AGWAAutomated Geospatial Watershed Assessment:

GIS-based Hydrologic Modeling Tool for Watershed Assessment and Analysis

© Copyright Adriel Heisey

© Copyright Adriel Heisey

Participants

USDA-ARS David Goodrich Mariano Hernandez Mark Nearing Lainie Levick Averill Cate Jeff Stone Shea Burns Soren Scott Phil Heilman Roger Smith Evan Canfield

US-EPA USGS Bill Kepner Darius Semmens Dan Heggem Bruce Jones Don Ebert

University of Arizona Phil Guertin Ryan Miller Jamie Massart Hoori Ajami Chris Black George Ruyle

University of Wyoming Scott Miller Ginger Paige Paul Caffrey Margo Berendson Tracy Balyga Hannah Griscom Maneesh Sharma Kelsha Anderson

• Process-based tool to evaluate:– Consequences of historical landscape change– Vulnerability related to current landscape conditions– Scenario/future alternatives evaluations

• Operate with readily available GIS data– USGS DEMs (DEMs in ESRI Grid Format)– STATSGO, SSURGO, FAO soils– NALC, NLCD, GAP land cover/use

• Applicable across a range of geographiesAZ, OR, NV, NY, VA, WY, MT, Mexico, Kenya, Israel, S. Africa, Peru

• Applicable to multiple spatial and temporal scales

• Both Stand-alone and Web application- Available in both ArcView 3.x and ArcGIS 9.x

• Target audience- Researchers- Resource Managers and Decision Makers- Community-based Stakeholders

AGWA Goals: Design Criteria

• Initial endpoints: runoff and sediment• Simple, direct method for model parameterization• Provide repeatable results for relative change

assessments• Two hydrologic models to address multiple scales

– SWAT for large basins, daily time steps– KINEROS for small basins, sub-hour time steps

• Basic GIS functionality– watershed delineation– watershed discretization– simple, direct method for model parameterization– execute the models– visualize results spatially and difference results across

multiple simulations

AGWA – Basics

Note the approach, not the particular models currently in AGWA

• Daily time step• Distributed: empirical and physically-based model• Curve-number based infiltration• Hydrology, sediment, nutrient, and pesticide yields• Larger watersheds (> 1,000 km2)• Similar effort used by BASINS

71

7373

Soil Water and Assessment Tool (SWAT)

71

73

pseudo-channel 71

channel 73

Abstract Routing Representation

to next channel

• Event-based (< minute time steps)

• Distributed: physically-based model with dynamic routing

• Hydrology, erosion, sediment transport,

• Address flooding and compute a sediment balance

• Smaller watersheds (< 100-200 km2)

74

72

Kinematic Runoff and Erosion ModelKINEROS2

73

71 71

73

72

74Abstract Routing Representation

Example of watershed discretization for parameterizing KINEROS. Model parameters are averaged for each overland flow and channel element.

rainfall intensity (i)

flow depth (h)

infiltration (f)

Finite difference step length (dx)

fixQ

th

channel element

Excess Runoff From a Plane

- KINEROS

Other Factorsinterceptionhydraulic roughnessrain splash erosionsoil cohesion (erodibility)

Q

q

Watershed Discretization (model elements) ++

LandCover

Soils

Rain (Observed or

Design Storm)

Results

Run model and import results

Intersect model elements with

Watershed Delineation using Digital Elevation

Model (DEM)

Sediment yield (t/ha)Sediment discharge (kg/s)

Water yield (mm)Channel Scour (mm)

Transmission loss (mm)Peak flow (m3/s or mm/hr)

Channel Disch. (m3/day)Sediment yield (kg)

Percolation (mm)Runoff (mm or m3)

ET (mm)Plane Infiltration (mm)

Precipitation (mm)Channel Infiltration (m3/km)

SWAT OutputsKINEROS Outputs

AGWA Conceptual Design: Inputs and Outputs

Output results that can be displayed in AGWA

AGWA ArcMap Interface

San Pedro River, AZ – AGWA Example

Kepner et al., EPA-NERL/ESD http://www.epa.gov/nerl1/land-sci/san-pedro.htm

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

350000

He

cta

res

Grassland

Desertscrub

Mesquite

Urban

1973 1986 1992 1997

Change in Land Cover Extent

Spatial and Temporal Scaling of Results

High urban growth1973-1997

Upper San PedroRiver Basin

#

#

ARIZONA

SONORA

Phoenix

Tucson

<<WY >>WY

Water yield change between 1973 and 1997

SWAT Results

Sierra Vista Subwatershed

KINEROS Results

N

ForestOak WoodlandMesquite DesertscrubGrasslandUrban1997 Land Cover

Concentrated urbanization

– Using SWAT and KINEROS for integrated watershed assessment– Land cover change analysis and impact on hydrologic response

0 100 200 300 400

0

4

8

12

Run

off

(mm

/hr)

Time (min)0 100 200 300 400

0

0.04

0.08

0.12

Time (min)

KINEROS model runs for rainfall events

5-year, 30-minute rainfall 100-year, 60-minute rainfall

1973

1973

1997 1997

Simulated Runoff From the Small Watershed Near Sierra Vista

Output – Tools for Water Quality PlanningOutput – Tools for Water Quality Planning

LowMediumHigh

Total Erosion for 5-year Event

TMDL PriorityLOWMEDIUM20 0 20 Miles

N

EW

S

4 0 4 8 Miles

3 0 3 6 Miles

Currently being used for watershed-based planning in AZ and to assess impacts of energy development in WY.

Applied at the 10 and 12 digit HUC scale.

Management Tools

• Land use and land cover modification– Based on common land use/vegetation types– Vegetation monitoring data (in progress)– NRCS Ecological Site Descriptions (in progress)

• Buffer strips (KINEROS)• Detention and retention ponds/ reservoirs • Multi-watershed analysis for political/park

boundaries• Post-Fire effects

Land-Cover Modification Tool

Allows user to specify type and location of land-cover alterations by either drawing a polygon on the display, or specifying a polygon map

Types of Land-Cover Changes:• Change entire user-defined area to new land cover • Change one land-cover type to another in user-defined area • Change land-cover type within user-supplied polygon map • Create a random land-cover pattern

e.g. to simulate burn pattern, change to 64% barren, 31% desert scrub, and 5% mesquite woodland

• KINEROS2-OPUS Coupling− Continuous water balance, subsurface flow, plant growth, snow,

nutrients, management (i.e. be more like SWAT but more physically-based). Will have the same structure as KINEROS.

• Development of the Rangeland AGWA (R.AGWA) tool

– Supported by a USDA-CSREES Rangeland Science Grant− Include the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model (RHEM)

− Incorporation of dynamic WEPP into KINEROS2

− Improve parameterization based on vegetation characteristics and disturbance

− Utilization of Ecological Site Descriptions and monitoring data− Incorporate range management tools (fencing, water, etc.)

• Interface for reservoirs / detention structures in SWAT and KINEROS

• Climate change modification tool

• Dynamic geomorphic model - erosion / deposition in channels

• Sub-discretization based on land-cover, soils, and topography

• Develop and validate parameterization methods for different agriculture and natural resource activities.

New Capabilities - Future Directions

Worldwide Interest Google Analytics

745 Registered Users since AGWA Version 2.0 release (Nov. 2007)

6 Continents, 110 Countries,

• AGWA Web Page: documentation, software, and publications - http://www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/agwa/ - http://www.epa.gov/nerlesd1/land-sci/agwa/ - Using Google: agwa ars

• Versions - Arcview 3.x

- ARCGIS 9.0,1,2- DotAGWA 1.x- Below MS-XP

AGWA Information

Questions?