Stuff I wrote elsewhere – Anthropocene diaries: how much water for the minnow?

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From the morning paper, the latest in the struggle to figure out how much water the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow needs:

According to an analysis by the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, the river has only once since the 1990s, in 2005, had enough water to meet the Fish and Wildlife Service’s “conservation objective” for spring runoff high enough to help the endangered minnow’s population recover.

The gap between flow goals and the reality of dry-year flows on the river has led to high-level negotiations among the federal agencies trying to manage the Rio Grande, including the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers.

 

One Comment

  1. Evaluating the 70 year period of record (1942-2012) for the Central gage to determine if it is possible to meet the USFWS Hydrologic Objective.

    Period of Record (1942-2012) MayJune Mean Daily Flows Magnitude:
    2202 out of 4375, or 50.3% had days May-June Flows >2000 cfs ~1.5CPUE
    1721 out of 4375, or 39.3% had days May-June Flows >2950 cfs ~3.0CPUE
    1243 out of 4375, or 28.4% had days May-June Flows >3750 cfs ~5.0CPUE

    Since post San Juan Chama (1973-2012) MayJune Mean Daily Flows Magnitude:
    1415 out of 2484, or 57.0% had days May-June Flows >2000 cfs ~1.5CPUE
    1128 out of 2484, or 45.4% had days May-June Flows >2950 cfs ~3.0CPUE
    784 out of 2484, or 31.6% had days May-June Flows >3750 cfs ~5.0CPUE

    Overbanking Duration:
    47 out of 70 years, or 67.1% had overbanking (>=2500 cfs at Central gage) flow;
    46 out of 70 years, or 65.7% had overbanking > 5 days ~1.0CPUE
    42 out of 70 years, or 60.0% had overbanking > 12 days ~1.5CPUE
    36 out of 70 years, or 51.4% had overbanking > 28 days ~3.0CPUE
    31 out of 70 years, or 44.3% had overbanking > 41 days ~5.0CPUE

    It is possible to meet the USFWS Hydrologic Objective Age 0 Strategy in 2 out of 3 years.

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