Hydrologically Informed Development: A Landscape Analysis of the Impacts of Rural Residential Development on Drinking Water Quality in the Lower McKenzie Watershed, Oregon

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Date

2011-06

Authors

Evers, Cody R., 1981-

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

University of Oregon

Abstract

Exurban growth is prevalent in watersheds nationwide and of special concern in areas important for their undeveloped qualities. The McKenzie River, Oregon, is a natural amenity of great public, aesthetic and recreational value and provides drinking water for much of the southern Willamette Valley. These qualities also make the basin an attractive place to live, and their preservation is often in conflict with the rights and gains of private landowners. However, current containment strategies of development can be arbitrary from a hydrological perspective, especially when adapted from urban contexts. This study introduces a spatially-explicit and physically-based approach for identifying hydrologically sensitive lands in periurban watersheds and then applies that model as a framework for assessing current risk to municipal drinking water sources from exurban residential development.

Description

xii, 60 p. : ill. (some col.)

Keywords

Environmental science, Hydrologic science, Hydrologic modeling, TOPMODEL, Urban planning, Water quality, Wet-growth, Water -- Quality -- Oregon -- McKenzie River Watershed, McKenzie River Watershed (Or.)

Citation