Scientific Investigations Report 2006–5274
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Scientific Investigations Report 2006–5274
Development of a Precipitation-Runoff Model to Simulate Unregulated Streamflow
in the Salmon Creek Basin, Okanogan County, Washington
Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation
By Marijke van Heeswijk
Table of Contents
Conversion Factors, Datums, and Abbreviations
or Acronyms
Abstract
Introduction
Development of Precipitation-Runoff
Model
Delineation of Basin Physical Characteristics
Model Parameterization
Model Calibration and Testing
Suggestions for Data Collection
Summary
Acknowledgments
References Cited
Appendix 1. Monthly Values of Total
Water in Storage in Conconully and Salmon Lake Reservoirs, Releases from Conconully
Reservoir, and Computed Unregulated Precipitation Runoff From Upper Salmon Creek
Basin, January 2003–March 2006
Figures
Figure 1. Location of the Salmon Creek
Basin study area and locations of climate stations, Okanogan County, Washington.
Figure 2. Locations of dams, diversions,
and stream gages in the Salmon Creek Basin, Okanogan County, Washington.
Figure 3. Mean annual precipitation
for the Salmon Creek Basin, Okanogan County, Washington, 1971–2000.
Figure 4. Mean monthly precipitation
for the Salmon Creek Basin, Okanogan County, Washington, 1971–2000, and annual precipitation at Conconully, water years 1971–2000.
Figure 5. Mean minimum and maximum
air temperatures for the Conconully climate station, Okanogan County, Washington,
1971–2000.
Figure 6. Modified version of the Precipitation-Runoff
Modeling System.
Figure 7. Mean monthly reference evapotranspiration
as a percentage of mean annual reference evapotranspiration for alfalfa (1982
Kimberly-Penman equation) at the Omak OMAW AgriMet station, water years 1990–2004.
Figure 8. Modeling Response Units and
drainage network delineated for the precipitation-runoff model for the Salmon
Creek Basin, Okanogan County, Washington.
Figure 9. Generalized slopes in the
Salmon Creek Basin, Okanogan County, Washington.
Figure 10. Land cover in the Salmon
Creek Basin, Okanogan County, Washington.
Figure 11. Major subbasins and locations
of model nodes in the Salmon Creek Basin, Okanogan County, Washington.
Figure 12. Estimated and simulated
mean monthly unregulated streamflows for Salmon Creek at Conconully Dam, Okanogan
County, Washington.
Figure 13. Time series of estimated
and simulated monthly mean unregulated streamflows for Salmon Creek at Conconully
Dam, Okanogan County, Washington.
Figure 14. Time series of estimated
and simulated annual mean unregulated streamflows for Salmon Creek at Conconully
Dam, Okanogan County, Washington.
Figure 15. Measured and simulated
mean monthly snowpack water-equivalent for the Salmon Meadows SNOTEL station,
Okanogan County, Washington.
Figure 16. Time series of measured
and simulated monthly mean snowpack water-equivalent for the Salmon Meadows
SNOTEL station, Okanogan County, Washington.
Tables
Table 1. Modules used in the precipitation-runoff
model.
Table 2. Climate stations used in model
simulations or to estimate missing data.
Table 3. Estimated evaporation from
Conconully Reservoir, assuming a mean annual free-water-surface evaporation
of 30 inches.
Table 4. Periods of simulation and model
input time series for each type of model simulation.
Table 5. Mean monthly, annual, and April-July
estimated and simulated unregulated streamflows for Salmon Creek at Conconully
Dam and the percentage of error for the CALIBRATION, TESTING 1, TESTING 2, TESTING
3, TESTING 4, and COMPOSITE model simulations.
Table 6. Annual mean and April-July
mean estimated and unregulated streamflows for Salmon Creek at Conconully Dam
for the driest 4 water years and wettest 4 water years, 1950-89, and the percentage
of error and the absolute error for the model simulations.
This report is available online in Portable Document Format (PDF). If you do
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Send questions or comments about this report to the author, Marijke van Heeswijk, (253) 552-1625.
For more information about USGS activities in Washington, visit the USGS
Washington Water Science Center home page.
U.S.
Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological
Survey
