Water Quality Modeling in GIS

Application of Schematic Network

Processing
Schema Links and Nodes have unique
behaviors based on their type
A framework for unifying watershed,
stream, and estuary models

Two Case Studies

Galveston Bay Bacteria Study
Application of Model Builder (Arc Toolbox 9.0)

Guadalupe River Nitrogen Study

Application of SPARROW for load estimation

Galveston Bay

Model Builder

Rainfall to Runoff

Rainfall to Runoff (1 of 2)

Rainfall to Runoff (2 of 2)

EMC Grid

Load Grid

Zonal Statistics

Process the Schematic Network

Results
Concentration
Concentration
3
3
(colonies/m ) From (colonies/m ) From
Zoun's Work
Model Builder
Upper Galveston Bay (2421)
Trinity Bay (2422)
East Bay (2423)
West Bay (2424)
Chocolate Bay (2432)
Lower Galveston Bay (2439)

6.27E+04
4.06E+04
3.83E+04
6.05E+04
2.58E+05
2.39E+04

6.43E+04
4.01E+04
3.82E+04
6.06E+04
2.61E+03
2.39E+04

SPARROW
Regional-scale statistical water-quality model
Developed by USGS
Estimates load of pollutant for each sub
watershed within a monitored basin using SAS
Has been applied to continental US, Mississippi
Basin, and Northeastern US

414 National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN)

Stream Monitoring Locations

The Guadalupe River at Victoria Texas Basin

Red represents
along stream flow

Green represents
land to channel flow

Schematic Network Processing Algorithm

Upstream Load = 50 kg/yr

Land Surface Load = 100 kg/yr

Load = 50 x dchannel +100 x dsurface

dchannel = decay due to travel along river channel transport

dsurface = decay due to land surface to river channel transport

Nitrogen Load Predictions

Comparison with SPARROW Published Results

Future Direction: Improve Data Resolution

1:500,000

1:24,000