INVESTIGADORES
VALENZUELA Luciano Oscar
artículos
Título:
Patterns of local and nonlocal water resource use across the western U.S. determined via stable isotope intercomparisons.
Autor/es:
GOOD, STEPHEN P; KENNEDY, CASEY D; STALKER JEREMY C; CHESSON, LESLEY A; VALENZUELA, LUCIANO O; BEASLEY, MELANIE M; EHLERINGER, JAMES R; BOWEN, GABRIEL
Revista:
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
Editorial:
AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
Referencias:
Año: 2014 p. 1 - 16
ISSN:
0043-1397
Resumen:
In the western U.S., the mismatch between public water demands and
natural water availability necessitates large interbasin transfers of
water as well as groundwater mining of fossil aquifers. Here we identify
probable situations of nonlocal water use in both space and time based
on isotopic comparisons between tap waters and potential water resources
within hydrologic basins. Our approach, which considers evaporative
enrichment of heavy isotopes during storage and distribution, is used to
determine the likelihood of local origin for 612 tap water samples
collected from across the western U.S. We find that 64% of samples are
isotopically distinct from precipitation falling within the local
hydrologic basin, a proxy for groundwater with modern recharge, and 31%
of samples are isotopically distinct from estimated surface water found
within the local basin. Those samples inconsistent with local water
sources, which we suggest are likely derived from water imported from
other basins or extracted from fossil aquifers, are primarily clustered
in southern California, the San Francisco Bay area, and central Arizona.
Our isotope-based estimates of nonlocal water use are correlated with
both hydrogeomorphic and socioeconomic properties of basins, suggesting
that these factors exert a predictable influence on the likelihood that
nonlocal waters are used to supply tap water. We use these basin
properties to develop a regional model of nonlocal water resource use
that predicts (r2 = 0.64) isotopically inferred patterns and allows
assessment of total interbasin transfer and/or fossil aquifer extraction
volumes across the western U.S.