Focus Area: Watershed Assessment and Modeling
Situation and Objectives
The watershed scale is accepted as the proper geographic perspective for defining water quality and quantity issues, developing protective or remediation strategies, organizing working groups such as multi-agency partnerships and grassroots action groups, and implementing targeted environmental policies. Obstacles to this approach are the lack of immediate assessment data at the watershed scale and scientifically-appropriate protocol for the use of existing data in watershed planning and policy development. Spatial technologies such as GIS and remote sensing provide great potential for collecting and using watershed-scale data, but education and research are needed to make these tools useful in developing end-use products and information that address watershed water resource issues. The objectives of this Program are to identify and promote science-based decision-making tools, demonstrate the use of hydrologic forecasting models to increase the efficacy of water management decisions, and develop educational programs that help watershed planners understand the data, tools, and scientifically acceptable protocol for use in developing watershed plans and policies.
Actions
The regional Program Team utilizes University expertise in Soil Science, Engineering, Geography, and Natural Resources, along with partners such as EPA, NRCS, and state environmental agencies, to accomplish the following:
- Conduct a Southern Region "Symposium on Watershed Modeling and Monitoring" designed to share research findings, establish collaborative partnerships, and expand the general body of knowledge in watershed management.
- Provide support for multi-state efforts to identify and secure external funding sources to promote watershed management using advanced technologies and to design and deliver watershed management tools and materials that facilitate science-based watershed management decision-making.
- Develop a library of digital data sources that can be used in watershed planning and can be accessed on the regional website by end users.
Minutes
Working Documents
- Watershed, Climate, Hydrology Modeling. Joint Projects of NMSU Water Task Force and Center for Applied Remote Sensing in Agriculture, Meteorology, and Environment (2.12 MB)
- Tennessee Watershed Modeling Tools (2.44MB)
- Watershed Assessment Program Team. Georgia Report
- NRCS CSREES Watershed Assessments. Conservation Effects Assessment Project (1.68MB)
Impacts
Increased knowledge of and accessibility to watershed management decision-making tools by natural resource managers; strengthened potential for successful watershed plan implementation by providing accurate risk management impacts of local decisions; stronger partnerships developed between spatial technology/monitoring agencies, Universities, and watershed managers and planners.
For information on additional Land Grant University programs and research in Southern Region states addressing watershed assessment and modeling, return to the home page, select a state and choose from Target Themes.