Coupling of the Water Cycle with Patterns of Urban Growth in the Baltimore Metropolitan Region, United States1. (3rd November 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bhaskar, Aditi S.; Jantz, Claire; Welty, Claire; Drzyzga, Scott A.; Miller, Andrew J.
• Is Part Of: Journal of the American Water Resources Association. Volume 52:Number 6(2016:Dec.)
• Page Start: 1509
• Page End: 1523
• Publication Date: 2016-11-03
• Subjects: urban areas -- watersheds -- simulation -- hydrologic cycle -- groundwater management -- water supply -- planning -- urbanization; Water-supply -- Periodicals; Hydrology -- Periodicals; Water resources development -- Periodicals; Water resources development -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; 333.9100973
• DOI: 10.1111/1752-1688.12479
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1093-474X

Abstract

Abstract: Regional municipal water plans typically do not recognize complex coupling patterns or that increased withdrawals in one location can result in changes in water availability in others. We investigated the interaction between urban growth and water availability in the Baltimore metropolitan region where urban growth has occurred beyond the reaches of municipal water systems into areas that rely on wells in low‐productivity Piedmont aquifers. We used the urban growth model SLEUTH and the hydrologic model ParFlow.CLM to evaluate this interaction with urban growth scenarios in 2007 and 2030. We found decreasing groundwater availability outside of the municipal water service area. Within the municipal service area we found zones of increasing storage resulting from increased urban growth, where reduced vegetation cover dominated the effect of urbanization on the hydrologic cycle. We also found areas of decreasing storage, where expanding impervious surfaces played a larger role. Although the magnitude of urban growth and change in water availability for the simulation period were generally small, there was considerable spatial heterogeneity of changes in subsurface storage. This suggests that there are locally concentrated areas of groundwater sensitivity to urban growth where water shortages could occur or where drying up of headwater streams would be more likely. The simulation approach presented here could be used to identify early warning indicators of future risk.