PLT - Stillwater Creek Watershed Dam Monitoring and Inspection Pilot Program

Scientists at the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Agroclimate and Hydraulic Engineering Research Unit (HERU) in Stillwater, Oklahoma in collaboration with ARS Partnership for Data Innovations and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have initiated a pilot dam monitoring and inspection program in the Stillwater Creek Watershed. This project will focus on utilizing cloud-based technologies that consumes data from sensor networks, specialized instrumentation, and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to name a few. These technologies are deployed across a range of dam and reservoir sizes, dam construction years, and land use (e.g., urban to rural). Data will be transmitted from these real-time, continuous monitoring systems to the USDA ARS cloud-based data repository. Additionally, real-time data will be coupled with historic observation data for the selected sites made available from federal and state agencies, academic institutions, and other collaborators. The expected outcomes of this pilot project are for the data to be used 1) to develop new or improve existing cloud-based models for forecasting water storage; runoff; reservoir sedimentation; and dam, spillway, and channel performance; 2) to achieve a better understanding of dam performance and reservoir response time to climate changes and extreme weather events; 3) to predict impacts to urban and agricultural landscapes in a more timely manner; 4) to improve flood warning systems; and 5) to create a suite of decision support tools, models, standard operating procedures, and design guidance for a variety of end users including dam operators, emergency managers, planning and design engineers, irrigation district managers, scientists, farmers, producers, agri-businesses, and water resources policy makers. These outcomes will allow end-users to make informed decisions on dam safety, water resources operation, infrastructure maintenance and rehabilitation needs; irrigation management; water allocations; zoning regulations; and lending for commercial or residential development.