Status of national synthesis activities for the Federal/State Cooperative Program
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 1996 18:27:46 -0500
To: "A - Division Chief and Staff",
"B - Branch Chiefs and Offices",
"DC - All District Chiefs"
From: "Robert M Hirsch, Chief Hydrologist, Reston, VA " (Robert Hirsch)
Subject: WRD MEMORANDUM No. 97.10; Subject: Status of national synthesis activities for the Federal/State Cooperative Program
Cc: " , WRD Archive File, Reston, VA ",
"Joanne C Taylor, Secretary (Typing), Reston, VA "
In Reply Refer To: November 27, 1996
Mail Stop 409
WATER RESOURCES DIVISION MEMORANDUM NO. 97.10
Subject: Status of national synthesis activities for the Federal/State
Cooperative Program
In October 1995, the districts were asked to suggest ideas for possible
Coop Synthesis Activities for fiscal year (FY) 1997 (see Water Resources
Division Memorandum No. 96.02). This memoorandum summarizes the results of
that request and provides information on the future of Coop Synthesis.
In all, 35 project proposals were received from the October 1995 request.
Each proposal was reviewed and evaluated by the Coop Synthesis Committee,
comprised of nine members from Districts, Regions, and Headquarters. Of
the 35 proposals, 12 were selected for further consideration, and
ultimately regrouped into seven focused recommendations for implementation.
The proposals were presented to the WRD Senior Staff and a decision was
made to begin implementation of the seven projects (see below). All of the
projects will be completed in FY 1997.
For 1997, most of the Coop Synthesis activities are being funded through
the Water Resources Assessment line item (the old National Water Summary
funding). This line item is slated for elimination in our FY 1998 budget.
For this reason, it is likely that future Coop Synthesis activities will be
developed, coordinated, and funded through Federal programs and Discipline
Offices, in conjunction with the Offices of the Regional Hydrologist.
Although this arrangement might limit the number of synthesis activities in
a given year, it will encourage a consistent systematic approach for
developing future Coop Synthesis activities and make Coop Synthesis a
natural part of the Division's long-term planning.
We have already effectively used other synthesis activities to demonstrate
that the Coop Program is a significant Federal program providing results
that are useful not only to the cooperator, but extending to regional or
national scale or providing new scientific methods. I believe that Coop
Synthesis is an important mechanism for showcasing how the Division, through
our District programs, partners with State and local water resource agencies
to carry out the work of the Nation.
FY 1997 COOP SYNTHESIS PROJECTS
1. Bridge Scour Data, Massachusetts District, Gene Parker, project
chief--Field data from bridge scour projects in 13 States will be compiled
into a single Level-1 stream stability assessment data base that will be
accessible through the Internet. The data will be analyzed, and relations
between observed scour and geomorphic and/or channel characteristics will
be identified.
2. National Daily Suspended-Sediment Station Data, Colorado District,
Randy Parker, project chief--An on-line database, accessible through the
Internet, will be created for all daily suspended-sediment stations
available in the USGS database. Included will be daily water discharge,
suspended-sediment concentration, and the corresponding sediment
discharge. In addition, ancillary information such as water temperature
and sediment grain size will be incorporated where available.
3. Regional Equations for Estimation of Instream Reaeration-Rate
Coefficients, Illinois District, Steven Melching, project chief--Regional
equations for estimating K2 values will be developed from USGS instream K2
measurements made by tracer-gas injection methods. The results of this
study will provide State and Federal agencies with accurate estimates of
K2, which can be used to improve the simulation of DO concentrations and
the assessment of waste-load assimilation capacity.
4. Land Subsidence Hazards, California District, Devin Galloway, project
chief--A public Issues in Earth Science Circular will discuss the various
ground-water related processes that cause land subsidence. Areas where
subsidence problems have occurred will be identified and selected case
studies will be presented.
5. Sensitivity of Physical Stream Habitat to Land-use Changes, Missouri
District, Robert Jacobson, project chief--General predictive models of
habitat sensitivity to land-use changes will be developed by synthesizing
existing studies of landscape disturbance, the resultant physical responses
of stream habitat, and the effects on stream biota.
6. The Effects of Climate Variability on Long-term Streamflow, Headquarters,
Harry Lins, project coordinator--A Public Issues in Earth Science Circular
will highlight regional patterns and trends in streamflow; the climatic
factors that affect hydrologic variability (such as El Nino-Southern
Oscillation, changes in the timing of snowfall, etc.); the predictability of
decadal variations in hydroclimatic conditions; and effects of long-term
hydroclimatic changes on water supplies.
/signed/
Robert M. Hirsch
Chief Hydrologist
Distribution: A, B, DC
This memorandum does not supersede any previous WRD memorandum.
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Robert M. Hirsch Phone: 703/648-5215
Chief Hydrologist Fax: 703/648-5002
409 National Center Internet: rhirsch@usgs.gov
U.S. Geological Survey
Reston, VA 20192
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