GIS application for stream water management in West Virginia

Geographic information systems (GIS) are a powerful tool for understanding, modeling, and managing complex stream water problems. The paper discusses continuing efforts to develop a set of tools and procedures that combine the power of GIS with a set of water quality models to support the management of water resources and in-stream water quality. Initial efforts focused on the Watershed Characterization and Modeling System (WCMS), a set of GIS tools focused on watershed issues in West Virginia. WCMS also includes an overland flow model that bases estimates of nitrogen, phosphorous, and total suspended solids loadings on expected mean concentrations for specified land use/cover classes. An additional component, the Water Quality Modeling System (WQMS), was developed to dynamically estimate the impacts of pollutant or treatment on downstream water quality. This system includes over 38 parameters that may affect stream water quality. It improves significantly on the ability of WCMS to track specific pollutants