Water Quality and Sediment Behaviour of the Future: Predictions for the 21st Century (Proceedings of Symposium HS2005 at IUGG2007, Perugia, July 2007). IAHS Publ. 314, 2007, 251-264

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Development and application of a Watershed Information System (WIS) for water quality analyses

CONCEICAO DE MARIA ALBUQUERQUE ALVES¹ & DANIEL PETE LOUCKS²

1 FUNCEME – Fundação Cearense de Meteorologia e Recursos Hídricos, Av Rui Barbosa, 1246 Fortaleza 60115-221, CE, Brazil

cmaalves@gmail.com

2 Cornell University, Hollister Hall, 301, Ithaca, New York 14850, USA

dpL3@cornell.edu

Abstract This paper describes the development, implementation and evaluation of a watershed information system (WIS) to assist in the planning of programmes for water quality control in river basins incorporating both point and nonpoint pollutant sources. The system simulates rainfall–runoff processes and the transport of water quality constituents and sediment. WIS includes two nonpoint source models, a network design component, a flow and sediment routing component and a water quality component. Simple models of rainfall–runoff and water quality were selected for WIS. The models in the system are integrated through their inputs and outputs. Friendly Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) facilitate the interaction with user-models. WIS was applied in a watershed in Delaware County, New York. The results showed that the system is a suitable computational tool to identify source areas of pollution in river basins and indicate where more complex modelling and analysis might be recommended.

Key words water quality; information system; nonpoint source models; sediment

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