Rainfall, runoff, and water-quality data for the urban storm-water program in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, metropolitan area, water year 2004

Abstract

Urbanization has dramatically increased precipitation runoff to the system of drainage channels and natural stream channels in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, metropolitan area. Rainfall and runoff data are important for planning and designing future storm-water conveyance channels in newly developing areas. Storm-water quality also is monitored in accordance with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority, the City of Albuquerque, and the U.S. Geological Survey began a cooperative program to collect hydrologic data to assist in assessing the quality and quantity of surface-water resources in the Albuquerque area. This report presents water-quality, streamflow, and rainfall data collected from October 1, 2003, to September 30, 2004 (water year 2004). Also provided is a station analysis for each of the 18 streamflow-gaging sites and 39 rainfall-gaging sites, which includes a description of monitoring equipment, problems associated with data collection during the year, and other information used to compute streamflow discharges or rainfall records. A hydrographic comparison shows the effects that the largest drainage channel in the metropolitan area, the North Floodway Channel, has on total flow in the Rio Grande. 2 computer models that aid local engineers and city planners in the estimation of storm-water runoff. With these needs in mind, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority (AMAFCA) and the City of Albuquerque, began a study in 1976 to collect hydrologic data to help assess surface-water resources in the Albuquerque area and to determine long-term trends. The information gained will better help AMAFCA and the City to manage and administer water resources. The program is reviewed and revised annually to meet AMAFCA's and the City's needs. Data collected also support digital modeling programs conducted by AMAFCA. Flood-frequency analyses of selected watersheds can be completed when sufficient data are available. Historically, daily mean discharges at selected streamflow-gaging stations are published in the USGS annual Water-Data Report, but prior to the water year 2001 summary report (Kelly and Romero, 2003), no annual data summary report had been devoted exclusively to this study. Two previous reports (Fischer and others, 1984; Metzker and others, 1993) summarized rainfall and runoff data for selected storms during 1976-83 and 1984-88. Daily rainfall totals and intensities as well as annual water-quality sampling results are not included in the annual Water-Data Report but are provided to the cooperators on request. Instantaneous maximum stages for secondary peaks and all gage-height or rainfall values recorded at 5-minute intervals are available from the USGS database. The purpose of this cooperative program is to obtain rainfall and surface-water (water quality and streamflow) data for an assessment of water resources...