Virginia Coastal Program: 2004 Coastal Grant Project Description and Final Summary
Project Task:
FY2004 Task 83.03
Grantee:
Hampton Roads Planning District Commission
Project Title:
Development of Watershed Modeling Capability for the Hampton Roads Planning District
Project Description as Proposed:
The localities in
the Hampton Roads Planning District face an increasingly complex
set of challenges in managing nonpoint source pollution. A combination
of population growth and redistribution of existing population is
causing continued conversion of rural and agricultural areas to
suburban and urban uses within the planning district. Regulatory
programs including the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act, NPDES Stormwater
Permits, Wetlands Regulations and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)
requirements place very specific land use and stormwater management
demands on localities. Programs such as Tributary Strategies and
the Chesapeake 2000 commitments require localities to improve watershed
planning in a more general sense. Given the continued development
pressure and increasingly stringent regulatory requirements it has
become necessary for the HRPDC to develop the capability to model
various land use and stormwater BMP scenarios and provide quantitative
comparisons of a range of management options. This quantitative
information will be used by individual localities and the region
as a whole in selecting the most effective and efficient solutions
to managing nonpoint source pollution. Identification of cost effective
solutions is critical given the limited financial resources available
at the local and regional level to meet multiple regulatory requirements.
The results of the quantitative analysis will be of use to the HRPDC
localities in a broad range of land use planning activities in addition
to compliance with specific regulatory programs.
The work proposed under this grant application includes the evaluation
of a variety of existing watershed models to identify those that
are most applicable to the Hampton Roads Planning District, calibration
and testing of the selected model or models, and application of
the model(s) to evaluate different future land use scenarios in
terms of nonpoint source pollutant loading. (This work will not
include hydrodynamic modeling to investigate the impact of various
loads on the water quality of receiving waters). At the end of this
process the HRPDC staff will be in a position to provide technical
assistance to localities in a variety of watershed planning initiatives.
It is clear that the United States Environmental Protection Agency
and Virginia State Agencies expect the use of quantitative analysis
in meeting regulatory requirements, particularly in the development
of TMDLs. The modeling capability will allow the comparison of various
approaches to managing nonpoint source pollution and meeting watershed
planning requirements. It will position the HRPDC to assist localities
in the selection of the most efficient and cost effective solutions.
Federal Funding:
$35,000
Project Contact:
John Carlock, 757.420.8300, jcarlock@hrpdc.org
Project Status:
Project Completed
Final Product Received:
Watershed Modeling
in Hampton Roads - Hampton Roads Planning District Commission
February 2007
Final Report PDF
Project Summary Provided by Grantee:
The staff of the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) has completed a study of watershed modeling tools and the applicability of these tools in Hampton Roads for watershed characterization and evaluation of management alternatives. A final report titled Watershed Modeling in Hampton Roads documents the exploration of the tools, techniques and structure needed to establish a regional watershed modeling program in Hampton Roads. A combination of literature review and experimentation with various modeling tools was used to develop a set of recommendations on a regional program. Section one of the report outlines the potential applications for a watershed modeling program in Hampton Roads, section two provides an overview of the structure and components of a generic watershed modeling program and section three contains a description of the testing of two watershed modeling tools and recommendations on the structure and process associated with building a regional watershed modeling capability in Hampton Roads.
Several watershed modeling tools were evaluated as part of this study. The Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Nonpoint Sources (BASINS) modeling system, Pollutant Loading Application (PLOAD), Program for Predicting Polluting Particle Passage thru Pits, Puddles, & Ponds (P8), Hydrological Simulation Program-FORTRAN (HSPF) and the Best Management Practices/Low Impact Development Decision Support System (BMP/LID DSS) were reviewed. Two of these tools, PLOAD and BMP/LID DSS, were applied to sub-watersheds in Hampton Roads to evaluate their utility in analyzing pollutant loads and watershed management options. PLOAD is a valuable screening tool for the estimation of pollutant loads. The BMP/LID DSS provides the opportunity to compare the cost and effectiveness of specific best management practices, including low impact development practices. These tools, applied in conjunction with HSPF, will provide a broad range of analytic capability to evaluate management options.
Disclaimer: This project summary provides the federal dollars initially awarded to the grantee. Due to underexpenditure or reprogramming of grant funds, this figure may change. For more information on the allocation of coastal grant funds, please contact Laura McKay, Virginia Coastal Program Manager, at 804.698.4323 or email: Laura.McKay@deq.virginia.gov
A more detailed Scope of Work for this project is available. Please direct your request for a copy to Virginia.Witmer@deq.virginia.gov
