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ESTIMATING AND PROJECTING IMPERVIOUS COVER
Citation:
EXUM, L. R., S. L. BIRD, J. HARRISON, AND C. PERKINS. ESTIMATING AND PROJECTING IMPERVIOUS COVER. Presented at EPA Science Forum 2005, Washington, DC, May 16 - 18, 2005.
Impact/Purpose:
The main objective of this research is to identify deficiencies in the current watershed modeling approaches and conduct research that makes the Hydrologic Simulation Program-Fortran (HSPF) more accurate, more efficient, and more applicable to the needs of the resource managers and decision makers. The ultimate goal is to have watershed models that can simulate the cumulative impacts of alternative development scenarios and present the risks associated with different scenarios under an adaptive management framework where scenarios impacts are tested, model results analyzed, lessons learned, and management decisions made through an iterative process.
Description:
Effective methods to estimate and project impervious cover can help identify areas where a watershed is at risk of changing rapidly from one with relatively pristine streams to one with streams with significant symptoms of degradation. In collaboration with the USEPA, Region 4, a GIS approach using multiple data sources was developed for estimating and projecting impervious cover for small watersheds over a large area.