Pre-development streamflow monitoring in a watershed slated for development
The 2023 babyÖ±²¥app Water Plan mentions urban land use and urban growth patterns as high-impact drivers that influence babyÖ±²¥app’s water future. babyÖ±²¥app’s population is expected to increase from 5.77 million in 2020 to 7.48 million by 2050. The Front Range is projected to host 85% of the total population — 45% of whom will reside in the Denver Metro Area. Previous studies have analyzed changes in streamflow driven by urban development in the Denver Metro Area and have found considerable effects on the magnitude and duration of streamflow and baseflow. We are building on this work by monitoring streamflow at West Stroh Gulch in Parker, CO, an intermittent stream in a watershed that has been slated for development. The monitoring aims to capture pre-development and post-development conditions on the streamflow regime. For this we are using trail cameras at 4 different locations of the tributaries of West Stroh Gulch to detect presence or absence of streamflow, and a 3’ h-flume has been installed at the exit of the drainage area to quantify the magnitude of streamflow events. In the pre-development grassland conditions, we observed 9 streamflow events at the h-flume that have ranged from 2.7 in to >28 in in stage, and from 0.14 cfs and >16 cfs in flow respectively. The results of this monitoring will help us understand how the streamflow regime changes because of urban development and will support cities in the Denver Metro Area in their urban planning process.