Advancing Watershed Modeling for TMDL and Holistic Watershed Management Including Climate Change Impacts
Publication: World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2023
ABSTRACT
Fourteen leading watershed models simulating hydrology, erosion, and transport/fate of sediment and pollutants were critically reviewed by the EWRI Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Analysis and Modeling Task Committee. The review was published in Chapter 2 of the ASCE Manual of Practice (MOP) 150 “TMDL Development and Implementation—Models, Methods, and Resources,” to provide guidance in selecting models. To further advance watershed modeling, this paper has looked into some critical aspects of watershed models, specifically, spatial discretization such as lumped, semi-distributed, or fully distributed; temporal resolution in preserving the most dynamics of the physical processes; simulating best management practices; computing probability and confidence level of model outputs; incorporating computational efficient numerical solutions; and simulating constitutes of emerging concerns such as PCB and PFAS. The applicability of the models beyond TMDL, such as holistic watershed management including the consideration of climate change impacts, is discussed in the context of advancing successful and comprehensive watershed modeling.
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World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2023
Pages: 1227 - 1241
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Published online: May 18, 2023
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