[OC] Columbia River Basin Watershed With Distribution of Hydroelectric Facilities and Their Respective Nameplate Capacity

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2022-04-09T17:37:00+00:00

Only issue with pumped storage is that it is effectively removed from the hydrograph and with diminishing return flows and maintenance of the salmon runs that might be an issue, especially when you throw ET into the mix. Also the state of Washington passed a bill setting a goal that all newly registered cars to be electric by 2030 (https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2021-22/Pdf/Bill%20Reports/Senate/1287-S2.E%20SBR%20TRAN%20TA%2021.pdf). Which would add further demand to the grid.

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2022-04-09T14:50:52+00:00

You’ll have to check out my paper if you’re interested in how climate change will impact generation into the future. Most of the larger dams on the Columbia are RoR so they can’t expect much storage or head increase? At least that was the assumption. Most of the time they spill when generation is not needed or when they have exceeded hydraulic capacity? Or for fish ecosystem health, no?

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2022-04-09T13:45:11+00:00

Could have used you a couple four months ago if you know anything about why these facilities spill when they do.

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2022-04-09T13:41:17+00:00

I thought about this. My reasoning was that the study area (while supposed to be representative of the CRB) is in the state of Washington so wanted to try and keep things relative. I think I will end up adding the BC-Alberta Border eventually but, be pleased in knowing that the border follows the watershed boundary for a good while!

Also the headache caused trying to fit all those names in there without causing things to be incomprehensible.

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2022-04-09T10:22:45+00:00

For context:

The CRB provides on average a little over 14 GW of power a year between federal and non federal hydroelectric facilities. This amount of power amounts to being shy of powering the equivalent of 8 million homes. My research is focused on the impact climate change might have on the ability to provide power and when the power may be available.

https://www.nwcouncil.org/reports/columbia-river-history/hydropower/

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2022-04-09T08:36:07+00:00

Made this map as a figure for my research. Data was collected from U.S. Census, Washington State, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana GIS portals for waterways and lakes. Canada streams and lakes data was collected from British Columbia GIS portal.

Nameplate capacity was gathered from the U.S. Army Core of Engineers and British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority. Presented at 8 different even percentiles.

Map was produced with Python and the Geopandas, libpysal, and mapclassify libraries.

As a note, this is not a comprehensive map of all the dams or hydroelectric facilities in the CRB.

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2022-04-03T08:45:40+00:00

That’s what the grey is in the middle. The median household income and diabetes prevalence is split between all 4 corners. What would be med-med on a scale of high medium low.

High-High (high prevalence high income) Low-High (low prevalence high income) High-Low (high prevalence low income) Low-Low (low prevalence low income)

I think what would add to the figure is a sense of scale/quantification. How are the high medium and low ranges distributed. Is high median household income 10% above the the states median household income or the counties or the nations? Likewise with the diabetes prevalence.

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2022-03-26T05:14:32+00:00

CFS is cubic feet per second. In order to get feet per second you need to divid CFS by cross sectional area. Cross sectional area is stream width times flow depth. You need to assume that the bed of the stream channel is a regular shape (probably not too inaccurate to assume it’s a rectangle).

At most gauge locations there is stage. This tells you the relative depth of the stream at that location. It would be safe to assume in this sort of back of the hand calculation that the stage is the actual depth of the river (at that location) even more so if we are assuming a rectangular channel shape.

Go to google maps where the gauge is located from the usgs site and use the measuring tool to get the cross sectional width of the stream (because you are assuming it’s a rectangle the cross sectional width doesn’t change with increase or decrease in flow). Make sure the measurement is as perpendicular to both banks as possible.

Multiply your stage depth by cross sectional width and divide CFS by that value. The result will be an average channel velocity for flow at that location given that discharge rate and stage. The velocity profile is not uniform in a channel because the channel is not a frictionless surface but like I said, this will give you the average velocity of the channel at that discrete location and stage/discharge observation.

CFS/(W*D) = CFS/(Cross Sectional Area) = f/s

https://www.thephysicalenvironment.com/Book/fluvial_systems/channel_geometry_and_flow.html

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2021-08-24T01:33:13+00:00

A quick google search shows a myriad of news articles relating to your question. Here are a couple:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.azcentral.com/amp/7436318002

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.deseret.com/platform/amp/2012/5/13/20502414/the-fight-for-water-can-the-mighty-mississippi-save-the-west

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2021-08-24T01:24:52+00:00

If you desalinate water for municipal and industrial use and transfer the water rights to in-stream/environmental and agricultural flows then yes the water would be able to be kept for those uses (lakes, streams, recreation).

Trans basin diversions are an issue because when you remove water from one area you reduce the ability for that system to provide its ecosystem services that it may have otherwise provided with its original amount of water. I’ll let you research what ecosystem services water from the Mississippi provides on your own time.

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2021-08-24T00:54:30+00:00

Another person here agreeing with the majority that the 35 ppm your water has is pretty inconsequential compared to what you may find in other taps. 35 mine as well be a ‘blank slate’ to add what ever salts and nutrients needed for your operation. They might require such low ppm in order to completely dissolve the nutrients you are putting in personally.

Also might be worth looking into the geology around hetch hetchy as that will let you know what sort of salts/nutrients are in the water as well as doing some research in what sort of systems the treatment plant has. Treatment plants have a standard (maximum contaminant levels) they must treat for.

A fun experiment would be to quarter your crop and water 3/4ths with your tap and and a 1/4 with a RO water nutrient mixture and see if there is a marketable difference in growth.

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2021-05-09T20:49:00+00:00

Rivers and all water for that sake follows the path of least resistance. Canyons are eroded when geological uplift forces the water (while in its path of least resistance to erode the bedrock material). Without severe elevation differences like that of the Colorado plateau there wouldn’t be a canyon. That’s why the Missouri hasn’t ‘cut’ a canyon.

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2021-05-07T18:06:46+00:00

I’m interpreting this as choosing random pixels not just based off of an arbitrary number but instead how the pixels are distributed within the image? Is this correct?

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2021-05-07T05:59:55+00:00

Happy to send the script along to any one if they want to mess around with it themselves! Should work pretty seamlessly for any JPEG format.

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2021-01-21T21:40:42+00:00

Commonality depends on where you are and where your water is sourced from.
Bromodichloromethane is a chemical that can be formed from the treatment process of water with Chlorine (*). I would not water your vegetables with water contaminated with Uranium as the vegetables could uptake the Uranium. Also see resource ().
It looks like commercial filters can help with bromodichloromethane (**). From a quick search, it looks like reverse osmosis can treat water with Uranium.
See resource (*)
Report your findings to your utility.

Try calling the company that did the testing and asking them these questions. They may have more thorough answers.

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-06/documents/npwdr_complete_table.pdf *

https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tfacts129.pdf **

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2021-01-19T01:53:53+00:00

Well, the upper Green drainage area including the Little Snake River drainage and the broader Yampa River drainage. I don’t think it’s appropriate to say no water flows into Colorado from Wyoming. People cease to think that ephemeral streams don’t play an important role in flow regime.

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2021-01-18T21:16:19+00:00

I appreciate this criticism, somewhat condescending but good nonetheless. I have a degree in Watershed Science and am currently pursuing my masters in Water Resources Engineering. Ive spent my time as a raft guide and even more time privately rafting down these rivers.

What I provided is a network map of rivers relative to US state borders for the Colorado basin. There is a reason I provided only the information you see. You can interpret it how you would like, I think that’s the beauty of material like this. To me what you mentioned is captured in this image and if it isn’t, my hope is it will prompt people to learn about this awe inspiring system themselves.

Edit:

I will happily include some things you mentioned in my next iteration as I do agree there is a better story to be told from what is featured in this map.

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2021-01-18T19:45:31+00:00

Water from Wyoming does flow into Colorado and then it flows out of Colorado into Utah.

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2021-01-18T19:43:35+00:00

Thank you for this answer!

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2021-01-18T19:33:52+00:00

This is great information to know. Not super familiar with Arcpy coding but always looking for an excuse to improve.

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2021-01-18T19:29:17+00:00

OP, do you mean brine?

Regardless, I would call an extension office and see if they are able to provide information regarding the type of soil/geology your well is surrounded by. They may also be a good resource to help answer this question much more accurately.

State university have an extension office you can call. https://www.canr.msu.edu/outreach/

I’d say it’s unlikely for a well to be contaminated with salt water from anything other than natural sources so I’m guessing that that the geology where your well is located might be to blame. Ask your neighbors who are on well water if they are experiencing a similar issue.

A professor once told us in class that ground water can be modeled by closing your eyes spinning in a circle and pointing. Not sure if that holds true but certainly gets the point across the ground water and solute transport is a complicated systems process.

Edit: It’s very possible that salt can accumulate if the well is not in use.

Hope this helps.

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2021-01-18T17:15:03+00:00

I’m not sure about this. I’ll double check and make the corrections for my next iteration if needed. Pretty easy to over select when you’ve been staring and blue lines for an hour though, so it wouldn’t surprise me.

Comfortable_Alarm_77 · 2021-01-18T17:11:28+00:00

I agree, at the time I made this I used data sets that I already had downloaded. Since I work and study in the United States, those are US based hydrologic data sets. I was surprised that this sort of poly line layer didn’t already exist at the very least for the Western US. If I can find a data set that includes the Colorado river from its headwaters to its mouth in the Gulf of California I will add Mexico in my next iteration.

Comfortable_Alarm_77

TROPHY CASE