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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #99594
Title: ENVIRONMENTAL MODELING OF A CLAYPAN WATERSHED USING HSPF

Author
item WANG, MENGHUA - UNIV OF MO
item DURU, J - UNIV OF MO
item Hjelmfelt Jr, Allen
item GHIDEY, FESSEHAIE - UNIV OF MO
item THOMPSON, ALLEN - UNIV OF MO

Submitted to: Proceedings of the International Stormwater and Urban Systems Modeling Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/18/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The Clean Water Act mandates that states take action to control nonpoint source pollution of surface water resources. Development of Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) criteria has been interpreted as a step on the way to satisfying the Clean Water Act. The EPA computer model, HSPF, or that model with a Geographic Information System (GIS) interface, BASINS, is the preferred vehicle for determining TMDLs. The model, HSPF, has had little application for agricultural runoff and water quality modeling in a data rich situation. The Goodwater Creek Watershed, which formed the Missouri Management System Evaluation Area (MSEA) Project and its successor Agricultural Systems for Environmental Quality (ASEQ), provides an excellent modeling opportunity because there is abundance of quality data. The HSPF model was fit to the data obtained at Goodwater Creek. Special attention was given to selection of parameters and to the rationale by which these parameters were adjusted to fit our data. The HSP model simulated runoff, sediment yield, and chemical loss from the Goodwater Creek watershed quite satisfactorily. These data will be especially useful to state Departments of Natural Resources and their contractors who must develop TMDLs for layered soils.

Technical Abstract: The performance of the Hydrological Simulation Program-FORTRAN (HSPF) in simulating surface runoff, sediment, and pesticide loss from Goodwater Creek, a 72.8 km**2 USDA agricultural research watershed, was evaluated. The HSPF is a comprehensive, continuous simulation model designed to predict watershed hydrology and water quality. The watershed is located in nnorth-central Missouri in the Central Claypan Major Land Resource Area (MLRA 113) and has a nearly level to gently sloping surface. The low permeability of the claypan layer coupled with the nearly level slope causes unique hydrologic problems. In this evaluation, most of the model parameters related to hydrology, sediment, and pesticide transport were carefully selected from previous studies. Some of the parameters were directly calculated and others were calibrated based on detailed field data on hydrology, water quality, and field operations, such as cultivation and chemical application, from a 36 ha (89 ac) research field located within the Goodwater Creek watershed. For accurately simulating watershed responses, field activities were considered by using SPECIAL ACTION blocks in HSPF. The calibration revealed that some model parameters, most notably the infiltration index, used numerical values outside recommended ranges to define the claypan watershed behaviors accurately. When properly calibrated, the HSPF model simulated runoff, sediment yield, and chemical loss from the Goodwater Creek watershed well.