Woodward continues SNR fall research seminar series

Duane Woodward
Duane Woodward

Duane Woodward, district hydrologist at the Central Platte Natural Resources District, will present "Using a Water Budget Analysis to Understand Surface Water and Groundwater Interaction" at 3:30 p.m., Oct. 14 in the Hardin Hall auditorium (Room 107). The seminar is free and open to the public.

The Central Platte NRD has been monitoring and managing the use of groundwater since the Groundwater Management Plan was implemented in 1987. In 2009, the NRD added the Integrated Management Plan (IMP) to improve overall reliability and availability of water supplies, while minimizing impacts to streamflow and groundwater levels. The IMP was developed through a public stakeholder process to involve irrigators, city utilities, power districts, economic developers and banks.

To enhance everyone's understanding of the interaction of surface water and groundwater, the NRD has worked with many other entities to develop the Cooperative Hydrology Study (COHYST). This effort began in 1999 and developed over the years into a water budget approach to analyze the Platte River Basin using a watershed modeling analysis, a surface water operation modeling analysis and a groundwater modeling analysis.

The presentation will highlight the water budget approach, in addition to the basic data used and developed over time. Data and information for the modeling tools has been developed and gathered through special studies and research by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the USGS, the NDNR and the Platte Basin NRDs.

Woodward has been the district hydrologist at the Central Platte Natural Resources District (NRD) since 1992. He has worked with the Platte River Cooperative hydrology Study (COHYST) and other groundwater databases and regional groundwater models for the Platte River Area above Columbus, Nebraska. He is also involved with the Conjunctive Management Study, the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program and Water Action Plan.

More details at: http://go.unl.edu/chxu