No abstract

The watersheds in which we live are comprised of a complex set of physical and social systems that interact over a range of spatial and temporal scales. These systems are continually evolving in response to changing climatic patterns, land use practices and the increasing intervention of humans. Management of these watersheds benefits from the development and application of models that offer a comprehensive and integrated view of these complex systems and the demands placed upon them. The utility of these models is greatly enhanced if they are developed in a participatory process that incorporates the views and knowledge of relevant stakeholders. System dynamics provides a unique mathematical framework for integrating the physical and social Aquatic Sciences processes important to watershed management, and for providing an interactive interface for engaging the public. We have employed system dynamics modeling to assist in community-based water planning for a three-county region in north-central New Mexico. The planning region is centered on a ~165-km reach of the Rio Grande that includes the greater Albuquerque metropolitan area. The challenge, which is common to other arid/semi-arid environments, is to balance a highly variable water supply among the demands posed by urban development, irrigated agriculture, river/reservoir evaporation and riparian/in-stream uses. A description of the model and the planning process are given along with results and perspectives drawn from both.

New demands for water can be satisfied through a variety of source options. In some basins surface and/or groundwater may be available through permitting with the state water management agency (termed unappropriated water), alternatively water might be purchased and transferred out of its current use to another (termed appropriated water), or non-traditional water sources can be captured and treated (e.g., wastewater). The relative availability and cost of each source are key factors in the development decision. Unfortunately, these measures are location dependent with no consistent or comparable set of data available for evaluating competing water sources. With the help of western water managers, water availability was mapped for over 1200 watersheds throughout the western US. Five water sources were individually examined, including unappropriated surface water, unappropriated groundwater, appropriated water, municipal wastewater and brackish groundwater. Also mapped was projected change in consumptive water use from 2010 to 2030. Associated costs to acquire, convey and treat the water, as necessary, for each of the five sources were estimated. These metrics were developed to support regional water planning and policy analysis with initial application to electric transmission planning in the western US.

Hydrological and geochemical spatial patterns and temporal trends were analyzed using U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) water quality data collected from 1975 to 1999 along the uppermost 600 km of the Rio Grande in Colorado and New Mexico. Data on discharge, specific conductivity (SC), total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+, K+, HCO3−, SO42‐, Cl−, F−, and SiO2 came from six USGS stations ranging from the Colorado‐New Mexico border to below Albuquerque, New Mexico. Linear regression, Kendall's S, and Seasonal Kendall's S’ were used to detect trends, and ANOVA was used to analyze spatial differences between stations. Statistically significant increasing trends occurred in SC, TDS, Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+, K+, Cl−, and F−in the uppermost reaches, and significant decreasing trends of SC, TDS, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, HCO3−, and SO42‐occurred at the lower stations around Albuquerque. Both fluoride concentrations and pH values increased at and below Albuquerque over the study period. Discharge data show an increasing trend across all stations. Spatially, data for dissolved substances show generally linear upstream to downstream increases in concentrations in the upper four stations, with several notable nonlinear increases at and below Albuquerque (SC, TDS, Na+, Cl−). Significant increases in pH appear at and below Albuquerque, relative to upstream stations, probably due to improved sewage treatment.

Bird species richness and individual abundances were recorded in old, unrestored tin strip mine plots, in mined plots restored 1, 2, and 3 years before the study, and in adjacent, unmined, natural secondary forest plots on the 11,340‐km2 Indonesian island of Bangka (2°S, 106°E). The objective was to assess the ecological recovery of unrestored and minimally restored mine plots compared with surrounding reference forest. Unrestored mines had not been mined or used for any other purpose for 14–30 years; plots in their first, second, and third year since restoration were old mines planted with Acacia mangium (Leguminosae) at a density of 400 trees/ha. Natural secondary forest plots 20 or more years since the last disturbance were immediately adjacent to both unrestored and restored plots. Bird surveys on 4‐ha plots were performed during the 1995 breeding season. A comparison of data from unrestored plots of widely varying ages showed no significant differences among them for species richness, diversity (Shannon–Wiener index, H′), or individual abundance, indicating that little natural bird community recovery had occurred over time in the plots. However, increases did occur in restored sites over only 3 years for both species richness (r 2= 0.29, p = 0.04) and diversity (r 2= 0.45, p = 0.009). All values for third‐year restored plots, however, were still significantly lower than corresponding values for adjacent natural secondary forest plots. The quick return of bird activity on the plots after minimal efforts at restoration supports the idea that simple, inexpensive restoration can be effective for “jump starting” degraded systems at large scales. Such a restoration strategy might be of particular value for degraded land in developing nations, where scientific, professional, and financial resources might be in short supply. Using this strategy, a small number of restoration professionals could mobilize the labor of many local people in many areas, serving to both improve ecological systems and to educate and engage local populations in restoration and conservation projects.