstream from the White River Entrance will be estimated and compared to surface-water fluxes. The groundwater balance will include the inflows of groundwater recharge from snowmelt and rainfall, and the outflow of groundwater discharge to streams. The summer groundwater discharge to streams (outside of the thick, gravel-rich periglacial floodplain of the White River) should be similar to the estimated summer recharge rate. This study will focus on quantifying the magnitude of the groundwater resource in comparison to the water-use needs for park facilities in this area.
Problem: Variability in the typically low summer precipitation and uncertainty in the long-term climate outlook prompts an evaluation of alternative, more resilient groundwater water sources to supply the areas that are currently supplied by the three water intake locations in the event that current surface water sources become unreliable. A study that improves the understanding of groundwater in the upper White River area by evaluating the groundwater resource in terms of total inflows and outflows will help park managers make informed decisions regarding the development of groundwater resources to supplement the current water supply.
Objectives: The objective of this study is to estimate the groundwater inflows and outflow, or groundwater balance, for the upper White River watershed to better inform park managers regarding the potential to access and use groundwater for operational needs. The study will focus on the White River watershed upstream from the White River Entrance that includes the White River Campground and Sunrise Visitor Center.
Relevance and Benefits: Estimating the groundwater balance for a watershed in the national park to help assess groundwater availability is consistent with the USGS principles of observing, understanding, predicting, and delivering water information that allows society to meet the water challenges of the Nation.
Approach: Developing a groundwater balance will require three tasks:
- Soil-Water Balance (SWB) modeling to estimate groundwater recharge.
- Conducting a seepage run, which consists of 10 – 12 streamflow measurements done on the same day during low flow conditions.
- Groundwater balance – Comparing the rate of groundwater recharge to the measured stream discharge for August 2020, and assessing uncertainty in the estimates. Then, compare the total groundwater flow rate through the system to the desired water use rate. This quantifies the proportional impact of water use on groundwater resources.