Urban Water Lost to Evapotranspiration in the Treasure Valley

The Project

Effective planning and management of our water resources requires understanding how much water we use and how much water we need. In urban settings, it is pretty straightforward to measure how much water is delivered to a household or to a subdivision. We can also measure how much water we apply to our lawns and landscaping. However, are we watering too much or too little? To answer this question, we need to know how much water is being used by the plants in our yard. This project focuses on quantifying the evapotranspiration (water used by plants) for the urban areas of the semi-arid Treasure Valley. This knowledge will provide important information to our community about our current and future water needs, contributing to our water security.

The Team

Nancy Glenn, Boise State University
Jen Schneider, Boise State University
Curtis Crandall, Boise State University
Shawn Benner, Boise State University

Funding Sources