Citation:

GUERTIN, P., D. GOODRICH, W. G. KEPNER, D. J. SEMMENS, M. HERNADEZ, S. BURNS, A. CATE, L. LEVICK, AND S. MILLER. AUTOMATED GEOSPATIAL WATERSHED ASSESSMENT (AGWA): A GIS-BASED HYRDOLOGIC MODELING TOOL FOR WATERSHED ASSESSMENT AND ANALYSIS. Presented at American Water Resources Association, 2007 Annual Conference, Albuquerque, NM, November 12 - 15, 2007.

Impact/Purpose:

Healthy Communities and Ecosystems - by providing ecosystem research and methods development at multiple scales, utilizing landscape ecology and associated techniques

Description:

The Automated Geospatial Watershed Assessment tool (AGWA) is a GIS interface jointly

developed by the USDA Agricultural Research Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency, the University of Arizona, and the University of Wyoming to automate the

parameterization and execution of the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and KINEmatic

Runoff and EROSion (KINEROS2) hydrologic models. The application of these two models

allows AGWA to conduct hydrologic modeling and watershed assessments at multiple temporal

and spatial scales. AGWA's current outputs are runoff (volumes and peaks) and sediment yield,

plus nitrogen and phosphorus with the SWAT model. AGWA uses commonly available GIS

data layers to fully parameterize, execute, and visualize results from both SWAT and

KINEROS2. Through an intuitive interface the user selects an outlet from which AGWA

delineates and discretizes the watershed using a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) based on the

individual model requirements. The watershed model elements are then intersected with soils

and land cover data layers to derive the requisite model input parameters. AGWA can currently

use STATSGO, SSURGO and FAO soils and nationally available NLCD land-cover/use data.

Users are also provided the capability to utilize their own classified land-cover/use data. The

chosen model is then executed, and the results are imported back into AGWA for visualization.

This allows managers to identify potential problem areas where additional monitoring can be

undertaken or mitigation activities can be focused. AGWA can difference results from multiple

simulations to examine relative change from alternative input scenarios (e.g. climate/storm

change, land-cover change, present conditions and alternative futures). In addition, a variety of

new capabilities are being incorporated into AGWA including pre- and post-fire watershed

assessment, options for user-defined land-cover and climate change, implementation of stream

buffer zones, and installation of retention and detention structures. There are currently two

versions of AGWA available; AGWA 1.5 for users with Environmental Systems Research

Institute (ESRI) ArcView 3.x and AGWA 2.0, released in Fall, 2007, for users with ESRI

ArcGIS 9.x. For more information on AGWA visit the AGWA website located at:

http://www.epa.gov/nerlesd1/land-sci/agwa/index.htm or htp://www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/agwa/.

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