Review of the BASINS model and preliminary application to Meander Creek Watershed /

Abstract

The City of Youngstown obtains its drinking water from the Meander Creek Reservoir formed by Mineral Ridge Dam built in 1932 for water supply on Meander Creek five miles (8 km) northwest of Youngstown. The area covered by the water body is approximately 1867 acres and the size of watershed is approximately 54271 acres. Meander Creek Reservoir is operated by the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District (MVSD) and is considered a surface water source. The increasing frequency of taste and odor problem in Meander Creek Reservoir over the past decade coincides with a period of rapid development (mostly residential) in the reservoir watershed. Development invariably results in increased runoff, sediment export, and nutrient loading to adjacent streams and lakes. A watershed analysis for nonpoint source pollutants and a water quality study were performed using Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Non-Point Sources (BASINS), a multipurpose environmental analysis system developed by United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). A Geographical Information System (GIs) was developed for the watershed, which includes data layers for land use, soil type, topography, water resources, roads, political boundary, and wetlands. Estimates of flow conditions and loading of solids, nitrogen, and phosphorus to reservoir were obtained by applying the Hydrological Simulation Program Fortran (HSPF) and PLOAD models within BASINS. HSPF simulation of the watershed provides information that could be of considerable help in formulating management decisions to address problems related to loading.