|  | Water Use and Availability in the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck River Basins, North-Central Rhode IslandBy Mark T. Nimiroski and Emily C. WildIn cooperation with Rhode Island Water Resources BoardScientific Investigations Report 2005-5031 |
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## Availability

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*Nimiroski, M.T., and Wild, E.C., 2005, Water use and availability in the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck RiverBasins, north-central Rhode Island: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5031, 44 p.*

 For more information about USGS activities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, visit the USGS MA-RI Water Science Center Home Page.Abstract
The Woonasquatucket River Basin includes 51.0square miles, and the Moshassuck River Basin includes23.8 square miles in north-central Rhode Island. The studyarea comprises these two basins. The two basins bordereach other with the Moshassuck River Basin to the northeastof the Woonasquatucket River Basin. Seven towns are inthe Woonasquatucket River Basin, and six towns are in theMoshassuck River Basin. To determine the water use andavailability in the study area, water supply and discharge datawere collected for these river basins for the 1995-99 period,and compared to estimated long-term water available.

The study area is unique in the State of Rhode Island,because no withdrawals from major public suppliers weremade during the study period. Withdrawals were, therefore,limited to self-supplied domestic use, two minor suppliers,and one self-supplied industrial user. Because no metered datawere available, the summer water withdrawals were assumedto be the same as the estimates for the rest of the year. Sevenmajor water suppliers distribute an average of 17.564 milliongallons per day for use in the study area from sources outsideof the study area. The withdrawals from minor water supplierswere 0.017 million gallons per day in the study area, all in thetown of Smithfield in the Woonasquatucket River Basin. Theremaining withdrawals in the study area were estimated to be0.731 million gallons per day by self-supplied domestic, commercial,industrial, and agricultural users.

Return flows in the study area included self-disposedwater and disposal from permitted dischargers, including theSmithfield Sewage Treatment Plant. Return flows accountedfor 4.116 million gallons per day in the study area. Mostpublic-disposed water (15.195 million gallons per day) is collectedby the Narragansett Bay Commission and is disposedoutside of the basin in Narragansett Bay.

The PART program, a computerized hydrograph-separationapplication, was used at one index stream-gaging stationto determine water availability based on the 75th, 50th, and25th percentiles of the total base flow, the base flow minusthe 7-day, 10-year flow criteria, and the base flow minus theAquatic Base Flow criteria. The index station selected was theBranch River at Forestdale, which is close to the study areaand has a similar percentage of sand and gravel area.

Water availability was estimated on the basis of baseflowcontributions from sand and gravel deposits and tilldeposits at the index station. Flows were computed for June,July, August, and September 1957-2000, and a percentage ofthe total flow was determined to come from either sand andgravel deposits, or till, by using a regression equation. Thebase-flow contributions were converted to a flow per unit areaat the station for the till and for the sand and gravel depositsand then applied to the deposits in the study area basins. Thesevalues were used to estimate the gross yield of base flow, aswell as to subtract the two low flows (7-day, 10-year flow,and Aquatic Base Flow criteria). The results from the BranchRiver stream-gaging station were lowest in August at the 75th,50th, and 25th percentile for total flow with either flow criteriasubtracted. The estimated August gross yield at the 50thpercentile from the Woonasquatucket River Basin was12.94 million gallons per day, and 5.91 million gallons per dayfrom the Moshassuck River Basin.

A ratio was calculated that is equal to total withdrawalsdivided by water availability. Water-availability flow scenariosat the 75th, 50th, and 25th percentiles for the basins, whichare based on total water available from base-flow contributionsfrom till and sand and gravel deposits in the basins,were assessed. The ratios were the highest in July for the50th percentile estimated gross yield minus Aquatic BaseFlow (ABF) flow criteria, where withdrawals are close to theavailable water. Ratios are not presented if the available wateris less than the flow criteria. The ratio of withdrawals to theJuly gross yield at the 50th percentile minus Aquatic BaseFlow was 0.796 for the Woonasquatucket and 0.275 for theMoshassuck River Basin.

A long-term hydrologic budget was calculated for theperiod of 1956-2000 for the Woonasquatucket River Basinand the period of 1964-2000 for the Moshassuck RiverBasin. The water withdrawals and return flows used in thebudget were from 1995 through 1999. For the hydrologicbudget, inflow was assumed to equal outflow and was about120 million gallons per day in the Woonasquatucket RiverBasin and 56 million gallons per day in the MoshassuckRiver Basin. The estimated inflows from precipitation andwater return flow were 97.3 and 2.7 percent, respectively, inthe Woonasquatucket River Basin, and 98.3 and 1.7 percent,respectively, in the Moshassuck River Basin. The estimatedoutflows from evapotranspiration, streamflow, and water withdrawalswere 43.4, 56.1, and 0.5 percent, respectively, in theWoonasquatucket River Basin, and 49.8, 50, and 0.2 percent,respectively, in the Moshassuck River Basin.
Contents
Abstract

Introduction

Purpose and Scope

Previous Investigations

Description of the Study Area

Population

Sand and Gravel Aquifers and Ground-Water Reservoirs

Climate

Land Use

Surface Water

Minor Civil Division

Woonasquatucket River Basin

Moshassuck River Basin

Water Use

New England Water-Use Data System

Public-Water Supply and Interbasin Transfers

Domestic Water Use

Public-Supply Use

Self-Supplied Use

Commercial and Industrial Water Use

Public-Supply Use

Self-Supplied Use

Agricultural Water Use

Return Flow and Interbasin Transfers

Site-Specific Return Flow

Aggregate Return Flow

Interbasin Transfers

Water Availability

Determining Ground-Water Discharge

Summer Water Availability and Ratios for Study Area

Water Budget

Summary

Acknowledgments

Selected References

Glossary
Figures
1–3. Maps showing:

		 1. Location of towns, counties, basin boundaries, hydrography, and sand and gravel areas in the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck River		  Basins, north-central Rhode Island

		  2. Location of streamflow-gaging stations, wells, and climatological stations in the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck River Basins

		  3. Location of water-supply districts, Rhode Island Pollutant Discharge Elimination System sites, and wastewater-treatment plants in the		  Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck River Basins

		  4–9. Diagrams showing:

		  4. Providence Water Supply Board system

		  5. East Smithfield Water District system

		  6. Greenville Water District system

		  7. Smithfield Water Supply Board system

		  8. Lincoln Water District system

		  9. Pawtucket Water Supply Board system

		  10, 11. Graphs showing:

		  10. Percent base flow based on ratio of stratified deposits to till, Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck River Basins

		  11. Ratio of withdrawals (1995–99) to estimated availability (1957–99) during August and graphs of gross yield		   minus Aquatic Base Flow and gross yield minus the 7-day, 10-year flow at the 50th percentile for June, July,	    and August for A, the Woonasquatucket River; and B, the Moshassuck River
Tables
1. Total city or town populations by basin for 1990, estimated 1995–99 populations,		  and estimated populations on public supply, self supply, public disposal, and		  self disposal in the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck River Basins,	    north-central Rhode Island

		  2. Summary of climatological data pertinent to the Woonasquatucket and		  Moshassuck River Basins

		  3. Land areas and land-use areas in the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck		  River Basins

		  4. Land areas and land use by major public supplier in the Woonasquatucket and		  Moshassuck River Basins, north-central Rhode Island

		  5. Summary of total land area, land area in the study area, total 1990 populations,		  estimated 1995–99 populations, and land-use area by category for cities and		  towns partially or entirely in the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck River		  Basins

		  6. Estimated water use by city or town and basin in the Woonasquatucket and		  Moshassuck River Basins, 1995–99

		  7. Minor suppliers by basin in the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck River	    Basins

8. Estimated water use per 2-digit Standard Industrial Classification code by city	    or town in the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck River Basins, 1995–99

		  9. Estimated consumptive water use by city or town and basin in the		  Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck River Basins, 1995–99

		  10. Estimated public- and self-disposed domestic, commercial, industrial, and		  metered return flow in the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck River Basins,		  1995–99

		  11. Return flows by basin for the Rhode Island Pollutant Discharge Elimination		  System sites in the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck River Basins, 1995–99

		  12. Return flow from wastewater-treatment facilities within and outside of the		  Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck River Basins, 1995–99

		  13. Summary of estimated water withdrawals, imports, exports, use, non-account		  water use, consumptive use, and return flow in the Woonasquatucket and		  Moshassuck River Basins, 1995–99

		  14. U.S. Geological Survey stream-gaging stations and minimum streamflows		  pertinent to the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck River Basins study area

		  15. Summary of water availability from sand and gravel and till deposits for June,		  July, August, and September in the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck River		  Basins, 1995–99

		  16. Summary of gross water availability for June, July, August, and September in		  the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck River Basins, 1995–99

		  17. Summary of ratios of water withdrawals to availability for June, July, August,		  and September in the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck River Basins,		  1995–99

		  18. Average hydrologic budget for the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck River	    Basins study area

 
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U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological SurveyPersistent URL: http://pubsdata.usgs.gov/pubs/sir/2005/5031/		Page Contact Information: USGS Publishing NetworkLast modified: Thursday, December 01 2016, 06:41:17 PM