Factsheet 3Col V 3.5.1
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Normal Streamflows and Water Levels Continue: Summary of Hydrologic Conditions in Georgia, 2014 The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Federal, State, and local agencies. Hydrologic water-quality information (Shaffer, 2013). South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC) conditions are determined by comparing the Two of these Internet tools are WaterNow Georgia office, in cooperation with local, statistical analyses of data collected during and WaterAlert. WaterNow, available at State, and other Federal agencies, maintains a the current water year1 (WY) to historical data. http://water.usgs.gov/waternow/, allows users long-term hydrologic monitoring network of Changing hydrologic conditions underscore to request current data for a USGS site by text more than 350 real-time, continuous-record, the need for accurate, timely data to allow messaging or emailing using a mobile phone. streamflow-gaging stations (streamgages). informed decisions about the management and WaterAlert, available at http://water.usgs.gov/ The network includes 14 real-time lake- conservation of Georgia’s water resources for wateralert/, notifies a user by text message level monitoring stations, 72 real-time agricultural, recreational, ecological, and water- or email when a user-defined threshold is surface-water-quality monitors, and several supply needs and in protecting life and property. exceeded at a real-time USGS site. Beginning water-quality sampling programs. Additionally, with water year 2006 and ending with water the SAWSC Georgia office operates more Water Resources Internet Tools year 2013, annual water data reports are than 204 groundwater monitoring wells, 39 of available to the entire Nation as individual which are real-time. The wide-ranging coverage Historically, hydrologic data collected electronic Site Data Sheets. Starting with the of streamflow, reservoir, and groundwater by the USGS were compiled in annual data 2014 WY, NWISWeb provides an on-demand, monitoring sites allows for a comprehensive reports, but this method of publication was print-ready Water-Year Summary as an annual view of hydrologic conditions across the State. discontinued. Current and historical data water-data product (U.S. Geological Survey, One of the many benefits this monitoring are available through the National Water 2014b). Each site is assigned a unique USGS network provides is a spatially distributed Information System Web interface, or station number, and information on station overview of the hydrologic conditions of creeks, NWISWeb, at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis numbers, alongside numbers for wells and rivers, reservoirs, and aquifers in Georgia. (U.S. Geological Survey, 2014a). miscellaneous sites, can be found at Streamflow and groundwater data The USGS has several online water- http://help.waterdata.usgs.gov/faq/sites/do- are verified throughout the year by USGS resource tools designed to provide users with station-numbers-have-any-particular-meaning. hydrographers and made available to current streamflow and groundwater data, water-resource managers, recreationists, and flood inundation maps, stream statistics, and Selected USGS Water Resources Internet Tools Quarterly Hydrologic Conditions in Georgia for 2014 WY, Based on Drainage Basin Runoff USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) A. 10/01/13–12/31/13 B. 01/01/14–03/31/14 C. 04/01/14–06/30/14 D. 07/01/14–09/30/14 http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis GEORGIA Augusta Macon Columbus Savannah These maps represent hydrologic conditions during the 2014 WY compared with available historical USGS WaterNow data.Figure The observed 2 runoff—flow per unit area—is a good indicator of precipitation and streamflow http://water.usgs.gov/waternow/ conditions for a given basin (Langbein and Iseri, 1960). Runoff is calculated for each basin and presented uniformly over the entire basin area. Only streamflow stations with complete daily-flow datasets for the 2014 WY were used (U.S. Geological Survey, 2014c). EXPLANATION The average annual precipitation for Georgia ranges from 45 to 75 inches of rain. In the 2014 WY, the majority of the State received Percentile classes between 40 and 70 inches of rainfall (National Oceanic and Much above normal, >90 Atmospheric Administration, 2014). For the first quarter of the 2014 WY Above normal, 76 to 90 (October–December 2013, map A), the majority of the State observed Normal, 25 to 75 “normal” (25–75 percentile class) to “above normal” (76–90 percentile Below normal, 10 to 24 USGS WaterAlert class) runoff conditions. During the second quarter of the 2014 WY Much below normal <10 http://water.usgs.gov/wateralert/ (January–March 2014, map B ), the runoff conditions were almost entirely “normal” (25–75 percentile class). During the third quarter of the 2014 WY (April-June 2014, map C ), runoff conditions in the south were “much above normal” (>90 percentile class). During FRM: [email protected] MSG: 144 cfs Streamflow, 2013-11-10 9:42:00 the fourth quarter (July–September 2014, map D ), the State received 2–4 inches less than normal Scioto River below O’Shaughnessy Dam nr Dublin, OH (From precipitation at the majority of National Weather Service monitoring locations (Dunkley, 2015). The h p://water.usgs.gov/bns? YUhd6:03221000 Shaffer, cities of Macon and Columbus, Georgia, experienced the 2nd and 6th driest months on record, 2013) respectively, in August; the majority of runoff conditions were “below normal” (10–24 percentile class) and “much below normal” (less than 10 percentile class). U.S. Department of the Interior Fact Sheet 2016 –3016 U.S. Geological Survey Figure 1. March 2016 Daily Discharge and 7-Day Average Discharge Conditions for Select Gaging Locations, 2014 Water Year CUMBERLAND PLATEAU R BLUE EXPLANATION a g RIDGE SOUTH o o [Map] Chattooga River at Summerville, Ga. 02398000 t Sweetwater Creek near Austell, Ga. 02337000 t CAROLINA 02337000 Sweetwater Creek near Austell, Georgia 02398000 Chattooga River at Summerville, Georgia a h River basin boundary C 02398000 The Chattooga River flows 10,000 Sweetwater Creek is a major 10,000 VALLEY Physiographic boundary from the northwestern corner AND Coosa– tributary of the Chattahoochee RIDGE Tallapoosa– 02213000 Streamgage and number of Georgia in the Blue Ridge Weiss Tennessee River in the Piedmont Physio- 1,000 1,000 Lake Sweetwater Physiographic Province, into Creek graphic Province in central PIEDMONT Savannah–Ogeechee Sa Atlanta va Georgia (U.S. Geological Survey, 100 Alabama, where it flows into 02337000 n n Jackson a h 1975). For the 2014 WY, 7-day Weiss Lake (U.S. Geological r Lake e R 100 v i i v e average streamflow conditions 10 Survey, 1975). For the majority R GEORGIA r of the 2014 WY, 7-day average Ocmulgee–Altamaha were “normal” to “much above in cubic feet per second 7-day average discharge, in cubic feet per second O 7-day average discharge, c normal” with short periods of streamflow conditions were 02213000 Oconee– o 1 10 n e e O “normal” to “much above ge record in the “below normal” ec h 100,000 100,000 e normal.” Daily discharge for e range. Daily discharge fluctuated R iv R e i most of the 2014 WY was in e r v between the “median” and e O e 10,000 10,000 c r h m c COASTAL PLAIN “maximum” ranges of historical the “maximum” range. A new o u l o g Altam h a e r h daily mean flow 1,000 record-high daily discharge 1,000 a e a t e v t Ri Ri a ve was observed on April 8. h r C n 100 100 a e Satilla–Suwannee– c O r St Marys–Ochlockonee Chattahoochee–Flinte c Daily discharge, Daily discharge, v i i 10 10 R t t n e a n e l in cubic feet per second i t in cubic feet per second ALABAMA l h c A F o r o e 1 1 c v la i OND JFMAMJJAS h R OND JFMAMJJAS FLORIDA t i 02318500 2013 2014 W 2013 2014 N EXPLANATION [Graphs] 02318500 Withlacoochee River Ocmulgee River at Macon, Ga. 02213000 Withlacoochee River at US 84 near Quitman, Ga. 02318500 02213000 Ocmulgee River at Macon, Georgia 7-Day Average Discharge at US 84, near Quitman, Georgia 100,000 100,000 The Ocmulgee River flows Hydrographs show the 7-day average discharge for 2014 as compared to The Withlacoochee River flows historical 7-day averages. Data are categorized in percentile ranges from out of Jackson Lake and joins into the Suwannee River Basin “much above normal” (greater than the 90th percentile) to “much below 10,000 the Oconee River to form the EXPLANATION 10,000 normal” (less than the 10th percentile) (U.S. Geological Survey, 2014c). in the southern coastal plain of Altamaha River in the Coastal [Graphs] Georgia (U.S. Geological Survey, 1,000 Plain Physiographic Province in Historical 7-day average discharge— 1975). For much of the 2014 WY, Percentile in parentheses 100 central Georgia (U.S. Geological 1,000 7-day average streamflow Survey, 1975). In the 2014 WY, Much above normal (≥90) Above normal (76 to 89) conditions were “normal” to 10 the 7-day average discharges in cubic feet per second Normal (25 to 75) “much above normal,” from 7-day average discharge, in cubic feet per second were mostly “normal.” Daily 7-day average discharge, 100 Below normal (11 to 24) October to May and record-high 1 discharge fluctuated between Much below normal (≤10) 7-day average streamflows were 100,000 100,000 the “median” and “maximum” 2013 2014 2014 water year 7-day observed during April and May. average discharge ranges of historical daily-mean Daily discharge was mostly 10,000 flow, and record-high maximum in the “maximum” range from 10,000 Daily Discharge daily-mean discharges were October to May, and record-high 1,000 recorded during the month Hydrographs show 2014 daily-mean discharge, in cubic feet per second, as maximum daily-mean discharges compared to historical minimum and median discharge for the entire period 100 of December.