Decision Support System for Stakeholder Involvement
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 130, Issue 6
Abstract
Stakeholder involvement is essential to the development of a total maximum daily load (TMDL) and its implementation plan. A tool, beyond a simulation model, is needed to support the decision making process that requires negotiation and compromise among stakeholders. The decision support system (DSS) described herein has a TMDL module to calculate various combinations of point and nonpoint loads that can meet the water quality criteria. Its Consensus module allows stakeholders to formulate, evaluate, modify, and vote for alternatives. The DSS displays bar charts for pollution loads from various subwatersheds and attributes the nonpoint loads to land uses. The water quality consequence of the pollution loads is output in maps, which shows sections meeting criteria in green and those not in red. The DSS requires a front end effort of site specific adaptation and model calibration. An Internet-based stakeholder process was developed to allow more concerned citizens to participate in management decisions.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Arnold, J. G., and Sammons, N. B.(1988). “Decision support system for selecting inputs to a basin scale model.” Water Resour. Bull., 24(4), 749–759.
Brock, J. T., Caupp, C. L., and Runke, H. M. (1992). “Evaluation of water quality using DSSAM III under various conditions of nutrient loadings from municipal wastewater and agricultural sources, Truckee River, Nevada, executive summary, comparison of simulated water quality conditions with Truckee River Water Quality standards from McCarran to Pyramid Lake.” Rep., Dept. of Comprehensive Planning, Washoe County, Nev., and Bureau of Water Quality Planning, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Rapid Creek Water Works, Boise, Id.
Chen, C. W., and Herr, J. (2000). “Adaptation of WARMF to calculate TMDLs for the acid mine impaired Cheat River, West Virginia.” Final Rep. to USEPA Region 3 Philadelphia, PA and The Cheat River TMDL Stakeholder Group, Kingwood, W.V.
Chen, C. W., Herr, J., Sagana, R. A., Goldstein, F. J., Rylant, K. E., and Hauser, G. E.(1996). “Watershed risk analysis model for TVA’s Holston River Basin.” Water, Air, Soil Pollut., 90, 65–70.
Chen, C. W., Herr, J. and Ziemelis, L. (1998). “Watershed analysis risk management framework: a decision support system for watershed approach and total maximum daily load calculations.” Rep. No. TR-110709, Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, Calif.
Chen, C. W., Herr, J., Ziemelis, L. Goldstein, R. A., and Herd, R. (2000a). “Framework to calculate TMDL of acid mine drainage for the Cheat River Basin West Virginia.” Proc., ASCE Watershed Management 2000 Conf., Denver.
Chen, C. W., Herr, J., Ziemelis, L., Goldstein, R. A., and Olmsted, L.(1999). “Decision support system for total maximum daily load.” J. Environ. Eng., 125(7), 653–659.
Chen, C. W., Herr, J., Ziemelis, L., Griggs, M. C., Olmsted, L., and Goldstein, R. A.(1997). “Consensus module to guide watershed management decisions for Catawba River basin.” Environ. Professional, 19, 75–79.
Chen, C. W., Loeb, C., and Herr, J. (2000b). “Adaptation of WARMF to calculate TMDL for Chartiers Creek Watershed in Pennsylvania.” Final Rep. to USEPA Region 3, Philadelphia, PA and The Chartiers Creek Watershed TMDL Stakeholder Group, Pittsburgh.
Chen, C. W., Weintraub, L. H. Z., Goldstein, R. A., Siegrist, R. I., and Kirkland, S. (2001). “Framework to account for onsite wastewater systems in calculating total maximum daily loads.” On-Site Wastewater Treatment: Proc., 9th National Symp. on Individual and Small Community Sewage Systems, American Society of Agriculture Engineers, St. Joseph, Mich.
Chen, C., Weintraub, L., Olmsted, L., Dixon, D., and Goldstein, R. A. (2002). “Application of WARMF to evaluate sediment load to a reservoir.” Presented at the 9th Int. Symp. on the Interactions Between Sediment and Water, Canada.
Keller, A. (2000). “Peer review of the watershed analysis risk management framework (WARMF): an evaluation of WARMF for TMDL applications by independent experts using USEPA guidelines.” Rep. No. 1000252, Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, Calif.
Lumb, A. M., McCammon, R. B., and Kittle, J. L. (1994). “User’s manual for an expert system (HSPEXP) for calibration of the hydrological simulation program-FORTRAN.” Water Resources Investigation Rep. No. 94-4168, U.S. Geological Survey, 〈http://water.usgs.gov/software/hspexp.html/〉.
McDonald, S., Weintraub, L., Herr, J., Chen, C. W., Dennis, G., and Bhimani, S. (2000). “A decision support process for watershed management on the Truckee River.” Proc., WEFTEC 2000 Conf., Anaheim, Calif.
Weintraub, L. H. Z., et al. (2000). “Decision support system for Catawba River Basin.” Proc., Integrated Decision-Making for Watershed Management Symp.: Processes and Tools, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ., Blacksburg, Va.
Weintraub, L., Chen, C. W., Tsai, W., Herr, J., Goldstein, R. A., and Siegrist, R. (2002). “Modifications of WARMF to assess the efficacy of onsite wastewater systems on public health.” Proc., WEFTEC 2002 Conf., Chicago.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 130 • Issue 6 • June 2004
Pages: 714 - 721
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 15, 2003
Accepted: Oct 8, 2003
Published online: May 14, 2004
Published in print: Jun 2004
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.