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User manuals for the Delaware River Basin Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (DRB–WATER) and associated WATER application utilities

Open-File Report 2015-1196
By:  and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20151196

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Abstract

The Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER) is a decision support system (DSS) for the nontidal part of the Delaware River Basin (DRB) that provides a consistent and objective method of simulating streamflow under historical, forecasted, and managed conditions. WATER integrates geospatial sampling of landscape characteristics, including topographic and soil properties, with a regionally calibrated hillslope-hydrology model, an impervious-surface model, and hydroclimatic models that have been parameterized using three hydrologic response units—forested, agricultural, and developed land cover. It is this integration that enables the regional hydrologic-modeling approach used in WATER without requiring site-specific optimization or those stationary conditions inferred when using a statistical model. The DSS provides a “historical” database, ideal for simulating streamflow for 2001–11, in addition to land-cover forecasts that focus on 2030 and 2060. The WATER Application Utilities are provided with the DSS and apply change factors for precipitation, temperature, and potential evapotranspiration to a 1981–2011 climatic record provided with the DSS. These change factors were derived from a suite of general circulation models (GCMs) and representative concentration pathway (RCP) emission scenarios. These change factors are based on 25-year monthly averages (normals) that are centere on 2030 and 2060. The WATER Application Utilities also can be used to apply a 2010 snapshot of water use for the DRB; a factorial approach enables scenario testing of increased or decreased water use for each simulation. Finally, the WATER Application Utilities can be used to reformat streamflow time series for input to statistical or reservoir management software. 

Suggested Citation

Williamson, T.N., and Lant, J.G., 2015, User manuals for the Delaware River Basin Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (DRB–WATER) and associated WATER application utilities: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2015–1196, 32 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20151196.

ISSN: 2331-1258 (online)

Study Area

Table of Contents

  • Contents
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Section 1. Focus Area and Geographic Limitations
  • References Cited (for all sections)
  • Section 2. Instruction Manual for WATER
  • Section 3. Instruction Manual for WATER application Utilities-waterapputils
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title User manuals for the Delaware River Basin Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (DRB–WATER) and associated WATER application utilities
Series title Open-File Report
Series number 2015-1196
DOI 10.3133/ofr20151196
Year Published 2015
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) Kentucky Water Science Center
Description Report: vi, 32 p.; Database
Country United States
State Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania
City Philadelphia, Trenton, Wilmington
Other Geospatial Delaware River Basin
Online Only (Y/N) Y
Additional Online Files (Y/N) Y
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details