Groundwater, Drought, and Flood Forecasting for the Upper Yellowstone

We had a great turnout for our community conversation this week on the newly completed Upper Yellowstone Watershed Study, presented by John Lunzer. For everyone who was unable to join us on the Zoom, we recorded it.

If you have ever wondered what the dynamics and interplay between groundwater and surface water with the Yellowstone River and Paradise Valley are, or just how much natural water loss occurs on the river and its tributaries you’re in luck. This presentation delves into all that and more.

If you wished that we might have had more warning time than just hours before the 2022 Yellowstone River flood, we now have the data to run modeling forecasts that could potentially give us three days advance notice for a catastrophic flood event.

If the ongoing drought conditions concern you, and you are curious about how we might be able to respond, or adapt to hotter and drier conditions, this study will provide important information to help guide decisions about where, when and what type of action would be most effective.

The study began in 2021, and was funded by a Bureau of Reclamation Applied Science Grant. By working with local stakeholders, this study pieced together a comprehensive water balance for the watershed. It will provide tools that will help us see how water is moving through our valley and will be vital for developing a drought management plan, forecasting seasonal water supply, and planning for the future.

Our guest presenter and study lead, John Lunzer, is a hydrologist with DNRC Water Sciences Bureau. He completed his Master’s degree at Montana Tech in 2019, and has worked in water resources in Montana for a total of 8 years, the last 5 of which have been with DNRC. His work primarily focuses on connections between irrigation and local hydrology.