Ecohydrology

To properly address water quantity and water quality concerns in riparian systems, we need a better understanding of the multiple ecological, hydrological, and land management interactions occurring in a given location. 

This project, conducted primarily in the Oak Creek watershed in the Willamette Basin, will provide critical information regarding the potential impacts that different land management practices (e.g., conservation programs and agriculture) may have on streamflow volumes and on several water quality indicators (e.g., stream temperature and nutrient levels).  

Project objectives are:

1) Characterize land use-water quality relationships across the stream longitudinal profile, from the headwaters to the watershed outlet.

2) Evaluate surface water and groundwater interactions at the field and watershed scales, and;

3) Assess the impact of specific land management practices (e.g., conservation programs, grazing) on soil, water, and vegetation indicators.  

We monitor multiple ecological and hydrological parameters to assess soil-plant-water relationships along the riparian zone and its contributing watershed.

Publications related to this project:

Soil moisture and water transport through the vadose zone and into the shallow aquifer: Field observations in irrigated and non-irrigated pasture fields

Soil water balance and shallow aquifer recharge in an irrigated pasture field with clay soils in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA

A hydrogeologic framework for understanding surface water and groundwater interactions in a watershed system in the Willamette Basin in western Oregon, USA

The effects of self-regenerating annual clovers on plant species composition and heifer performance in an irrigated pasture in western Oregon, USA