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SCIENCE OF INTEGRATED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT: LINKING POLLUTANT CONTROL PRACTICES WITH WATER QUALITY
Citation:
MORRISON, M. A., C. T. NIETCH, J. P. SCHUBAUER-BERIGAN, M. M. HANTUSH, DENNIS LAI, BERNIE B. DANIEL, AND M. B. GRIFFITH. SCIENCE OF INTEGRATED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT: LINKING POLLUTANT CONTROL PRACTICES WITH WATER QUALITY. Presented at Water Quality BOSC Review, Cincinnati, OH, January 23 - 25, 2006.
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SCIENCE OF INTEGRATED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT: LINKING POLLUTANT CONTROL PRACTICES WITH WATER QUALITY M. Morrison (NRMRL), C. Nietch (NRMRL), 1. Schubauer-Berigan (NRMRL), M. Hantush (NRMRL), D. Lai (NRMRL), B. Daniel (NERL), M. Griffith (NCEA) Science Questions LTG 3. MYP Science Ouestions #3 - How can classification schemes, mod£ling scenario analyses, landscape classification, and economic projections be applied to provide alternatives for meeting water quality goals efficiently at multiple scales? What are the economic benefits of watershed management? Research Questions How can best management practices (BMPs) be effectively selected, scaled and implemented at the watershed scale, and their integrated pollutant control performance be assessed? How can pollutant loading and fate be effectively monitored and modeled for use in the development and implementation of watershed management strategies? Research The primary research objective is to improve water quality management outcomes at the watershed scale. The watershed management ftamework used to organize these efforts consists of four basic components: 1) ecosystem analysis; 2) synthesis; 3) watershed planning; and 4) monitoring and adaptive implementation. Ecosystem analysis is the foundation of watershed management, providing necessary data on ecological function and processes, and their relationship to biological condition, watershed land use and pollutant loading. Ongoing research by ORD scientists in the Little Miami River Watershed explores the ecological response of small stream ecosystems to changing land use and pollutant inputs. This research is supported by experiments in model stream systems, using controlled conditions to define relationships between in-stream stressor loads and ecological structure and function. Synthesis integrates the delivery, transport and fate mechanisms for pollutants to derive watershed-scale models of ecosystem function, and to predict changes associated with development and management scenarios. The goal is to improve modeling capability and TMDL analyses, and to provide clearer understanding of the costs and effectiveness of management practices. Model applications (e.g., EPA's Stormwater Management Model (SWMM)) aid resource managers in the development of TMDL analyses, and are critical to the selection, scaling and distribution of best management practices (BMPs) in impaired watersheds. Modeling research supports regional and state efforts, such as ongoing work with the Delaware River Basin Commission. Additional efforts focus on models for assessing the impact of projected watershed urbanization, and ftameworks for optimizing selection, cost and placement of BMPs within watersheds. Resource managers at the local, State and Federal levels face complex decisions when trying to restore water quality impairments at the watershed scale. Watershed planning is the process of making integrated, appropriately scaled, management decisions. Planning is based on ecosystem science and model results, constrained by economic and social analyses and limitations. Ongoing research in this area is exemplified by the Shepherd Creek Pilot Project, which uses economic incentives to encourage implementation of decentralized stormwater runoff management practices. Monitoring and adaptive implementation are used to assess the effectiveness of management decisions, and to provide corrective action as necessary. The first part of this research is development of efficient monitoring strategies and numerical methods. Monitoring water quality at the watershed scale is expensive, time consuming and can easily generate too little or too much data. An example project in this area is a collaborative effort with USDA! ARS to develop a method for evaluating BMP effectiveness, based on flow-duration curves. The duration curve method is being used at the State level in Kansas, but basic questions remain concerning data uncertainty and ease of application. Adaptive implementation cannot occur without good monitoring data, and sound data analysis methods. Impact and Outcomes Basic research will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at scieQtific conferences and integrated to provide management ftameworks, model applications and guidelines for our clients. Research products will provide State and local water quality managers with the tools needed to more effectively plan and implement strategies for watershed management. As a result, water quality goals should be met in a more oosteffective and often more timely manner.