# Presentation: 024834

## Delaware River Basin SPARROW Model

- Mary Chepiga,  	    609-771-3955,    	mchepiga@usgs.govSusan Colarullo,	    609-771-3922,     	colarull@usgs.govJeff Fischer,          609-771-3953,    	fischer@usgs.gov

- US Geological Survey
- Delaware NAWQA

- Oct. 29, 2002

## Delaware River BasinCollaborative Environmental Monitoring & Research InitiativeCEMRI

-    The US Geological Survey, US Forest Service, National Park Service and other agencies are implementing a prototype environmental monitoring strategy to link hydrologic, forest, and water quality information across the landscapes of the Delaware River Basin.

**Notes:**
The initiative follows the "Framework for Environmental Monitoring and Related Research" proposed by the Office of Science and Technology (OSTP) and the Committee on Environmental and Natural Resources (CENR).

## CEMRI Framework

- CEMRI promotes environmental monitoring across agencies, scales, and environmental resources to track complex environmental issues at a range of spatial and temporal scales.
- Delaware Issues:
-  Ecosystem Health & Change
-  Calcium Depletion
-  Carbon Cycling
-  Nutrient Cycling

- SPARROW

## Delaware River Basin SPARROW

-    SPARROW will integrate monitoring research at various scales in the Delaware River Basin to assess effects of nitrogen deposition and land use on water quality, forest productivity, forest health, and to assess the causes of water quality and environmental impacts.

**Notes:**
link process data from small-scale watershed studies with monitoring data from large-scale rivers. 

## Delaware SPARROW Project Objective

- To evaluate the distribution of _T_otal _N_itrogen (TN) and _T_otal _P_hosphorous (TP) loads within the Delaware River Basin for time period 1990 - 2001
- To evaluate the statistical significance   of factors affecting the predicted TN and TP distributions

**Notes:**
Sparrow can do other constituents as well.  Needs intensive long-term monitoring data.  

## Delaware River Basin 

- <date/time>

**Delaware River Basin**
- Area > 12,000 square miles
- Population over 7 million.
- An additional 7 million people outside the basin rely on the Delaware for drinking water.
- Delaware River is tidal up to Trenton

**Notes:**
Modeled area goes into northern half of the State of Delaware (more than show above).  
Lehigh and Schuylkill are main tributaries.  
How handle tidal river from Trenton to Wilmington in model?

## GEOLOGY

- <date/time>

- 5 Physiographic   Provinces.
- Most of Basin is consolidated sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.
- Northern third of basin was glaciated and has unconsolidated valley fill.
- Coastal plain is unconsolidated sediments.

**Notes:**
Mix of metamorphic, clastic, and Carbonate rocks in Piedmont & V&R.  Unconsolidated glacial fill in northern vallies

## Basin-wide Land use 

- <date/time>

**Basin-wide Land use**
-  60% forest,
-  24% Agriculture,
-  9% urban.
- 80% of population lives in Piedmont and Coastal Plain which are _>_20% Urban land and _>_30% agriculture.
- Appalachians are primarily Forest.

**Notes:**
1992 MRLC above, 1999 data may be available soon??

## SPARROW Model Components

- Stream  Network  and  Associated Basins
- Stream  Loadings  from monitoring data (dependent variable)
- Nutrient  Sources  -  Point  Source, Nonpoint  Source, Atmospheric Deposition,  Others
- Delivery  Factors  -  Soils,  Slope, Geology,  Meteorology,  Stream size, Others

## Model Framework

- For Delaware Model
-    1:24,000 NHD digital stream network
-    Use GIS to generate basin areas, flow,
-      and travel times for stream reaches

**Notes:**
55,000 stream reaches in the Delaware Basin

## Developing Areas, Streamflow, and Travel Times, for 1:24K NHD Stream Reaches

- Generate contributing areas for each river segment similar to NECB
- Apply runoff to those areas
- Use gage data to correct flow at sites that export water and have reservoirs
- Estimate travel time using Jobson method
- Excluding Estuary and tidal rivers

**Notes:**
HUC fourteens not available in Delaware

## NHD Stream Network and Basins

- Schuylkill River  GIS Generated Basins

## Data Checks

- Catchment Areas
- GIS areas vs gaged site areas
- Rivers crossing HUC divides
- Flow
- Estimated flow vs measured flow at gage sites
- Travel times
- Calculated vs published travel times

**Notes:**
HUC 14 data not available in Delaware at this time.

## Reservoirs control mainstem flow and are used to export water from the basin.

- <date/time>

**FLOW CORRECTIONS**
- Drinking water withdrawls at major metropolitan areas.
- Many large STPs discharge to Estuary.

- Mandated flow of 1750 cfs

- 800 mgd export to NYC

- 100 mgd export to north NJ

- 3000 cfs minimum flow target

- Power Releases 0 – 1800 cfs

- Major drinking water intakes
- Flood control & flow augmentation
- Water Supply Reservoirs

- 50 mgd transfer to Schuylkill

**Notes:**
800mgd ~1240cfs, 100mgd~155cfs
NYC reservoirs came on line in 1950s and 60s.  Most others in 1970s.  Merril Creek most recent addition 1990s. 

## A word on 1:24K NHD Streams

- 1:100K

- 1:24K

- New reaches are added at 1:24K scale, but reach numbering is maintained from 1:100K scale.  ***Difficult to distinguish between a reach above and below a new confluence.***

- = start of new reach

- 4785291

- 4787553

- 25997708

- 4787555

- 26004602

- 26004602

- 25991646

- 25997110

- 25991690

## Calculated Nutrient Loads   at monitoring stations

- Data from Federal and State Agencies
- 1975 to 2000 time period for predictors
- Usually 10 or more years of data at each site
- Loads calculated using ESTIMATOR for 1990 to 2001 time period

##  State    Area                     Number of Sites   . 

-  _State_    _Area        _             _Number of Sites   . _

**NJ****	****   2969 sq mi****	****	****16****	****15****	****  ****31**
**NY****	****   2363 sq mi****	****	****11****	****40 ****	****  51**
**PA****	****   6465 sq mi****	****	****24****	****27****	****  ****51**
_**DE**__**	**__**     968 sq mi**_**	****	**_**  6  **_**	**_**23  **_**	****  **_**29  **_
**TOTALS        ****	****	****	****57****	****105****	**** 162**
**Sites with measured flows and concentrations**
**Sites with some or all estimated flows**
**Total Sites**

**Notes:**
33 sites in PA do not have organic N data.  Thinking of estimating this data from other QW parameters.

## Total Phosphorus Monitoring Station Locations

**QW and Discharge (Q)**
**QW with Q estimated**
**~ 3 years of QW & Q**

**Appalachian **
**Coastal Plain**
**New England**
**Piedmont**
**Valley and Ridge**

**DATA TYPE**

**PHYSIOGRAPHIC PROVINCE**

##  State    Area                     Number of Sites   . 

-  _State_    _Area        _             _Number of Sites   . _

**NJ****	****   2969 sq mi****	****	****14****	****16****	**** **** ****0****	****  ****30**
**NY****	****   2363 sq mi****	****	****11****	****45 ****	**** **** ****0**** ****	****  ****56**
**PA****	****   6465 sq mi****	****	****  5****	****16****	****33?****	****  ****54**
_**DE**__**	**__**     968 sq mi**_**	****	**_**  6  **_**	**_**23 **_**	**_**  **__**0**_**	****  **_**29  **_
**TOTALS        ****	****	****	****36****	****100****	****33?****	****>169**
**Sites with measured flows and concentrations**
**Sites with some or all estimated flows**
**Sites with some estimated concentrations**
**Total Sites**

**Notes:**
33 sites in PA do not have organic N data.  Thinking of estimating this data from other QW parameters.

## Total Nitrate Monitoring Station Locations

**QW and Discharge (Q)**
**QW with Q estimated**
**~ 3 years of QW & Q**

**Appalachian **
**Coastal Plain**
**New England**
**Piedmont**
**Valley and Ridge**

**DATA TYPE**

**PHYSIOGRAPHIC PROVINCE**

## Estimator Load Calculations

-   Plans:
-   Use post 1974 data to generate predictors.
-   Calculate average load for each year 1990-2001.
-   Use 12 year average for SPARROW loads
-   Comments:
-   Several versions of ESTIMATOR
-   Use of long-term quarterly monitoring data vs
-     short-term intensive sites
-   Small research basins (<5 mi2 )
-   Sites with abrupt change in QW

## Sites with short period of record and small basins (including NAWQA sites)

- QW sample

**Notes:**
Discuss effects on model using a mix of long and short-term data sets.  This is a small (<4 square mile) basin with over 40 sample points in 1 year.  Most state sites have 4 samples per year, but have > 10 years of record.  NAWQA sites are larger, but only have 3 years of record with about 36 sample points including some storms.

## Sites with abrupt changes in QW parameters

- Regional Sewer System Installed

- Concentration (mg/l)

**Notes:**
How does estimator deal with abrupt changes in QW?

## Nutrient Data Sources

-      _DATA_				_SOURCE_
- Fertilizer usage, 			NAWQA/USDA		 	1992 & 1997
- Livestock waste production, 	NAWQA/USDA 			1992 & 1997
- Non- agricultural land use, 	MRLC data from EROS 		1992 or 2000
- Atmospheric deposition, 	National Atmospheric 		 1987-2002 			Deposition Program
- Point sources, 			EPA, NOAA		 	 	1997-2002			DRBC, state DEP’s

**Notes:**
Point source data only available at total N & P.  Will try to correct locations with state data.

## Point Sources

- Model will use EPA data from 1992 to 2002, updated with state flow and location data.
- Regional sewer systems collect waste from non-tidal basins and discharge into tidal estuary.

**Notes:**
Discuss fact that numerous 10 to 20 mgd regional sewer systems collect waste from non-tidal basins and discharge into tidal estuary. This is a huge transport of nutrients out of the modeled area. How will this affect model if we don’t include the estuary?

## SPARROW Model Input DataWatershed Characteristics

- Land-to-water delivery factors
- Temperature
- Soil permeability
- Land Use
- In-stream removal
- Stream-size
- Reservoirs

-  Slope
-  Others .....

**Notes:**
Stream size is a surrogate for travel time and cross sectional area of channel.

## Delaware SPARROW ModelUnique Aspects

- Land-to-water delivery factors
**Forest type and fragmentation.**
- In-stream removal
**Stream-size (first 1:24K model).**
- Model Comparisons
**Comparison with PnET Forest productivity model.**

**Notes:**
Gray text is potential work.

## Delaware SPARROW ModelProject Plans

- Delaware SPARROW ModelProject Plans

- ESTIMATOR load calculations - 6 mo.
- NHD area, flow, and travel time generation - 12 mo.
- Apply Overland and In-stream factors - 6 mo.
- Model Simulations - 12 mo.
- Reports
- Estimated Nutrient Loads - 2003
- Data
- Delaware SPARROW - 2004
- Goal: Completed model by end of 2003.

## Modeling Support

- NAWQA
- National NAWQA Program
- Delaware NAWQA Project
- NAWQA/State Coop for 1:24K NHD streams
- US Forest Service
- Forest Type and Fragmentation Indexes
- Climate and Atmospheric loading data
- US EPA
- Point Source Loading data

## Slide 30