AUSTIN–The Texas Water Resources Institute is presenting “Introduction to Watershed Modeling” on Aug. 13 at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality headquarters, 12100 Park 35 Circle, Austin.
The institute is part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.
The workshop is set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Building F, Room 3202A. Cost is $75 and includes course materials, a catered lunch and a certificate of completion.
The workshop will provide watershed coordinators and water professionals with an introduction to watershed modeling, said Nikki Dictson, AgriLife Extension program specialist for the institute.
She said models that will be discussed include load duration curves, the Spreadsheet Tool for Estimating Pollutant Load, Generalized Watershed Loading Function, P8 urban catchment model, Soil and Water Assessment Tool, Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution Model, Hydrologic Simulation Program, also known as HSFP-FORTRAN, and the Storm Water Management Model, or SWMM.
Participants will gain an understanding of which model is needed for their particular watershed protection planning, how modeling fits into the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s nine elements of watershed planning and the resources needed to take the next steps, Dictson said.
Dr. R. Srinivasan, director of the Texas A&M University Spatial Sciences Laboratory, will talk on the purpose, limitations, time, costs and different requirements of watershed models currently available.
Dr. Larry Hauck, lead scientist for Tarleton State University’s Texas Institute of Applied Environmental Research, will present information on tools that can be used with limited data and under resource constraints, such as load duration curves and GIS land-use-based methods.
Kyle Girten, Nonpoint Source Program team leader for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, will explain quality assurance project plans, including what the plans should cover and how the data need to be described.
“The course will conclude with a presentation on stakeholder communications and modeling,” Dictson said. “Bringing stakeholders to the table to understand the model, facilitating consensus and approval of inputs and presenting modeling results to engage stakeholders is very important.”
One Texas Water Resources Institute continuing education unit will be provided upon course completion.
Participants may register for this training at http://watershedplanning.tamu.edu/training/ and more information is available at the website or by contacting Dictson at 979-458-5915 or n-dictson@tamu.edu.
The training course is supported by funding from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality through a U.S. Environmental Protection agency nonpoint source grant.
-30-