Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2002CO1B

Managed Ground Water Recharge for Habitat Restoration: The Development of a Biological Component to the South Platte Mapping and Analysis Program (SPMAP

Institute: Colorado
Year Established: 2002 Start Date: 2002-03-01 End Date: 2003-01-28
Total Federal Funds: $3,624 Total Non-Federal Funds: $7,248

Principal Investigators: Luis Garcia

Project Summary: A series of managed groundwater recharge projects (referred to as the Tamarack Plan) is being developed in the lower South Platte River in Colorado to re-time flows to assist with water augmentation management and to provide Colorado's water contributions to a Platte River Endangered Species Program. The groundwater recharge projects developed under the Tamarack Plan divert excess river flows, using a system of wells, pipes and/or ditches, to groundwater recharge basins in upland areas. The objective of this research is to develop a rule-based expert system to identify flow related parameters for habitat benefits during various life cycle phases of several target species. The expert system will be incorporated into a biological module for SPMAP, the program currently used by wildlife managers and water user groups in the South Platte Basin. The inclusion of habitat benefits in the Tamarack Plan recharge projects is a priority for the water users in the region.