Water Management for Small Urbanizing Watershed

Abstract

In 1976 and 1977, the city of Ames, Iowa had to ration water due to a locally severe drought. Some relief was obtained by artificially recharging the depleted aquifer by pumping water from a nearby sand and gravel quarry. Since the drought, city engineering and Iowa State University personnel have conducted studies to make the quarry a permanent part of the city's sources of water supply. These studies have included both water quantity and water quality studies. The results of these studies with emphasis given to the water quantity studies and results are explored. This account of how one city turned the solution of a water supply problem into an opportunity to incorporate water quality, flood control, and recreation considerations into a more complete overall solution can serve as a model for other cities to use as they strive to find solutions to their own unique water‐related problems.