Watershed Modeling Approaches Using EPA's Basins Modeling Tool - Why I Should Care at My Facility, 1999 Environmental Conference Proceedings
Ray C. Whittemore
National Council of the Paper Industry for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc.
An EPA geographic-based watershed tool is described to better integrate point and nonpoint source water quality assessments for the Nation’s 2100+ watersheds. The tool builds upon federal databases of water quality conditions and point source loadings for numerous parameters to allow comprehensive assessments and modeling of both point and nonpoint sources in a typical total maximum daily load (TMDL) computation. While the TMDL utility is the primary reason BASINS was developed, other longer-range ecological assessments will become possible as the Agency expands the suite of assessment models and databases in future releases. The simplistic approach to modeling and user-friendly tools gives rise, however, to concerns that are elaborated in this paper.
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