Correlation of Stream Water Surface with Floodplain Groundwater Level

Currently, the available wetland hydrology documentation procedures for groundwater dominated floodplain systems require long-term groundwater monitoring data. The time constraints associated with most wetland hydrology analyses preclude the collection of groundwater data for more than one growing season. If short term groundwater data can be correlated with available long-term stream flow data, reliable wetland determinations and restoration analyses can be made for floodplain wetlands that are dominated by groundwater inflow from the adjacent stream. This study analyzes the potential for development of a procedure to document wetland hydrology for groundwater dominated floodplains by combining long term stream flow data with short term groundwater monitoring data. The study site is a groundwater dominated floodplain adjacent to the North Fork of the Ninnescah River in Reno County, Kansas.