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What is the water year? |
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What is the water year?
The water year is the best
approximation of the consecutive 12 months that span the "water
storage/water usage" hydrological cycle. The water year cycle is
particularly obvious in the Rocky Mountains and western U.S. where snow
begins to accumulate at high elevations in October and doesn't melt until
the next spring and summer.
Another way to think of the Water Year is the resting/replenishing season
followed by the growing, harvesting and water-consuming season. As October
begins, the summer growing season comes to an end. With the coming of
colder weather, evapotranspiration shuts down. In the mountains and the
northern states, snows begin to fall. For much of the country and
especially the northern states, the months of October through March are
months where precipitation from the sky exceeds evaporation from the
ground. This means that soil moisture and ground water can recharge.
Runoff that reaches the rivers and streams may increase (except in cold
areas where the water remains frozen). Then, when next spring comes the
temperatures rise again, plants come back to life, snow melts, rivers
surge. As evapotranspiration increases as plants begin to grow. By the
summer months, evapotranspiration will once again exceed precipitation for
most of the country. This means that soils dry out, river flow may
decrease, and little or no water recharges aquifers. Drought becomes
especially problematic when precipitation falls short of expectations
during the spring and summer months. By next September, crops will be
harvested, temperatures will again cool, and yet another water year will
come to an end. |
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