Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID CO_2025_KAMPF

Reconstructing the Natural Streamflow of the Headwaters State

Institute: Colorado
Year Established: 2025 Start Date: 2026-01-01 End Date: 2026-12-31
Total Federal Funds: $10,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $10,000

Principal Investigators: Stephanie Kampf

Project Summary: Land use change and water extraction by human beings has fundamentally altered the timing and quantity of river discharge. This is especially true in the arid American West, where many rivers' natural streamflow regime is difficult to separate from anthropogenic influence. This creates challenges for water rights acquisition, water resource forecasting, and ecological health assessments because observed streamflow may be more affected by water consumption (irrigation, municipal use) than by water inputs (rain, snowmelt). Streamflow naturalization methods have historically been used to address these challenges, but as of this writing there is not an easily accessible naturalized streamflow database for the state of Colorado. This research initiative will: 1) create an interactive naturalized streamflow database and hydrologic model for the state of Colorado that water resource managers can use to compare modelled natural flows to observed flows 2) use new machine learning techniques and large sample hydrology for streamflow naturalization.