Multivariate Non-Stationary Stochastic Streamflow Models for Two Urban Watersheds

It is now common knowledge that human activities including water diversions and land development, in addition to climate, have a significant impact on streamflow and other hydrologic processes. The effects of changes in land use, water withdrawals and climate are experienced simultaneously and may interact with each other. Increasingly, it is necessary for hydrologists to develop methods for predicting streamflow which account for human activities. Most previous research has investigated the effects of changes in climate or landuse on streamflow, and rarely both simultaneously. There are even fewer studies that address the effects of water withdrawal on streamflow and even fewer on the impacts of all three. The primary objective of this study is to develop stochastic streamflow models for predicting monthly streamflows for two urbanizing watersheds in the vicinity of Boston. Streamflows in urban environments are impacted by climatic, land use and water use effects. In this initial study, a multivariate non-stationary monthly stochastic streamflow models are developed using multivariate linear regression.