Delaware River Basin SPARROW Model

Delaware River Basin SPARROW Model

Mary Chepiga, 609-771-3955, [email protected] Susan Colarullo, 609-771-3922, [email protected] Jeff Fischer, 609-771-3953, [email protected] US Geological SurveyDelaware NAWQAOct. 29, 2002

Delaware River BasinCollaborative Environmental Monitoring & Research InitiativeCEMRI 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.

CEMRI FrameworkCEMRI 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 CyclingSPARROW

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.

Delaware SPARROW Project ObjectiveTo evaluate the distribution of Total Nitrogen (TN) and Total Phosphorous (TP) loads within the Delaware River Basin for time period 1990 - 2001To evaluate the statistical significance of factors affecting the predicted TN and TP distributions

Delaware River Basin Area > 12,000 square milesPopulation 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

GEOLOGY5 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.

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.

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

SPARROW uses a digital network of streams and associated contributing basin areas for flow routing and as a spatial reference for all model parameters

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

Model Framework

Developing Areas, Streamflow, and Travel Times, for 1:24K NHD Stream ReachesGenerate contributing areas for each river segment similar to NECBApply runoff to those areas Use gage data to correct flow at sites that export water and have reservoirsEstimate travel time using Jobson methodExcluding Estuary and tidal rivers

NHD Stream Network and BasinsSchuylkill River GIS Generated Basins

Data ChecksCatchment AreasGIS areas vs gaged site areasRivers crossing HUC dividesFlowEstimated flow vs measured flow at gage sitesTravel timesCalculated vs published travel times

FLOW CORRECTIONSReservoirs control mainstem flow and are used to export water from the basin.Drinking water withdrawls at major metropolitan areas. Many large STPs discharge to Estuary.Mandated flow of 1750 cfs800 mgd export to NYC100 mgd export to north NJ3000 cfs minimum flow targetPower Releases 0 1800 cfsMajor drinking water intakesFlood control & flow augmentationWater Supply Reservoirs50 mgd transfer to Schuylkill

A word on 1:24K NHD Streams1:100K1:24KNew 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 reach478529147875532599770847875552600460226004602259916462599711025991690

Calculated Nutrient Loads at monitoring stationsData from Federal and State Agencies1975 to 2000 time period for predictorsUsually 10 or more years of data at each siteLoads calculated using ESTIMATOR for 1990 to 2001 time period

Total Phosphorous Load Sites State Area Number of Sites . NJ 2969 sq mi1615 31NY 2363 sq mi1140 51PA 6465 sq mi2427 51DE 968 sq mi 6 23 29

TOTALS 57105 162

Sites with measured flows and concentrationsSites with some or all estimated flowsTotal Sites

Total Phosphorus Monitoring Station LocationsQW and Discharge (Q)QW with Q estimated~ 3 years of QW & QAppalachian Coastal PlainNew EnglandPiedmontValley and RidgeDATA TYPEPHYSIOGRAPHIC PROVINCE

Total Nitrate Load Sites State Area Number of Sites . NJ 2969 sq mi1416 0 30NY 2363 sq mi1145 0 56PA 6465 sq mi 51633? 54DE 968 sq mi 6 23 0 29

TOTALS 3610033?>169

Sites with measured flows and concentrationsSites with some or all estimated flowsSites with some estimated concentrationsTotal Sites

Total Nitrate Monitoring Station LocationsQW and Discharge (Q)QW with Q estimated~ 3 years of QW & QAppalachian Coastal PlainNew EnglandPiedmontValley and RidgeDATA TYPEPHYSIOGRAPHIC PROVINCE

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

Sites with abrupt changes in QW parametersRegional Sewer System InstalledConcentration (mg/l)

PlotTP

2.5

1.8

1.5

0.78

1.1

0.98

11

1.4

0.7

1.8

1.3

0.99

1.1

1.3

0.55

0.45

0.99

0.58

0.87

0.76

0.71

1.3

1.1

2.1

3

1

1.4

1

1

1

1.1

1

1.2

0.78

0.86

0.77

0.7

1.42

1.22

0.99

1.07

1.03

1.06

1.39

1.08

1.22

1.05

1.39

0.84

0.545

1.487

0.97

0.91

0.46

0.277

0.542

0.35

0.28

0.15

0.45

0.35

0.21

0.21

0.34

0.26

0.12

0.4

0.58

0.18

0.18

0.28

0.31

0.33

0.2

0.12

0.22

0.34

0.39

0.24

0.11

0.33

0.36

0.06

0.2

0.13

0.19

0.22

0.27

0.15

0.36

0.18

0.28

0.34

0.13

0.23

0.23

0.274

0.364

0.111

0.158

0.29

0.401

0.115

0.175

0.313

0.1336

0.091

0.205

0.183

0.212

0.288

0.257

0.308

0.249

0.246

0.376

0.281

0.286

1.432

0.174

0.212

0.217

0.165

0.294

0.106

0.173

0.174

0.274

0.325

0.052

0.036

0.295

0.261

0.285

0.274

0.256

0.137

0.194

0.17

0.15

0.324

0.123

0.139

0.8829

0.175

0.164

0.234

P00665

Total Phosphorus - Cooper River, NJ

PlotTN

26652

26709

5.19

4.9

18.6

7.88

8.02

8.21

10.15

8.25

7.63

9.77

8.08

5.21

11.93

13.1

5.5

3.53

6.81

8.41

4.13

27928

27955

27989

28010

10.72

28158

8.46

28263

28292

11.3

8.42

14.4

5.14

8.26

10.91

9.83

8.12

10.37

5.47

30888

9.33

9.73

10.16

13.4

11.56

31505

12.74

4.67

3.75

6.64

7.23

7.62

32177

32232

2.32

1.67

1.48

1.19

2.04

1.45

1.4

1.41

2.42

1.21

1.58

2.63

1.9

0.86

1.03

1.27

1.52

1.25

1.08

0.89

1.27

1.62

1.62

0.97

0.99

0.99

0.89

0.92

0.49

0.77

0.51

0.81

1.05

0.81

1.12

1.02

1.14

1.15

0.67

1.11

1.37

0.96

0.55

0.54

0.81

0.85

1.06

0.76

0.5

0.77

1.04

0.74

0.99

0.98

1.04

0.9

0.94

1.69

1.27

1.43

1.27

0.86

1.14

2.03

1.65

0.7

0.71

0.69

1.18

0.9

1.06

0.64

0.82

1.07

1.34

1.24

1.11

1.26

1.14

1.04

0.97

0.5

0.55

0.88

0.96

1.14

0.89

0.75

2.37

0.94

1.93

0.78

calc600

Total Nitrogen - Cooper River, NJ

qw01467150

STAIDDATESTIMEScalcr600calc600R00623P00623R00625P00625R00630P00630R00631P00631R00665P00665agencycase

0146715012/19/7213454.92.5USGSNJ

014671502/14/739005.21.8USGSNJ

014671505/23/7310005.190.594.61.5USGSNJ1

014671508/16/739504.940.90.78USGSNJ1

0146715011/28/7394018.699.61.1USGSNJ1

014671502/12/749307.887.30.580.98USGSNJ1

014671505/16/749358.027.80.2211USGSNJ1

014671509/11/7411358.217.8