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Rainfall–stream flow responses in a mixed-land-use and municipal watershed of the central USA

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Abstract

Competing influences of climate, watershed characteristics, and human activities can confound classic hydrologic process assumptions and, therefore, management efforts in mixed-land-use watersheds. Seven water years (WY2009–2015) of sub-hourly rainfall and stream flow data were collected from five nested gauging sites in a mixed-land-use watershed of the central USA. Pasture/cropland use decreased by 18% while urban land use increased by 22% from the headwaters to the watershed outlet. A flow separation algorithm was used to assess rainfall–stream flow response variables (i.e. stream flow, event flow and base flow) at each gauging site and at multiple time steps (7-year study, annual, monthly, event based). Annual total rainfall ranged from 678 to 1610 mm during the study period. Urban land use explained 61–93% of the variance in the slope of the best fit line between total rainfall and stream flow, event flow, and base flow confirming significant (CI = 95%; p < 0.006; n = 5) impacts of urban land use on rainfall–stream flow response relationships. Total stream flow, event flow and base flow increased by 101, 95, and 110%, respectively, at the rural/urban interface of the watershed during a year of extreme drought. Base flow index values were positively correlated with urban land use and negatively correlated to total rainfall (R2 = 36.98; p < 0.023; n = 111). Stream flow alterations were greatest during drier years, and during smaller flow events at gauging sites with greater than 6% urban land use. Results advance quantitative understanding of rainfall–stream flow relationships for urbanizing mixed-land-use watersheds.

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Acknowledgements

Funding was provided by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (P.N: G08-NPS-17) under section 319 of the Clean Water Act and through joint agreement of the University of Missouri, the City of Columbia, and Boone County Public works and partners of the Hinkson Creek Collaborative Adaptive Management (CAM) program. Additional funding was provided by the National Science Foundation under Award Number OIA-1458952, the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch project accession number 1011536, and the West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. Results presented may not reflect the views of the sponsors and no official endorsement should be inferred. Special thanks are due to many scientists of the Interdisciplinary Hydrology Laboratory (http://www.forh2o.net).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, 203-T ABNR Building, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA

    Sean J. Zeiger

  2. Institute of Water Security and Science, West Virginia University, 4121 Agricultural Sciences Building, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA

    Jason A. Hubbart

  3. Davis College, Schools of Agriculture and Food, and Natural Resources, West Virginia University, 4121 Agricultural Sciences Building, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA

    Jason A. Hubbart

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Correspondence to Sean J. Zeiger.

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Zeiger, S.J., Hubbart, J.A. Rainfall–stream flow responses in a mixed-land-use and municipal watershed of the central USA. Environ Earth Sci 77, 438 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-018-7630-0

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