Potential impacts of groundwater pumping on stream temperature are greatest in streams with substantial cold groundwater inflows

Hydrological Processes
By: , and 

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Abstract

Groundwater pumping-induced reductions in streamflow (known as ‘streamflow depletion’) have been documented worldwide, but potential impacts of streamflow depletion on stream temperature are not well understood. Here, we use two types of models to identify potential impacts of pumping on stream temperature across the conterminous United States (CONUS) to determine which aspects of a stream's annual thermograph (thermal signatures) can be used to monitor and manage streamflow depletion impacts on stream temperature. We used long-term streamflow and stream temperature data from 30 streamgages across CONUS and surrogate models of streamflow depletion to analyse potential stream temperature impacts at each site. We compared two different stream temperature modelling approaches: (i) a process-based energy balance model and (ii) statistical regression models based on air temperature and stream discharge. We calculated a suite of thermal signatures under depleted and non-depleted conditions for each stream and found that maximum annual 7-day temperature and annual temperature range are potentially the most sensitive to streamflow depletion, with potential changes of at least 2°C at > 70% of the sites when using the process-based model. We also found that the regression-based models predicted much less sensitivity of stream temperature to streamflow depletion than the process-based model. This work provides an initial evaluation and sensitivity analysis of the potential impacts of streamflow depletion on stream temperature. We demonstrate that stream temperature may be most sensitive to pumping in streams with a high proportion of flow sourced from relatively cold groundwater inputs, and that regression-based stream temperature models may underpredict stream temperature changes caused by streamflow depletion.

Suggested Citation

Lapides, D.A., Zipper, S., and Hammond, J., 2026, Potential impacts of groundwater pumping on stream temperature are greatest in streams with substantial cold groundwater inflows: Hydrological Processes, v. 40, no. 3, e70444, 21 p., https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70444.

Study Area

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Potential impacts of groundwater pumping on stream temperature are greatest in streams with substantial cold groundwater inflows
Series title Hydrological Processes
DOI 10.1002/hyp.70444
Volume 40
Issue 3
Publication Date March 12, 2026
Year Published 2026
Language English
Publisher Wiley
Contributing office(s) Maryland-Delaware-District of Columbia Water Science Center
Description e70444, 21 p.
Country United States
Other Geospatial conterminous United States
Additional publication details