Hydrologic and water quality modeling with HSPF : utilization of data from a novel field data collection system and historical archives

Abstract

Catchment-scale hydrology and water quality studies are empowered by current mobile computing, wireless, and Internet technologies to new levels of technical assessment capability. These technical developments motivate an investigation into the modem uses of hydrologic and water quality models. The Hydrologic Simulation Program - FORTRAN (HSPF) is applied using data from the Williams River basin, New South Wales, Australia. The Williams River is an agricultural catchment with interesting physical characteristics and various non-point source water quality issues that warrant a modeling investigation to characterize the hydrology of this large and heavily utilized water resource. Model inputs include 1) a thorough set of Geographic Information System (GIS) files utilized in a closely coupled interface with the HSPF algorithms; 2) time series meteorologic and water quality datasets from historical archives; and 3) supplemental data obtained during a technically enabled field sampling campaign. These inputs are formatted for import to the HSPF routines, streamflow is simulated, and outputs are analyzed for accuracy.