1. U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey MTTOT – Montana Time-of-Travel A web-based map application for estimating travel times in response to spills in Montana streams and rivers Peter McCarthy pmccarth@usgs.gov 406-457-5934

2. Recent Montana Spills

3. National News for 2014  Oil tanker derails in Lynchburg, VA; oil spills into Jamestown River (Apr. 2014)  100,000 gallons of raw sewage spills into Russian River in Guerneville, CA (Feb. 2014)  Coal ash and arsenic-Dan River, NC (Feb, 2014)  3.5 Million gallons of sewage spill into Haw River in Burlington, NC(Jan. 2014)  Storage Tank Leaks MCHM in Charleston WV; Elk River and Kanawha River (Jan. 2014)

4.  Pipeline leaks 1 million gallons of saltwater near Mandaree, N.D. (July, 2014)

5. Gold, Russell and Dawson, Chester, (2014, September 21). Dangers Aside, Railways Reshape Crude Market. The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/dangers-aside-railways-reshape-crude-market-1411353150-lMyQjAxMTA0MDIwMzEyNDMyWj

6. Fresh from the press  January 17, 2015-Bridger Pipeline rupture, oil present in the Yellowstone River  Spill approximately 9 miles upstream from Glendive, MT (population ~5,000)  Estimates of 1,200 bbl or 50,000 gal. spilled from pipeline.  Oil is Bakken shale oil  Glendive public water supply has elevated level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

7. Previous Montana TOT Studies  Computer program for estimating travel times on the Yellowstone River (SIR 2006- 5057)  Dye-tracer study for low flows on Yellowstone River (SIR 2009-5261)  Dye-tracer study for low flows on Missouri River (SIR 2012- 5044) All studies funded by MT DEQ

8. Cooperator Need  Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) responsible for protecting one of Montana’s most important public resources-WATER  DEQ is responsible for maintaining public health through a safe and adequate supply of drinking water  DEQ is responsible for identifying public water systems, sources, and potential contaminant sources, and is required to assess the susceptibility and respond to risks

9. Cooperator Need  DEQ needs a tool or application which:  Is easy to use  Web-based  Estimates travel times  Identifies public water supplies and other locations of interest downstream from spills (i.e. irrigation diversions, shallow aquifer wells, wetlands, etc.)  Quickly provides estimates based on real-time streamflow

10. Travel Time Theory  Jobson (1996) developed regression equations to estimate travel times and longitudinal dispersion in rivers and streams  Gregory Schwarz-USGS SPARROW Team is updating Jobson’s equations  Regression/input variables  River slope  River length  Drainage area  Mean annual discharge  Real-time discharge  Spill Mass

11. Travel Time Theory Jobson’s Equations estimate the following  Most Probable Velocity (best predictor)  Travel times for leading edge, peak, and trailing edge  Peak concentration  Maximum Probable Velocity (envelope curve)  Travel times for leading edge, peak, and trailing edge  Peak concentration

12. Limitations of Jobson’s Equations  Soluble and conservative contaminants  Streamflow limitations (low flow to bank full)  Steady state flow  Dams, reservoirs, and lakes  Location  NHD+V2-Dams are included  State databases  Accuracy  Parameters  Volume  Discharge  Residence time

13. Program Development  Hydrologic Network  Map (GIS) based  Web-based

14. Program Development  User  Real-time discharge*  Spill location  Spill mass  StreamStats  River slope  River length  Drainage area  Mean annual discharge  Real-time discharge*

15. Program Development  DEQ requirements  Secure login for sensitive info  Tabled output for points of interest  Public water supply locations  Irrigation diversions  Wetlands  Permitted withdrawals for commercial or industrial  Nearby shallow aquifer wells  Map output  Save/Load/Print functionality  Manually enter observed data

16. Program Development  Development by National StreamStats  Develop base application within StreamStats which employs Jobson’s Equations (or updated version of travel time equations)  Use nearby real-time streamflow gages  Use existing hydrography to determine stream slope, length, and drainage area  Use existing hydrography and local regression equations to estimate mean annual discharge  Develop input/output options

17. Program Development  Development at state and local level  Regional regression equations for mean annual flow 1  Regional studies for estimating real-time discharge at ungaged locations  Develop database for public water supplies, wetlands, irrigation diversions, and other sites of interests  Dye-tracer studies to validate or develop stream specific travel time equations  Address how travel time is impacted by lakes and reservoirs 1 Updated equations may not use mean annual flow

18. Funding  Montana  Montana Department of Natural Resources Renewable Resource Grant Program  Application (proposal) submitted through DEQ  Awarded through Montana Legislature  Max $125,000  USGS Cooperative Funding Match

19. Interests  USGS-Water Mission Areas  StreamStats Team  Will develop the TOT application  Possible FY16 appropriated funds  WY-MT WSC-proposal submitted-Not funded  Proposals and work plans submitted by  Kentucky WSC  New York WSC  Idaho WSC

20. Additional Research Needs  Local studies for real- time discharge  PRMS  Hydrograph or duration curve comparisons  National Weather Service  Dye-tracer studies  Non-soluble transport  LNAPL  DNAPL

21. Additional Research Needs  Stream hydrography  Medium Resolution  High Resolution  LiDAR based channel parameters

22. Additional Research Needs  Spill inundation mapping http://water.usgs.gov/osw/flood_inundation/

23. Further Discussion  Emergency Spill Response Team  Similar to Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER)  Clarks Fork Yellowstone deployments  Funding, equipment, QW tests  Spill response plan

24. Conclusion  Develop a basic national time-of-travel tool using StreamStats as platform  Basic regression equations  Utilize studies on a state by state basis  Regional studies for enhancing TOT tool  Real-time discharge estimation  Dye-tracer time-of-travel results