Table of Contents

• Summary

• President's Notes

• State Conference Speaker Preview

• June Virtual Poster Series Recap

• Student Fellowship Awards & Research Articles
• Unveiling Alluvial Aquifer Potential - Brook Bauer
• Environmental Equity in the Columbia River Basin - Kinsey Freeman
• Managed Aquifer Recharge on Manastash Creek - Elif Myers
• Tracking Hydropower Dam Operations Using Satellites - Sarath Suresh

• AWRA-WA Basin Sponsors

June to August 2024 Edition

Unveiling Alluvial Aquifer Potential: Research on Managed Aquifer Recharge in the Ahtanum Drainage, Yakima County, Washington

By Brook Bauer – Geoscience graduate student at Central Washington University

Amidst the escalating challenges posed by prolonged drought in warmer months, the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan (YBIP) emerged as a collaborative response to manage water supply in the Yakima Basin. YBIP poses managed aquifer recharge (MAR), a form of facilitated groundwater replenishment, as a plausible tool that aims to effectively mitigate drought and secure water supply for domestic, irrigation, and habitat use well into the future.

In light of the demand to better understand groundwater resources within the basin to assess the feasibility of MAR applications, my Master’s thesis research at Central Washington University (CWU) is poised to contribute to this comprehensive strategy. Under the guidance of my CWU faculty mentors, Lisa Ely and Carey Gazis, our research endeavors to investigate groundwater dynamics within an alluvial fan in the Ahtanum Watershed, located in the Lower Yakima Structural Basin (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Yakima Basin overview, highlighting Lower Yakima Structural Basin (light blue) (modified from Gibson and Campana, 2018).

The significance of our research lies in its potential to identify locations suitable for MAR. Application of geologic mapping and geochemical analysis of major ions and stable isotopes aim to inform our comprehensive understanding of hydrogeological characteristics and groundwater interactions of select aquifers. By integrating our findings into the broader framework of the YBIP, we aspire to contribute to the sustainable management and enhancement of groundwater systems in the Ahtanum Watershed.

I am deeply honored to be selected as one of this year's recipients of the American Water Resource Association’s Fellowship Award. This opportunity will undoubtedly support the continuation of my studies and professional development in the field of hydrogeology, enabling me to contribute impactful research to the ongoing efforts in water resource management.

Learn more about the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan.

Bio: 

Brook Bauer is from Portland Oregon and a graduate student at Central Washington University. Her passion to recreate in mountains and rivers has led her to a career in hydrology, with an aim to better understand and protect natural systems. Brook’s graduate research assesses surface water and groundwater interactions to see what aquifers can be utilized for water injection to increase water supply in dry periods or months of drought as part of the coordinated efforts under the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan (YBIP). This is done through investigating and collecting data on select wells within the watershed to isolate productive aquifers by identifying their ability to store and transmit water. The more Brook learns, the more she wants to know about these beautiful dynamic systems.