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River Basin Export Reduction Optimization Support Tool (RBEROST) Training
Citation:
Chamberlin, C. AND N. Detenbeck. River Basin Export Reduction Optimization Support Tool (RBEROST) Training. NEIWPCC Training Seminar, NA, Virtual, October 28, 2021.
Impact/Purpose:
This presentation is designed to aid training attendees with using the River Basin Export Reduction Optimization Support Tool, or RBEROST. The slides accompany a 3-hour workshop coordinated by the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC). The presentation first describes the theoretical and mathematical models that RBEROST uses, and then moves through a practical "how-to" of using the tool to model different watersheds. RBEROST is a support tool that is designed to help managers and watershed planners of large watersheds find cost-effective solutions for decreasing nutrient pollution in their watersheds. The tool allows users to holistically consider management practices throughout a watershed and from multiple land uses (e.g. urban land, agricultural land, wastewater treatment plants) at once.
Description:
NEIWPCC is collaborating with EPA to host a training session on the River Basin Export Reduction Optimization Support Tool (RBEROST). RBEROST uses data on best management practice (BMP) efficiencies, costs, and baseline nutrient loadings to create an optimization problem to meet total nitrogen and total phosphorus loading targets in the watershed at the lowest financial cost. The tool is designed to work in the Northeastern United States and considers BMPs for point and non-point sources on agricultural and urban land. Users are able to choose loading targets for total nitrogen and total phosphorus and BMPs to include in the model. They also have the ability to consider margins of safeties associated with loading targets and can explore how these affect project costs and likelihood of success. While data for the tool is currently populated for the upper Connecticut River basin, the model structure is compatible with the bounds of the Northeast Regional SPARROW model and the project team is working on expanding geographic coverage of underlying datasets. The training will be on October 28th and will have two sessions, both fully virtual and hosted on Microsoft Teams: Session 1: 1-2:30 pm: An overview of the theoretical framework of RBEROST Session 2: 3-4:30 pm: An interactive, hands-on session focused on using the tool.
