Locating Existing Best Management Practices Within a Watershed: The Value of Multiple Methods

There is an increasing need to document the impacts of conservation‐related best management practices (BMPs) on water quality within a watershed. However, this impact analysis depends upon accurate geospatial locations of existing practices, which are difficult to obtain. This study demonstrates and evaluates three different methods for obtaining geospatial information for BMPs. This study was focused on the Eagle Creek Watershed, a mixed use watershed in central Indiana. We obtained geospatial information for BMPs through government records, producer interviews, and remote‐sensing aerial photo interpretation. Aerial photos were also used to validate the government records and producer interviews. This study shows the variation in results obtained from the three sources of information as well as the benefits and drawbacks of each method. Using only one method for obtaining BMP information can be incomplete, and this study demonstrates how multiple methods can be used for the most accurate picture.     

Integrated Freshwater Solutions — A New Zealand Application of Mediated Modeling

Mediated Modeling (MM) refers to “model building with stakeholders,” enabling collaborative learning and decision support. This article presents results from the Integrated Freshwater Solutions (IFS — www.ifs.org.nz ) action research project in the Manawatū River watershed, New Zealand. Water quality in the watershed often rates poorly, with the key issues being sedimentation, eutrophication, and habitat destruction. IFS is to develop and test MM to support collaborative and adaptive freshwater management. The project team was presented with the opportunity to collaborate with the Manawatū River Leaders' Forum (MRLF), an initiative driven by the Regional Council to improve water quality. This article describes the process of MM and how it was adapted to meet the needs of MRLF stakeholders. This highlights some important conditions for collaborative and adaptive capacity building. The MM/MRLF stakeholders, represented: industry, farming, local and regional authorities, environmental groups, and indigenous Māori iwi/hapū (tribe/sub‐tribe). This article describes how MM assisted early in the collaborative process to develop the following: (1) a shared and more integrated understanding of causes and effects and (2) a sense of the order of magnitude of the problems and the impact proposed solutions might have. It also describes how the context of politics, time, and resource constraints played an important role reverting to a more traditional planning approach part way through the process.     

Modeling Hydrologic Benefits of Low Impact Development: A Distributed Hydrologic Model of The Woodlands,Texas

Low Impact Development (LID) is alternative design approach to land development that conserves and utilizes natural resources to minimize the potential negative environmental impacts of development, such as flooding. The Woodlands near Houston, Texas is one of the premier master‐planned communities in the United States. Unlike in a typical urban development where riparian corridors are often replaced with concrete channels, pervious surfaces, vegetation, and natural drainage pathways were preserved as much as possible during development. In addition, a number of detention ponds were strategically located to manage runoff on site. This article uses a unique distributed hydrologic model, Vflo?, combined with historical (1974) and recent (2008 and 2009) rainfall events to evaluate the long‐term effectiveness of The Woodlands natural drainage design as a stormwater management technique. This study analyzed the influence of LID in The Woodlands by comparing the hydrologic response of the watershed under undeveloped, developed, and highly urbanized conditions. The results show that The Woodlands drainage design successfully reflects predeveloped hydrologic conditions and produces peak flows two to three times lower than highly urbanized development. Furthermore, results indicate that the LID practices employed in The Woodlands successfully attenuate the peak flow from a 100‐year design event, resulting in flows comparable to undeveloped hydrologic conditions.     

喀斯特小流域不同土地利用方式对土壤物理性状和微生物的影响——以广西都安澄江小流域为例

以广西都安澄江喀斯特小流域为研究单元,分析了不同土地利用方式对土壤表层物理性质和微生物的影响。结果表明:随着自然林地向灌丛地、灌草丛地、草地、人工林地、退耕地和旱地的转变,土壤容重、pH呈增加趋势,而土壤含水量、总孔隙度、电导率逐渐降低。各土地利用方式中,细菌数量最多,均占85%以上,放线菌和真菌相对较少。从总量上看,灌草丛地和草地土壤微生物总量最大,自然林地、灌丛地和旱地次之,退耕地和人工林地最小。各土地利用类型中自然林地和人工林地的土壤微生物多样性指数较高,灌草丛地、草地、灌丛地和退耕地次之,旱地最低。     

Assessing Impervious Surface Connectivity and Applications for Watershed Management1

Abstract: Although total impervious area (TIA) is often used as an indicator of urban disturbance, recent studies suggest that the subset of impervious surfaces that route stormwater runoff directly to streams via stormwater pipes, called directly connected impervious area (DCIA), may be a better predictor of stream ecosystem alteration. We evaluated the differences between TIA and DCIA in the Shepherd Creek catchment, a small (1.85‐km²), suburban basin in Cincinnati, Ohio. Imperviousness determinations were calculated based on publicly available geographic information system (GIS) data and parcel‐scale field assessments, and these direct assessments were compared to DCIA calculated from published, empirical relationships. Impervious and semi‐impervious area comprised 13.1% of the catchment area, with 56.3% of the impervious area connected. When summarized by subcatchments (0.26‐1.85 km²), TIA measured in the field (11‐23%) was considerably higher than that calculated from the National Land Cover Data Imperviousness Layer (7‐18%). In contrast, TIA calculated based on aerial photos was similar to TIA calculated from field assessments, thus indicating that photo interpretation may be adequate for catchment‐scale (>25 ha) TIA determinations. While these GIS data sources can be used to calculate TIA, on‐site assessments were necessary to accurately determine DCIA within residential parcels. There was a wide variation in percent connectivity across parcels, and, subsequently, DCIA was not accurately predicted from empirical relationships with TIA. We discuss applications of DCIA data that highlight the importance of parcel‐scale field assessments for managing suburban watersheds.     

Identification of Sediment Sources in Forested Watersheds With Surface Coal Mining Disturbance Using Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes1

Abstract: Sediments and soils were analyzed using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratio mass spectrometry and carbon and nitrogen elemental analyses to evaluate the their ability to indicate land‐use and land management disturbance and pinpoint loading from sediment transport sources in forested watersheds disturbed by surface coal mining. Samples of transported sediment particulate organic matter were collected from four watersheds in the Southern Appalachian forest region of southeastern Kentucky. The four watersheds had different surface coal mining history that were classified as undisturbed, active mining, and reclaimed conditions. Soil samples were analyzed including reclaimed grassland soils, undisturbed forest soils, geogenic organic matter associated with coal fragments in mining spoil, and soil organic matter from un‐mined grassland soils. Statistically significant differences were found for all biogeochemical signatures when comparing transported sediments from undisturbed watersheds and surface coal mining disturbed watersheds, and the results were attributed to differences in erosion sources and the presence of geogenic organic matter. Sediment transport sources in the surface coal mining watersheds were analyzed using Monte Carlo mass balance un‐mixing and it was found that: δ¹⁵N showed the ability to differentiate streambank erosion and surface soil erosion; and δ¹³C showed the ability to differentiate soil organic matter and geogenic organic matter. Results from the analyses suggest that streambank erosion downstream of surface coal mining sites is an especially significant source of sediment in coal mining disturbed watersheds. Further, the results suggest that the sediment transport processes governing streambank erosion loads are taking longer to reach geomorphologic equilibrium in the watershed as compared with the surface erosion processes. The dual‐isotope technique provides a useful method for further investigation of the impact of surface coal mining in the uplands of the watershed upon the geomorphologic state of the channel and the source of organic matter in aquatic systems impacted by surface coal mining.     

Nutrient and Sediment Production,Watershed Characteristics,and Land Use in the Tahoe Basin,California‐Nevada1

Abstract: In efforts to control the degradation of water quality in Lake Tahoe, public agencies have monitored surface water discharge and concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediment in two separate sampling programs. The first program focuses on 20 watersheds varying in size from 162 to 14,000 ha, with continuous stream gaging and periodic sampling; the second focuses on small urbanized catchments, with automated sampling during runoff events. Using data from both programs, we addressed the questions (1) what are the fluxes and concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus entering the lake from surface runoff; (2) how do the fluxes and concentrations vary in space and time; and (3) how are they related to land use and watershed characteristics? To answer these questions, we calculated discharge‐weighted average concentrations and annual fluxes and used multiple regression to relate those variable to a suite of GIS‐derived explanatory variables. The final selected regression models explain 47‐62% of the variance in constituent concentrations in the stormwater monitoring catchments, and 45‐72% of the variance in mean annual yields in the larger watersheds. The results emphasize the importance of impervious surface and residential density as factors in water quality degradation, and well‐developed soil as a factor in water quality maintenance.     

A Benefit‐Cost Analysis of Total Maximum Daily Load Implementation1

Abstract: Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) implementation generates benefits and costs from water quality improvements, which are rarely quantified. This analysis examines a TMDL written to address bacteria and aquatic‐life‐use impairments on Abrams and Opequon Creeks in Virginia. Benefits were estimated using a contingent valuation survey of local residents. Costs were based on the number and type of best management practices (BMPs) necessary to achieve TMDL pollution reduction goals. BMPs were quantified using watershed‐scale water quality simulation models (Generalized Watershed Loading Function and Hydrological Simulation Program‐FORTRAN). Based on our projections, the costs to achieve TMDL induced pollution reduction goals outweigh the estimated benefits. Benefit‐cost ratios ranged between 0.1 and 0.3.     

Integrating Modeling and Field Experiments to Evaluate Impacts of Vegetative Practices on Ponderosa Pine Watersheds1

Abstract: Determining watershed response to vegetation treatment has been the subject of numerous hydrologic studies over the years. However, generalizing the information obtained from traditional paired‐watershed studies to other watersheds in a region is problematic because of the empirical nature of such studies and the context dependence of hydrologic responses. This paper addresses the issue of generalizing hydrologic information through integration of process‐based modeling and field observations from small‐scale watershed experiments. To this end, the results from application of a process‐based model were compared with the results from small‐scale watershed experiments in ponderosa pine forests of Arizona. The model simulated treatment impacts reasonably well when compared to the traditional paired‐watershed approach. However, the model tended to overestimate water yields during periods of low flow, and there was a significant difference between the two approaches in the estimation of treatment impacts during the first four years following treatment. The results indicate that the lumped‐parameter modeling approach used here may be limited in its ability to detect small changes, and tends to overestimate changes that occur immediately following treatment. It is concluded that watershed experiments can be highly informative due to their direct examination of cause‐effect relationships, while process‐based models are useful for their processing power and focus on functional relationships. The integrated use of both watershed experiments and process‐based models provides a way to generalize hydrologic information, illuminate the processes behind landscape treatment effects, and to generate and test hypotheses.     

基于单元格网的STREAM分布式水文模型及其应用——以太湖上游西苕溪流域为例

STREAM模型是基于单元格网的分布式水文模型，可以利用易于获取的地理信息，揭示气候变化及下垫面改变对水循环的复杂影响。选择太湖上游西苕溪流域为研究区，采用1979～1999年的26个降水站实测序列和不同时段的土地利用数据，应用GIS流域分析方法与空间插值技术建立300 m的流域格网信息，并通过BLAISE脚本语言实现STREAM模型与GIS的集成，应用1979～1999年水文站实测序列对模型进行率定和验证。结果显示月径流量和年径流量模拟与实测值吻合良好，1980～1988年模型率定期，月径流量的确定性系数为078，年径流量的确定性系数为086，各年平均相对误差仅为6％；1989～1999年模型验证期，月径流量的确定性系数为075，年径流量的确定性系数为082，各年平均相对误差为95％。研究证实模型有较强的预测能力，在流域管理与决策中具有较好的应用前景。