Chiricahua Mountains - Reduction of Channel Gradients
Drainages in the Chiricahua Mountains are impacted by large rain events that cause gullying effects in the headwaters, overflow at road crossings, flooding of campgrounds, and overwhelming sediment loads at outlets (Chiricahua National Monument). Monsoon rains following recent fires cause severe flooding in most drainages and debris flows in many others. Watershed restoration has been a major goal of private land owners at the El Coronado (EC) ranch.
Drainages in the Chiricahua Mountains are impacted by large rain events that cause gullying effects in the headwaters, overflow at road crossings, flooding of campgrounds, and overwhelming sediment loads at outlets (Chiricahua National Monument). Monsoon rains following recent fires cause severe flooding in most drainages and debris flows in many others. Watershed restoration has been a major goal of private land owners at the El Coronado (EC) ranch.
Click here for this 10-minute documentary: “Re-greening a dryland watershed” showcasing Natural Infrastructure in Dryland Streams (NIDS) at the Turkey Creek Watershed, in the Chiricahua Mountains of Southeast Arizona. This amazing demonstration site has been a catalyst of changing land and water-management for ranchers, scientists, restoration practitioners, and agency leaders who have visited. The documentary summarizes the USGS research to develop verifiable data and document the efficacy of natural infrastructure as a nature-based solution (copy/paste this URL into your browser: https://www.usgs.gov/media/videos/re-greening-dryland-watershed).
Measuring Stream Discharge
- The treated watershed has a lower runoff response and reduced peak flows.
- The rock detention structures reduce the average rate of flow by more than half.
- The treated watershed has ~28% more flow volume than the untreated watershed.
- Management using check dams can extend summer base-flow in arid lands.
Modelling Discharge & Sediment
We used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to model the paired watersheds and develop future scenarios to consider longer-term impacts to the water budget and future scenarios. SWAT has been used for studying the impact of land use change and climate change as well as their combined/interactive effect on water resources. Model outputs are estimates of the local water budget (storage, streamflow, runoff, infiltration, interception, and evapotranspiration).
- Using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), calibrated for streamflow using discharge from 2013 at a Control site (PBIAS = +/- 2.34%), we examined the impacts of check dams at a watershed Treated with check dams.
- Precipitation event >= 15mm to instigate the erosion (2% occurrence).
- ~ 630 tons of sediment predicted to be stored behind check dams in the Treated watershed over the 3-year simulation.
- Resulting watershed model useful as predictive framework & decision-support tool to consider long-term impacts of restoration and potential for future restoration.
Analyzing Sediment Chemistry **Carbon**
- Sampled Stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen (δ 13C and δ 15N)
- ECS have the potential to reduce carbon losses from watersheds based on fire severity à “carbon rescue”
- Results of this study were scaled-up to estimate the impact on carbon storage if ECS were installed in the forest ecosystems of the southwestern United States (0.019 petagrams)
Point of contact:
Laura M. Norman, Ph.D. (520-670-5510)
Publications
Callegary, J. B., Norman, L. M., Eastoe, C. J., Sankey, J. B., & Youberg, A. (2021). Preliminary Assessment of Carbon and Nitrogen Sequestration Potential of Wildfire-Derived Sediments Stored by Erosion Control Structures in Forest Ecosystems, Southwest USA. Air, Soil and Water Research, 14, 117862212110017. https://doi.org/10.1177/11786221211001768
Norman, L. M., Brinkerhoff, F., Gwilliam, E., Guertin, D. P., Callegary, J., Goodrich, D. C., Nagler, P. L., & Gray, F. (2016). Hydrologic Response of Streams Restored with Check Dams in the Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona. River Research and Applications, 32(4), 519–527. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.2895
Norman, L. M., & Niraula, R. (2016). Model analysis of check dam impacts on long-term sediment and water budgets in Southeast Arizona, USA. Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology, 16(3), 125–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecohyd.2015.12.001
Norman, L. M., Sankey, J. B., Dean, D., Caster, J., DeLong, S., DeLong, W., & Pelletier, J. D. (2017). Quantifying geomorphic change at ephemeral stream restoration sites using a coupled-model approach. Geomorphology, 283, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.01.017
Drainages in the Chiricahua Mountains are impacted by large rain events that cause gullying effects in the headwaters, overflow at road crossings, flooding of campgrounds, and overwhelming sediment loads at outlets (Chiricahua National Monument). Monsoon rains following recent fires cause severe flooding in most drainages and debris flows in many others. Watershed restoration has been a major goal of private land owners at the El Coronado (EC) ranch.
Drainages in the Chiricahua Mountains are impacted by large rain events that cause gullying effects in the headwaters, overflow at road crossings, flooding of campgrounds, and overwhelming sediment loads at outlets (Chiricahua National Monument). Monsoon rains following recent fires cause severe flooding in most drainages and debris flows in many others. Watershed restoration has been a major goal of private land owners at the El Coronado (EC) ranch.
Click here for this 10-minute documentary: “Re-greening a dryland watershed” showcasing Natural Infrastructure in Dryland Streams (NIDS) at the Turkey Creek Watershed, in the Chiricahua Mountains of Southeast Arizona. This amazing demonstration site has been a catalyst of changing land and water-management for ranchers, scientists, restoration practitioners, and agency leaders who have visited. The documentary summarizes the USGS research to develop verifiable data and document the efficacy of natural infrastructure as a nature-based solution (copy/paste this URL into your browser: https://www.usgs.gov/media/videos/re-greening-dryland-watershed).
Measuring Stream Discharge
- The treated watershed has a lower runoff response and reduced peak flows.
- The rock detention structures reduce the average rate of flow by more than half.
- The treated watershed has ~28% more flow volume than the untreated watershed.
- Management using check dams can extend summer base-flow in arid lands.
Modelling Discharge & Sediment
We used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to model the paired watersheds and develop future scenarios to consider longer-term impacts to the water budget and future scenarios. SWAT has been used for studying the impact of land use change and climate change as well as their combined/interactive effect on water resources. Model outputs are estimates of the local water budget (storage, streamflow, runoff, infiltration, interception, and evapotranspiration).
- Using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), calibrated for streamflow using discharge from 2013 at a Control site (PBIAS = +/- 2.34%), we examined the impacts of check dams at a watershed Treated with check dams.
- Precipitation event >= 15mm to instigate the erosion (2% occurrence).
- ~ 630 tons of sediment predicted to be stored behind check dams in the Treated watershed over the 3-year simulation.
- Resulting watershed model useful as predictive framework & decision-support tool to consider long-term impacts of restoration and potential for future restoration.
Analyzing Sediment Chemistry **Carbon**
- Sampled Stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen (δ 13C and δ 15N)
- ECS have the potential to reduce carbon losses from watersheds based on fire severity à “carbon rescue”
- Results of this study were scaled-up to estimate the impact on carbon storage if ECS were installed in the forest ecosystems of the southwestern United States (0.019 petagrams)
Point of contact:
Laura M. Norman, Ph.D. (520-670-5510)
Publications
Callegary, J. B., Norman, L. M., Eastoe, C. J., Sankey, J. B., & Youberg, A. (2021). Preliminary Assessment of Carbon and Nitrogen Sequestration Potential of Wildfire-Derived Sediments Stored by Erosion Control Structures in Forest Ecosystems, Southwest USA. Air, Soil and Water Research, 14, 117862212110017. https://doi.org/10.1177/11786221211001768
Norman, L. M., Brinkerhoff, F., Gwilliam, E., Guertin, D. P., Callegary, J., Goodrich, D. C., Nagler, P. L., & Gray, F. (2016). Hydrologic Response of Streams Restored with Check Dams in the Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona. River Research and Applications, 32(4), 519–527. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.2895
Norman, L. M., & Niraula, R. (2016). Model analysis of check dam impacts on long-term sediment and water budgets in Southeast Arizona, USA. Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology, 16(3), 125–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecohyd.2015.12.001
Norman, L. M., Sankey, J. B., Dean, D., Caster, J., DeLong, S., DeLong, W., & Pelletier, J. D. (2017). Quantifying geomorphic change at ephemeral stream restoration sites using a coupled-model approach. Geomorphology, 283, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.01.017