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Description of the IDWR/UI Snake River Plain aquifer model (SRPAM) Item Info

The water resources of the eastern Snake River Plain are often at the forefront of water issues in Idaho. The Snake River Plain aquifer, underlying the eastern Snake River Plain, is hosted in layered basalts and interbedded sediments and is an integral part of the basin water resources. In some places, the flow of the Snake River is composed predominantly of aquifer discharge. Aquifer water levels and spring discharges increased through the first half of the century, but have been declining in the past several decades. The long-term changes are in response to changes in recharge and discharge associated with surface and ground-water irrigation. These changes are driving conjunctive management of surface and ground-water resources and the use of a numerical ground water model to understand and help manage the aquifer. The University of Idaho and the Idaho Department of Water Resources developed a two-dimensional finite difference model of the Snake River Plain aquifer in the 1970s. That model has evolved into the model documented in this report. Most recently, the model has been adapted to use the U.S. Geological Survey's MODFLOW code and the domain has been expanded to include the northeastern part of the aquifer system. The model has been calibrated to a one-year period from April 1980 to March 1981. The transient calibration was conducted in two parts. The first part was the original model domain, calibrated by the Idaho Department of Water Resources. The second part, the area near and including the extended domain in the northeast, was calibrated by the University of Idaho. Extending the domain resulted in revisions to the model water budget and created a discrepancy between estimated recharge and discharge components. Further work should be performed to improve the model's reliability. Priority should be given to improving the conceptual understanding and quantitative behavior of the interaction with the Snake River. Submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Snake River Resources Review.

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Title:
Description of the IDWR/UI Snake River Plain aquifer model (SRPAM)
Authors:
Johnson, Gary S.; Cosgrove, Donna M.; Laney, Sherry; Lindgren, John
Date Created (ISO Standard):
1999-05
Description:
The water resources of the eastern Snake River Plain are often at the forefront of water issues in Idaho. The Snake River Plain aquifer, underlying the eastern Snake River Plain, is hosted in layered basalts and interbedded sediments and is an integral part of the basin water resources. In some places, the flow of the Snake River is composed predominantly of aquifer discharge. Aquifer water levels and spring discharges increased through the first half of the century, but have been declining in the past several decades. The long-term changes are in response to changes in recharge and discharge associated with surface and ground-water irrigation. These changes are driving conjunctive management of surface and ground-water resources and the use of a numerical ground water model to understand and help manage the aquifer. The University of Idaho and the Idaho Department of Water Resources developed a two-dimensional finite difference model of the Snake River Plain aquifer in the 1970s. That model has evolved into the model documented in this report. Most recently, the model has been adapted to use the U.S. Geological Survey's MODFLOW code and the domain has been expanded to include the northeastern part of the aquifer system. The model has been calibrated to a one-year period from April 1980 to March 1981. The transient calibration was conducted in two parts. The first part was the original model domain, calibrated by the Idaho Department of Water Resources. The second part, the area near and including the extended domain in the northeast, was calibrated by the University of Idaho. Extending the domain resulted in revisions to the model water budget and created a discrepancy between estimated recharge and discharge components. Further work should be performed to improve the model's reliability. Priority should be given to improving the conceptual understanding and quantitative behavior of the interaction with the Snake River. Submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Snake River Resources Review.
Subjects:
Aquifers Computer models Computer simulation
Location:
Snake River Basin; Southern Idaho
Latitude:
42.96
Longitude:
-115.13
Collection:
Boise Basin
Series:
SRPAM
IWRRI number:
199903
Rights:
Rights to the digital resource are held by the University of Idaho. http://www.uidaho.edu/
Publisher:
Idaho Water Resources Research Institute; University of Idaho
Contributing Institution:
University of Idaho
Type:
Text
Format:
application/pdf
Cataloger:
KIT
Date Digitized:
2017-09-29

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Source
Preferred Citation:
"Description of the IDWR/UI Snake River Plain aquifer model (SRPAM)", Idaho Waters Digital Library, University of Idaho Library Digital Collections, https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/iwdl/items/iwdl-199903.html
Rights
Rights:
Rights to the digital resource are held by the University of Idaho. http://www.uidaho.edu/
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