GROUNDWATER SUSTAINABILITY IN THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: A CASESTUDY AT BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, TEXAS, USA

Sustainability of groundwater is an increasingly important concept in managing resources in an era of climate change, increased demands due to development, and dwindling supplies of surface water. Lands managed by the National Park Service (NPS) are not immune to these issues and are often facing difficulties in managing resources impacted by increased demand from record visitation, pressure from surrounding groundwater development, and aging infrastructure, all during an ongoing change in climate.

In response, the NPS is incorporating concepts of groundwater sustainability into water management to ensure availability of groundwater for park operations and ecosystems, reliable infrastructure capable of meeting present and future needs, and defendable legal entitlement in the face of competing uses and declining availability. These needs are currently being highlighted in many NPS units, particularly in the western United States where much of the area is experiencing severe or exceptional drought conditions.

This poster focuses on a major groundwater supply source for Big Bend National Park. Dwindling discharge at a developed spring was coupled with increased visitation and aging water infrastructure to create uncertainty in meeting future demands. Analysis of groundwater discharge records indicates a link to recent precipitation patterns, and when analyzed with modeled climate change scenarios, historical supply conditions were found not to be a reliable indicator of future availability. In response, the NPS evaluated potential alternatives, including groundwater development from a new source that was ultimately identified as being less susceptible to drought conditions, able to support more sustainable development, could be tied into newer and more reliable delivery infrastructure, and allow for a groundwater dependent ecosystem to be potentially restored to pre-development conditions.

While physical and bureaucratic factors will vary widely across the units of the NPS, the approach to groundwater sustainability used in this study remain widely applicable, allowing for continued development and use of groundwater to meet current and future needs without causing unacceptable environmental or socioeconomic consequences.