1. Dam and Reservoir Influences
on the Dynamics of the
Boise River Basin
Evan Norman, Sara Kaster, Wyatt Medley
Boise State University
Geos 498

2. Boise River Dams
NEGATIVE IMPACTS
◈ Riparian species
◈ Aquatic life
◈ Wildlife
POSITIVE IMPACTS
◈ Hydropower
◈ Water resources and storage
◈ Flood control
Can storage and structure yield a healthy environment
while sustaining water needs?

3. Upper Dams
Anderson Ranch
Photo by Wyatt Medley
Arrowrock Lucky Peak Diversion
http://aptaperture.com/2010/10/14/wyoming-utah-and-idaho/
Photo by Evan Norman
Photo by Evan Norman

4. Pourpoint
Location
Watershed
Area (km2
)
Diversion 22.55
Lucky Peak 1213.55
Arrowrock 3212.64
Anderson Ranch 2527.03

5. Storage
Graf, W. (1999)
- reservoir storage provides a relative measure of changes in flow regimes
and downstream effects.
- ratio of storage capacity to annual runoff in a watershed highlight areas
with greatest change in discharge (GP, RM, SW).
Eastern U.S. Western U.S.
Total Capacity (af) 162,327,587 217,694,485
Average Capacity (af) 2,135,889 4,535,302
Dept. of the Interior,Bureau of Reclamation
Local Reservoir Capacities (acre-feet)
◈ Anderson Ranch = 413,100
◈ Arrowrock = 272,000
◈ Lucky Peak = 264,400

6. Spatial Distribution and Size of Reservoirs in the U.S.
*East and West was determined by the 98th meridian and corresponding annual precipitation. (West<20
in/yr, East>20 in/yr)
*Dataset includes the largest reservoirs in the U.S. (storage capacity greater than or equal to 1,000,000
acre-feet)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_reservoirs_in_the_United_States

7. Storage Key Points
◈ The ratio of storage capacity to annual runoff and reservoir size are the
most significant contributors to downstream impacts (Graf, 1999).
◈ Climate impact on storage - determines the capacity of reservoirs.
Impacts
◈ Sedimentation
◈ Agriculture
◈ Riparian Species
◈ Water Quality

8. (Syvitski, Vorosmarty, Kettner, & Green, 2005).
Sediment Flux

9. Sedimentation Surveys of Boise River Reservoirs
Anderson Ranch Arrowrock Lucky Peak
Construction
Completed
1950 1915 1955
Sediment Survey
(Agency)
1998 (BOR) 1997 (BOR) 2005 (USACE)
Storage Capacity
(acre-feet)
413,100 272,000 264,000
Volume Lost (acre-feet)
18,236 19,376 N/A
Annual Capacity Lost
(acre-feet/year)
346.7 235.4 N/A
Percent Lost 3.7 6.6 N/A
http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/sediment/projects/ReservoirSurveys/

10. Local Water Availability
◈ Demand- use, consumption, need, economics (Merrett, 2009)
◈ Annual SRP water diversions change from demand to supply
driven (Hoekema and Sridhar., 2011)
◈ Seasonal melting (Marks et al., 2010)
◈ 2080 peak streamflow will change from April to late February
(Vano et al., 2010)

11. Changes in Minimum and Maximum Temperatures at
Low to High Elevations in the RCEW
(Nayak et al. 2010)
Watershed
elevation range
of the upper
Boise dams:
847-3197 m
High Elevation Site
2093m
Mid elevation Site:
1652 m
Low Elevation Site:
1200m
Year (1962- 2007)
Tmin(C)
Tmax(C)
Tmin(C)Tmin(C)
Tmax(C)Tmax(C)

12. Agriculture
◈ Storage depicts farming practices (Hoekema and Sridhar., 2011)
◈ New York Canal irrigation recharge (Hoekema, 2011)
◈ Upstream users vs. downstream users (Hoekema, 2011)
◈ Chances junior water rights holders will have unavailable
water increases from 27% in 2020 to 33% in 2040 and 68% in
2080 (Vano et al., 2010)

13. Boise River Seasonal Water Diversions
(Hansen et al. 2014)

14. Flows Impact on Water Quality
Liu et al (2014)
◈ Speed & Volume
◈ Temperature
◈ Sediment transport
◈ Nutrient loadings
http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/idaho/snake-river-canyon

15. Water Quality in Streams
http://www.vtwaterquality.org/wqd_mgtplan/swms_appC.htm

16. Riparian Species and Aquatic Life
◈ 19 species of concern
(Chinook, Steelhead, Sockeye)
◈ Levels of dissolved oxygen
◈ Temperature changes
http://www.oceanlight.com/log/adams-river-sockeye-salmon-swimming-upstream.html

17. Boise River’s Sharp Drop
http://boisestatepublicradio.org/post/power-outage-may-have-caused-boise-rivers-sharp-drop-overnight

18. Why We Care?
http://boiseriverwildtrout.blogspot.com/
http://boiseguardian.com/2013/08/30/theres-gold-in-the-boise-river/
Recreation FishingAgriculture
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/29331494

19. Positive Impacts Negative Impacts
Storage Storage
Flood control Channel morphology
Agriculture Fish and riparian species
Recreation Water quality
Hydropower Sediment transport
Electricity revenue Maintenance costs

20. Who has priority?

21. References
Websites: Idaho Rivers United
Gordon, E., Meentemeyer K. (2006) Effects of dam operation and land use on stream morphology and riparian vegetation. Geomorphology v 82, p.
412-429
Graf, W. (1999) Dam nation: A geographic census of American dams and their large-scale hydrologic impacts. Water Resources Research v. 35 p.
1305-1311
Hansen, Z., Lowe, S., Xu, W. (2014) Long-term impacts of major water storage facilities on agriculture and the natural environment: Evidence from
Idaho (U.s) Ecological Economics v.100, p. 106-118
Hoekema, D., Sridhar, V., (2011) Relating climatic attributes and water resources allocation: A study using surface water supply and soil moisture
indices in the Snake River basin, Idaho. Water Resources Research v. 47 DOI: 10.1029/2010WR0096970
Liu, Y., Yang W., Yu Z., Lung, I., Yarotski, J., Elliott, J., and Tiessen, K. (2014) Assessing the Effects of Small Dams on Stream Flow and Water
Quality in Agricultural Watershed. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering v 19, p. 1237-1240
Merrett,S. (2004) The Demand for Water: Four Interpretations, Water International, v. 29:1, p. 27-29, DOI: 10.1080/02508060408691745
Nayak A, Marks D, Chandler DG, Seyfried M. (2010) Long-term snow, climate, and streamflow trends at the Reynolds Creek Experimental
Watershed, Owyhee Mountains, Idaho, United States. Water Resources Research v. 46: W06519. DOI: 10.1029/2008WR007525
Syvitski, J., Vorosmarty, C., Kettner, A., Green, P. (2005) Impact of humans on the flux of terrestrial sediment to the global coastal ocean. Science.
v. 308, p. 376-380
Vano, J., Scott, M., Voisin, N., Stockle, C., Hamlet, A., Mickelson, K., Elsner, M., & Lettenmaier, D. (2010) Climate change impacts on water
management and irrigated agriculture in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, USA. Climatic Change. v. 102, p 287 – 317.