Integrated Assessment of Land Use Land Cover and ClimateChange Impacts on Water Quantity and Quality in SuAsCo Watershed System

Conference: ‘American Water Resource Association (AWRA) Summer Specialty Conference on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) - FROM THEORY TO APPLICATION 2014’

Abstract: Watershed hydrologic processes and water quality is significantly influenced by changes in land use land cover (LULC) and climate change. Changes in rate of Interception, evapotranspiration (ET), infiltration, and runoff have impacts on soil loss and nutrient loads in watershed. Hence, there is a need to evaluate combined influences of LULC and climate change on watershed system for developing effective conservation policies. This study aims to model these synergistic effects using LULC change and climate change as drivers of watershed system. Study is done in Sudbury, Assabet and Concord (SuAsCo) watershed in Massachusetts that has runoff, and high levels of sediments and nutrients loading issues. A watershed simulation model (HSPF) is used to simulate hydrologic processes and water quality changes and is calibrated and validated using field-measured data. Downscaled regional projections from Global Climate Model (GCM) models and a regional built out scenarios of LULC are used to assess the impacts of projected LULC and climate change. The results indicate that the simultaneous changes in LULC and climate significantly affect the water resources in the SuAsCo river watershed. There is a potential for reducing runoff, sediments and nutrients loads by using conservation strategies such as best management practices (BMPs), cost sharing and incentives. This study provides valuable information to watershed managers and landowners about protecting those watershed systems that are undergoing urbanization and climate impacts.