Hydrology Program

Water Plays a major role in providing habitat and shaping the landscape of the national parks.

The Hydrology Program provides technical and policy advice to parks on the management of hydrologic conditions and processes. Program staff help address hydrologic issues such as ground-water protection and development, floodplain management, hydrologic monitoring, and fluvial geomorphology, as well as watershed, stream and riparian area condition management and restoration. Other service areas include hydrologic modeling and assistance in the technical aspects of environmental regulation and compliance.

The Water Operations Branch (WOB) Hydrology Program provides technical assistance to parks in the following areas:

• Surface water hydrologic and hydraulic modeling and assessment
• Floodplain management, policy, and compliance
• Ground water resource analysis, protection and development
• Fluvial geomorphic assessment and sediment transport
• Watershed, stream, and riparian area condition analysis and management
• Environmental assessment and compliance

The WOB Hydrology Program is designed to support headquarters, regions, Denver Service Center, and park-based managers and resource professionals by: providing national consistency in water related programs; providing specialized analytical or technology support to field-based professionals; assuming responsibility for special studies requiring specialized technical skills or dealing with significant issues of multi-park, regional, or national scope; and assisting in integrating principles of good science with complex policy issues.

Beginning in 2003, the Hydrology Program assumed responsibility for designing and administering a new servicewide program to assess the conditions of watershed in parks including uplands, wetlands, streams and riparian resources. Development of a major review and analysis of existing methods used to assess the ecological conditions of watersheds at multiple scales was initiated during the program’s first year.