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The Texas Instream Flow Program

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Title: The Texas Instream Flow Program


1
The TexasInstream FlowProgram
  • Barney Austin
  • Surface Water Resources Division
  • Texas Water Development Board

February 8th, 2006
2
Instream flows methods
  • Desktops methods
  • Consensus Environmental Planning Criteria
  • Lyons Method
  • Comprehensive methods
  • State methodology

3
Desktop methods
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5
CPC for on-channel reservoirs
6
CPC for direct diversions
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9
Comparison of flows
10
Comprehensive methods
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12

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In 2001Senate Bill 2
  • The Texas Legislature directed tri-agencies
    (TPWD, TWDB, and TCEQ) to
  • Establish and continuously maintain an instream
    flow data collection and evaluation program, and
  • Develop methodologies to determine flow
    conditions in Texas rivers and streams necessary
    to support a sound ecological environment.

16
Senate Bill 2
  • Framework for Instream Flow Study Program
    requires tri-agencies to
  • Share oversight of program studies.
  • Share data, studies, analysis, information and
    reports.
  • Establish a Work Plan that prioritizes studies
    and sets interim deadlines for publication of
    flow determinations, and
  • Complete priority studies by December 31, 2010.

17
Senate Bill 2
  • Framework for Instream Flow Study also
  • Requires TCEQ to consider the results of
    completed studies in its review of any management
    plans, water rights, or interbasin transfers.

18
  • Joint study accomplishments
  • Interagency MOA
  • (Executed Oct 17, 2002)
  • Programmatic Work Plan
  • (Final Dec 19, 2002)
  • Technical Overview
  • (Draft August 8, 2003)
  • NAS review

19
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20
Summary of Agency Roles

21
Texas Instream Flow Studies
22
Timeframes for Priority Studies
Toledo Bend
Sabine R.
23
Second Tier of Studies
Developed to provide future direction in studies
in the event priorities change or supplementary
resources are made available. These include
  • Upper Guadalupe River
  • Neches River
  • Red River
  • Upper Sabine River

Colorado R.
Two special studies include the Sulphur River
(on-going) and the Lower Colorado River
(monitoring).
Sulphur R.
24
Hydrology Hydraulics
TCEQ - Water Availability Model (WAM)
25
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27
Hydraulic Modeling Brazos River
Detail Area
DOQQ photo taken February 4, 1995 7,500
cfs Boundary of FE Mesh used for flows below 3350
cfs is shown in green.
28
Hydraulic Modeling Brazos River
  • Finite Element Mesh (approximate element
    resolution 8m x 10m)
  • RMA-2 (depth averaged, hydrostatic Reynolds
    Averaged Navier-Stokes equations)
  • 1456 cfs shown

FE mesh with depth contours 0.0m to 4.0m
FE mesh with velocity contours 0.0 to 2.25 mps
29
Hydraulic Modeling Brazos River
  • Photo of Island area, November 2, 2001.
  • Flow is approximately 1500 cfs.

30
Fish habitat utilization studies
31
Habitat Modeling Brazos River
  • Mesohabitats are delineated for 1456cfs using a
    grid-based GIS model

32
Modeling Issues Large woody debris
South Sulphur near Cooper
  • Large Woody Debris (LWD) influences both
    hydraulics and habitat utilization analysis

North Sulphur (near confluence)
Sulphur US of Patman (near Site 2)
33
Modeling Issues Mesh Interpolation
Interpolating bathymetric single-beam data to the
finite element mesh Exploit the anisotropic shape
of the river cross-section for a better
interpolation Use flow-directional coordinate
system (either linear TWDB or curvilinear
CRWR)
 
34
Modeling Issues Mesh Interpolation
Improved IDW interpolation using Mesh Elevating
and Bathymetry Adjusting Algorithms (MEBAA)
Standard IDW interpolation using Surface Water
Modeling System
35
Modeling Issues - Geomorphology
  • Bathymetry that changes with flow

Affects both hydraulic and habitat analysis
36
Physical Processes
  • Flushing flows (gt once per year)
  • Restore/enhance riffle habitat
  • Remove surficial and interstitial fine sediment
  • Determined through study of sediment and
    hydraulic model output
  • Channel maintenance (circa 1.5 per year)
  • Maintain physical characteristics of the channel
  • Study of flow-duration curves
  • Floodplain maintenance (once per 1-10 years)
  • Build and bring nutrients to the floodplain
  • Extent and frequency from (existing?) 1-D models
    or aerial photos
  • Valley maintenance
  • Q25-ish

37
TCEQ Water Quality Specific Numeric Criteria
  • Dissolved Oxygen
  • Toxic Criteria
  • Aquatic Life
  • Human Health
  • Bacteria ---- Contact Recreation
  • Chloride, Sulfate, Total Dissolved Solids
  • pH as absolute minima and maxima
  • Temperature as absolute maxima

38
Floodplain - Oxbow Lakes
  • Study of river-floodplain interaction and
    connectivity

39
National Academy of Sciences
  • Evaluate science and methodology in key documents
  • Review and provide advice on scientific and
    technical matters relevant to the Instream Flow
    Program
  • Evaluate findings and recommendations of Tasks 1
    and 2 for consistency with the requirements of
    Texas law for the study of Instream Flows

40
NAS Committee
  • 11 members, 4 from Texas
  • Dr. David Maidment (UT, Austin)
  • Dr. Kirk Winemiller (TAMU)
  • Dr. Clark Hubbs (UT, Austin)
  • Dr. Kenneth Dixon (UNT, Denton)

41
NAS Public meetings
  • Austin Oct 2003
  • San Antonio Jan 2004
  • San Marcos Mar 2004
  • Report released in March 2005

42
Summary (the good stuff)
  • Developing instream flow recommendations for
    rivers is one of the most difficult and important
    challenges in applied ecological and physical
    sciences today.

43
Summary (the good stuff)
  • The state of Texas shows an impressive
    commitment to designing and implementing an
    instream flow program

44
Summary (the good stuff)
  • The Texas agencies are commended for proposing a
    prospective, comprehensive instream flow
    programthe program will provide enormous
    benefits to the state over the next several
    decades and beyond.

45
  • Major Recommendations

46
  • Two levels of oversight
  • State level for management and program
    consistency
  • Local goals and approaches

47
  • Clear definition for Sound Ecological
    Environment

48
  • Goalsstatewide and for individual subbasins

49
  • Ecological indicators
  • Responsive to flow
  • For monitoring validation
  • Adaptive management
  • Achieving Sound Ecological Environment

50
  • Existing information How will it guide detailed
    technical evaluations?

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  • Spatial and temporal scale

53
  • Sequential steps How to go from technical
    evaluations to flow recommendation

54
Planning
Water Quality
  • The Instream Flow program should be integrated
    with other water-related programs

BE
Permitting
55
  • Independent, interdisciplinary peer review

56
Specific recommendations
  • Specific to each document
  • Specific to elements
  • Biology, HH, Physical Processes

57
Next steps
  • Update the TOD and PWP with stakeholder input
  • Proceed with data collection in three priority
    basins
  • Geomorphology conference upcomingFebruary 22nd.
  • Stakeholder meetings in May???

58
Instream Flow Study Program Results Will Be
  • An essential database for conservation of fish
    and wildlife resources in Texas.
  • Used in the States water rights permitting
    process, and
  • Incorporated into future regional and state water
    plans.

59
For more information
Barney Austin Texas Water Development Board Tel
463-8856 Email barney.austin_at_twdb.state.tx.us
http//www.twdb.state.tx.us/InstreamFlows/
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