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<p>Societal demands for surface water resources vary seasonally, and annual surface water flow volumes and variability are changing. Here we show that the concentration of the flow within the water year is also changing and that these shifts affect the division of water among water right holders, especially under the prior appropriation doctrine. To measure the spread of a stream’s hydrograph around its centre of timing, we deployed the standard deviation of timing (SDoT). The SDoT exhibits similar patterns to other streamflow variability measures, especially in snowmelt-dominated systems, but is unique because it is more sensitive to when the variable flows occur. It is predominantly decreasing in the Western USA and increasing in the Eastern USA, showing more locally significant trends at reference gauges than streamflow quantity or centre of timing. The relationships between SDoT and both precipitation and temperature vary across the USA. An empirical case study shows that a narrower runoff distribution favours junior water rights holders to receive a greater share of the runoff.</p>

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Narrowing streamflow distribution can alter water allocation timing and quantity

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月30日

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  • Steven M. Smith,
  • Adrienne M. Marshall

摘要

Societal demands for surface water resources vary seasonally, and annual surface water flow volumes and variability are changing. Here we show that the concentration of the flow within the water year is also changing and that these shifts affect the division of water among water right holders, especially under the prior appropriation doctrine. To measure the spread of a stream’s hydrograph around its centre of timing, we deployed the standard deviation of timing (SDoT). The SDoT exhibits similar patterns to other streamflow variability measures, especially in snowmelt-dominated systems, but is unique because it is more sensitive to when the variable flows occur. It is predominantly decreasing in the Western USA and increasing in the Eastern USA, showing more locally significant trends at reference gauges than streamflow quantity or centre of timing. The relationships between SDoT and both precipitation and temperature vary across the USA. An empirical case study shows that a narrower runoff distribution favours junior water rights holders to receive a greater share of the runoff.