WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH GRANT PROPOSAL
Project ID: 2003TX92B
Title: Monitoring and Evaluation of the Pecos River Ecosystem Project
Project Type: Research
Focus Categories: Water Use, Ecology, Hydrology
Keywords: Pecos, River, saltcedar
Start Date: 03/01/2003
End Date: 02/28/2004
Federal Funds: $4185.00
Matching Funds: $13984.00
Congressional District: 23
Principal Investigators: McDonald, Alyson K.; Hart, Charles R.
Abstract: As much as 58% of the water (more than 38,000 acre feet or AF) that is diverted from the Pecos River between the Red Bluff and Imperial Reservoirs is not delivered to downstream irrigation districts. This project will investigate the extent to which salt cedar, a nuisance brush species in the riparian zone of the river, is consuming the waters released by the reservoirs before they get to the irrigation districts. This effort hopes to calculate the water balance for this stretch of the Pecos River in Texas and to determine the effect of clearing salt cedar on the amount of water flowing into the river and seeping into the area’s groundwaters. The project will monitor four sites in this stretch of the river and gather data on such parameters as rainfall, groundwater levels, and salinity. This study should provide key insights on the potential impact of brush control to increase flows in this watershed.