My name is Beverly
Lanza. I am a senior pursuing an accelerated BS/MS in Civil Engineering with a
focus in Water Resources. During my junior year I got involved in the Flood
Hazards Lab of the Civil Engineering Department. While working in the lab, I
became more interested in learning more about water resources. Water is a very
important part of our lives. There are many issues concerning water such
flooding, water quality, droughts, water scarcity, etc. Therefore, as a
prospective engineer, I hope to become part of a team that helps find solutions
to water issues.
Now, this is what
drew me to want to research something related to droughts in our area. I
expressed to my mentor, Dr. Celso Ferreira that I wanted to conduct research.
He then later connected with the Director of CO-OP operations, Cherie Schultz
from the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin. As we collaborate
with the Commission, our goal is to investigate the effects of upstream water
supply withdrawals (consumptive use) on the Potomac River and how upstream
reservoir storages mitigate consumptive use.
As the semester
started, I created an inventory of all the dams in the upstream basin on the
Potomac River. Then using ArcGIS I was able to eliminate all the dams that were
not related to water supply. The dam inventory includes a number a categories
such as owner name, storage capacity, connecting tributaries, and location. As
of now, I am doing an inventory of all the water supply companies and their
demands. This will help me calculate the consumptive use value. Also, on a
weekly basis I try and inform my mentor about my progress. If I have any
questions I can always go to him or Cherie Schultz for help.
I really hope that
by conducting this research not only could it benefit the Potomac River Basin
commission but other basin commissions around the nation and even around the
world.
