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Integrated Watershed Management using the Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST)
Citation:
Stagnitta, T. AND N. Detenbeck. Integrated Watershed Management using the Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST). New England Chapter of Urban & Regional Information Systems Assocation (NEURISA) Day Conference, Fitchburg, Massachuetts, October 16, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
Integrated watershed management is a planning strategy meant to coordinate development to maximize the social, economic, and environmental management of water resources and uses. WMOST is an Excel-based decision tool to aid municipal planners in making cost-effective decisions to meet water quantity and quality goals within a watershed.
Description:
Integrated watershed management is an effective planning strategy to balance tradeoffs between competing water uses within a watershed. WMOST is an Excel-based decision tool to aid planners in making cost effective decisions that meet water quantity and quality regulations. WMOST is a spatially explicit model with the capability to extract input data directly from the Estuary Data Mapper (EDM) a GIS-based data repository. WMOST can assess tradeoffs between different management options such as land conservation, construction of best management practices (BMP), upgrading treatment facilities, streambank restoration, or outfall enhancement. A case study in progress assesses multiple management options for the Taunton river basin, MA, which is heavily impaired by nutrient loads. Preliminary results show that implementing infiltration basins is the most cost-effective BMP for reducing nitrogen and phosphorus loadings in the upper Taunton river basin.