Abstract
The purpose of this study is to assess how meadows aid in flood attenuation and groundwater storage of the Van Vleck meadow in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. A water budget for the meadow was developed to understand the quantity and timing of water entering and leaving the meadow throughout the 2009-2010 water year. The water budget was developed by tracking the quantity of water entering and exiting the meadow. The water storage capacity was estimated based on the data collected for the water budget in addition to other field studies. Flood attenuation parameters were assessed by comparing the trend of water quantities increasing and decreasing during the study period based on the amount of water entering and exiting from surface water locations. Results suggest that the meadow does aid in flood attenuation and may lessen the severity of the dry season downstream. Based on the water budget values, the results suggest the water in the meadow is potentially recharging aquifers via bedrock fractures. The results of this study will assist in informing the U.S. Forest Service and Department of Water Resources regarding the usefulness of healthy meadows as an alternative to building dams and reservoirs for storing water.