Hydrology
Hydrology data from the Santee Experimental Forest are organized below by stream flow, water table, and water quality.
Sections
Stream Flow
The Santee Experimental Forest contains four gauged watersheds, draining 1st, 2nd, and 3rd order streams. Watersheds WS 77 (established in 1963) and WS 80 (established in 1968) are 1st order watersheds configured as paired watersheds, with WS 80 being the reference system and WS 77 the treatment watershed. Watershed WS 79 (established in 1966) is a 2nd order watershed containing WS 77 and WS 80, plus some additional land. Watershed WS 78 (established in 1964) is a 3rd order watershed situated largely on the Francis Marion National Forest and contains the land draining into Turkey Creek.
The original site allowed users to query by watershed, data type, variables, and period of interest. These ZIP archives package the downloadable stream flow tables and metadata for offline use.
Data Included: Available data vary by watershed and time period, and include interval flow, daily mean flow, total daily flow, and historic daily mean flow where available.
| Archive | Description | ZIP Size | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| WS 77 | 1st order, treatment watershed (155 ha) with intermittent drainage, consisting of a mosaic of upland (89%) and wetland (11%) forests. Historic daily mean flow rates are available from November 1964 to December 2000, with a large gap from November 1981 to November 1989. Ten-minute flow rates, daily mean flow rates, and total daily flow are available starting in February 2003. | 2.81 MB | Download ZIP |
| WS 78 | 3rd order watershed (5240 ha) with intermittent drainage, consisting of a mosaic of upland (90%) and wetland (10%) forests. Historic daily mean flow rates are available from February 1964 to October 1976. Fifteen-minute flow rates, daily mean flow rates, and total daily flow are available starting in March 2005. | 1.88 MB | Download ZIP |
| WS 79 | 2nd order watershed (500 ha) with intermittent drainage, consisting of a mosaic of upland (75%) and wetland (25%) forests. Historic daily mean flow rates are available from January 1966 to October 1990, with a large gap from November 1973 to October 1989. Hourly flow rates are available starting in January 2002, and ten-minute flow rates replace hourly data starting on July 17, 2003. | 3.55 MB | Download ZIP |
| WS 80 | 1st order, unmanaged reference watershed (initially 206 ha; installation of a new culvert in November 2001 reduced the watershed area to 160 ha) with intermittent drainage, consisting of a mosaic of upland (70%) and wetland (30%) forests. Historic daily mean flow rates are available from November 1968 to June 1999, with a large gap from November 1981 to October 1989. Ten-minute flow rates, daily mean flow rates, and total daily flow are available starting in January 2003. | 2.76 MB | Download ZIP |
Metadata from the original query system is included inside each ZIP archive.
Water Table
Water table depth within WS 79 has been measured using a network of shallow groundwater wells over the years. The original network consisted of 24 wells installed in WS 77 in 1964 and monitored manually. Monitoring of this network was discontinued in 1971. A second network of manual wells was installed in WS 77 (42 wells) and WS 80 (34 wells) in 1992 and monitored until 1995. Since then a subset of wells has been instrumented with automatic water level recorders that provide data with a finer temporal resolution. Transect wells have also been installed to assess the water table depth or hydrologic gradient for specific studies. Wells instrumented with automatic water level recorders have also been installed in WS 78 since 2006 in areas representative of specific soil series.
The original site allowed users to select a well group, then query variables and periods of interest. These ZIP archives package the downloadable well-group data and metadata.
Data Included: Variables include depth below ground surface and, for most automated and transect groups, water elevation above mean sea level.
| Archive | Description | ZIP Size | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| WS 77 Automatic Wells | Automated water level records from WS 77 wells, including Conifer 1 (starting in 1996) and Well J (starting in 2005). | 1.10 MB | Download ZIP |
| WS 78 Automatic Wells | Automated water level records from WS 78 wells starting in 2006, including locations representative of the Goldsboro, Lenoir, Lynchburg, Rains, and Wahee soil series. | 4.64 MB | Download ZIP |
| WS 80 Automatic Wells | Automated water level records from WS 80 wells, including Yellowjacket (starting in 1996), Well D (starting in 2003), and Well H (starting in 2005). | 2.24 MB | Download ZIP |
| Historic Well Networks | Historical manual well networks distributed across WS 77 and WS 80. WS 77 includes a 1964-1971 network and a 1992-1995 network; WS 80 includes a 1992-1995 manual well network. | 492.63 KB | Download ZIP |
| WS 80 Well Transects | Manual well data recorded bi-weekly from well transects established across WS 80 starting in 2003. | 263.13 KB | Download ZIP |
Metadata from the original query system is included inside each ZIP archive.
Water Quality
The Santee Experimental Forest contains four gauged watersheds, draining 1st, 2nd, and 3rd order streams. Watersheds WS 77 (established in 1963) and WS 80 (established in 1968) are 1st order watersheds configured as paired watersheds, with WS 80 being the reference system and WS 77 the treatment watershed. Watershed WS 79 (established in 1966) is a 2nd order watershed containing WS 77 and WS 80, plus some additional land. Watershed WS 78 (established in 1964) is a 3rd order watershed situated largely on the Francis Marion National Forest and contains the land draining into Turkey Creek. Stream water quality data, including nutrients, cations, anions, DOC, pH, and other physical parameters, are available from each of these watersheds.
The original site allowed users to query by watershed, dataset type, variables, and period of interest. These ZIP archives package the downloadable water quality tables and metadata.
Data Included: Available chemistry varies by watershed and era, and includes nutrients, major ions, dissolved organic carbon, pH, conductivity, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and daily mean flow.
| Archive | Description | ZIP Size | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| WS 77 | 1st order, treatment watershed (155 ha) with intermittent drainage, consisting of a mosaic of upland (89%) and wetland (11%) forests. Historic grab-sample data are available from 1976-1982 and 1989-1994. Data are also available from an automated sampler starting in 2003 and from approximately weekly multiprobe measurements starting in 2006. | 190.60 KB | Download ZIP |
| WS 78 | 3rd order watershed (5240 ha) with intermittent drainage, consisting of a mosaic of upland (90%) and wetland (10%) forests. Data are available from weekly grab samples, from samples collected by an automated sampler, and from approximately weekly multiprobe measurements starting in 2006. | 70.34 KB | Download ZIP |
| WS 79 | 2nd order watershed (500 ha) with intermittent drainage, consisting of a mosaic of upland (75%) and wetland (25%) forests. Historic grab-sample data are available from 1989-1994. Data are also available from grab samples, automated sampler collections, and approximately weekly multiprobe measurements starting in 2006. | 88.57 KB | Download ZIP |
| WS 80 | 1st order, unmanaged reference watershed (initially 206 ha; installation of a new culvert in November 2001 reduced the watershed area to 160 ha) with intermittent drainage, consisting of a mosaic of upland (70%) and wetland (30%) forests. Historic grab-sample data are available from 1976-1982 and 1989-1994. Data are also available from an automated sampler starting in 2003 and from approximately weekly multiprobe measurements starting in 2006. | 200.79 KB | Download ZIP |
Metadata is included inside each ZIP archive.