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Assessment of Future Water Availability in the Major River Basins of Alabama

Project Chief: Kenneth Odom
Cooperator: Office of Water Resources in the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs
Period of Project: FY08-FY11

Climate of the southeastern U.S. is normally described as humid, subtropical receiving moderate amounts of precipitation; however, some years, most recently 2007, have seen rainfall amounts fall far below average. For example, Alabama’s average rainfall is normally around 56 inches. The average annual precipitation in 2007 was approximately 39 inches. Extreme events similar to this can present a water manager with a major dilemma when trying to maintain permitted withdrawals while also providing for instream uses. The decision-making and planning process of water managers would greatly benefit from the use of water budget models based on the hydrologic cycle, whereby different scenarios of extreme climate events, land use changes, and water use could be studied.

The Office of Water Resources (OWR) in the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is charged in §Section 9-10B-1, et.seq. of the Alabama Water Resources Act to, among other things, assess the state’s water resources including estimating the water use and the amount of water available in the 11 major river basins of Alabama. Each of these basins is in need of long-term hydrologic tools that can be used for assessing water availability under a variety of different conditions, including, climate extremes, water-use, and land-use changes. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and OWR are working together to develop a water availability modeling toolbox that will be useful in the planning and decision-making process. The toolbox can be used to estimate water availability using existing watershed information and future scenarios that could include the effects of changes in land use, water use, and climate.