ABSTRACT:

The Diamond Fork River watershed has undergone extreme hydrologic alteration due to irrigation flows being routed through the system since the early 1900s. In the late 1990s and early 2000s infrastructure was completed to transport the irrigation flows but the river was not restored to its natural flow regime. Instead, minimum instream flows were prescribed in the hopes to enhance the fishery and create more habitat. Since 2004, the channel has undergone significant change and the current flow regime is being inspected with regards to its effectiveness of creating a better ecosystem. To best understand the impacts of the current flow regime, understanding the natural flow regime, and the degree to which it is altered is the first step to fully capturing the effect of prescribed minimum instream flows. This paper briefly outlines progress made with regards to this project of understanding the natural flow regime, and future work that needs to be done to understand the degree of alteration.

ABSTRACT:

This is the proposal for my final project in CEE 4930 GIS in Water Resources. It outlines the background of my study area and the methods that I plan to use. I plan to create correlations by comparing USGS gages and the their hydrologic and watershed characteristics.