Identifying Hydrologic Variability and Change for Strategic Water System Planning and Design

Many of the traditional methods in hydrologic analysis are predicated on the assumptions of stationarity of hydrologic processes and of spatial and temporal independence in hydrologic data. Observations of non-stationarity and data dependence have been a subject of much debate in the literature. The complicated link between hydrologic risk and climatic variability suggests that a dynamic framework will be necessary for accurate estimation of hydrologic risk and proper water supply management. This study presents examples of changing hydrologic records and highlight research and methods by which such changes can be incorporated into water supply analysis, design and planning strategies.