The water budget for a period of one year on a small instrumented semiarid subwatershed was evaluated. The evaluation was accomplished by identifying and quantifying the primary components of the water budget, rainfall, surface runoff, soil moisture content, and (collectively) other water losses. In addition to the evaluation of the water budget, regression models of surface runoff, soil moisture content, and suspended sediment were developed. Finally, chemical analysis of the runoff waters and an evaluation of a water balance simulation model were made. The study site, a 6.5-hectare subwatershed which lies on the southeastern portion of the Atterbury Watershed, is located about 16 km east of Tucson, Arizona. It has an elevation of about 3200 feet (975 m), with an average slope of about 3 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 28 cm falling during two distinct seasons, summer and winter. The soil textural classification on the Atterbury Watershed ranges from sandy to clay loam. The evaluation of the water budget provided an index of how much of the total precipitation for the study year is attributed to each of the primary components of the water budget. Surface runoff, soil moisture content, and other water losses accounted for about 2, 55, and 43 percent of the total rainfall. Rainfall and related rainfall characteristics, such as intensity and duration, were found to be significant variables in regression models predicting surface runoff, soil moisture content, and suspended sediment. The chemical constituents of the waters were either within or lower than the limits set by the United States Public Health Service, World Health Organization and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The usefulness of the BUM water balance model in simulating surface runoff from the study area was inconclusive.

No description available.

Discharge hydrographs computed from the theory of linear flow through topologically random channel networks are compared to observed hydrographs on nine arid-region watersheds, with drainage areas ranging from 0.33 hectares to 1363 hectares, at the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed in southeast Arizona. Over 90 rainfall-runoff events are tested, with extremes ranging from 12.5 mm to 71 5 mm for rainfall depth, 0.4 mm to 50 mm for runoff volume, and 0.031 ems to 73.5 ems for peak discharge. Topologic Instantaneous Unit Hydrographs (TIUH's) are estimated from topologic and link-length parameters, and a scaling parameter. The topologic information is parameterized as the number of first-order links (magnitude) and the link-length distribution is parameterized by the mean. Both can be measured in the field or from topographic mapping and aerial photography. The scaling parameter is the "effective" kinematic celerity, which is a single-valued estimate of the kinematic celerity of the flow through the channel network for the duration of the event. The TIUH's lead to unit hydrographs, which are convolved with temporally distributed rainfall excess patterns computed using both the 0 index and the curve number, to give composite watershed hydrographs. Effective kinematic celerities are varied until the composite hydrographs match the observed hydrographs in terms of peak discharge and hydrograph efficiency. Results indicate that the TIUH approximately reproduces observed hydrographs, with calibrated effective kinematic celerities that fall within a reasonable range of magnitudes. Agreement between simulated and observed hydrographs is improved by introducing a lag to account for overland travel times to the channel network. The magnitude of the calibrated effective kinematic celerity is significantly related to watershed characteristics, including area, length, and slope. Regression equations are developed and the resulting predicted celerities are combined with map measured topologic and link-length parameters to give simulated hydrographs that approximately match the observed. Magnitude and link-length combine into a single parameter that is consistent across map scales and has the potential to be a watershed descriptor. Calibrated values of effective kinematic celerity vary little across map scales, suggesting that adequate results are obtained without additional expense for highly detailed mapping.

A continuous simulation streamflow model (i.e., SSARR - an acronym for Streamflow Synthesis and Reservoir Regulation) was evaluated and used to study winter streamflow from the Salt River Basin. This 4,306 square mile basin, which ranges in elevation from 2,200 to 11,500 feet, is associated with a diversity of watershed, vegetation, climatic and hydrologic characteristics. Program modifications allowed computation of potential evapotranspiration within the model. This provided improved flexibility in delineating simulation units and reduced the necessary time-dependent data inputs to daily values of precipitation and temperature. Refinement of initial parameter estimates and relationships was accomplished by trial and error methods. Four years of hydrometeorological data were utilized for model calibration and an additional four years used to test the validity of parameter estimates. Simulated hydrographs generally underestimated peak flows and overestimated recession flows following major rainfall events. The standard error of the estimate for simulated winter flows (November through May) was only 30,000 acre-feet for the calibration period but increased to approximately 120,000 acre-feet for the validation period. Average winter flows during the calibration and validation periods were 840,000 and 690,000 acre-feet, respectively. Approximately 25 to 45 percent of the winter runoff occurring after February 1, March 1 and April 1 could be predicted from simulated snowpack water equivalent and soil moisture conditions on the prediction date. High elevation portions of the basin were more efficient at producing streamflow from a given precipitation input than were the lower elevations. Maximum daily watershed efficiencies (ratio of generated runoff to rain and snowmelt inputs) usually occurred on the date of snowpack disappearance for the relatively high elevation simulation units. Simulated runoff volumes increased exponentially with increased basin precipitation but decreased linearly with increased basin air temperatures. For a selected winter period, simulations indicated streamflow response to a one-inch change in winter precipitation would be approximately 100,000 acre-feet, or 3.4 times greater than expected from a one-degree change in winter temperature.

No description available.