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Decision Support for Resilient Communities: EPA’s Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool
Citation:
Detenbeck, N., A. Piscopo, T. Stagnitta, AND M. Tenbrink. Decision Support for Resilient Communities: EPA’s Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool. Rhode Island Flood Mitigation Association, Smithfield, RI, April 05, 2018.
Impact/Purpose:
Communities need tools to maintain their resilience in response to extreme weather events. EPA's Watershed Management Optimization Tool (WMOST) contains a flooding module that allows communities to find the most cost effective suite of best management practices to reduce flooding risks and costs. This workshop will introduce participants to WMOST, illustrate the use of WMOST to prevent flooding, and provide participants with a demonstration exercise. This provides an opportunity to train communities in a tool that can enhance resilience and contribute to floodplain management plans, providing support for FEMA mitigation funding.
Description:
The U.S. EPA Atlantic Ecology Division is releasing version 3 of the Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST v3) in February 2018. WMOST is a decision-support tool that facilitates integrated water resources management (IWRM) by communities and watershed organizations (https://www.epa.gov/exposure-assessment-models/wmost). IWRM is a collaborative process that coordinates activities across stormwater, wastewater, drinking water, and land conservation programs to meet water quantity and quality goals in a sustainable manner. WMOST v2 includes a Flood Module which allows users to identify the suite of most cost-effective management options, such as stormwater best management practices (BMPs), to meet flood reduction goals. This workshop will present an overview of WMOST v3 and also highlight new functionality, such as setting water quality goals and Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) targets. The use of WMOST will be illustrated with a case study conducted with the Monponsett Ponds Watershed Association in Massachusetts to control flooding costs while meeting water supply goals. Workshop participants will receive copies of WMOST v3 and have an opportunity to work through a simple case study in which the goal is to determine the most cost-effective set of BMPs to meet flooding targets.