Over the course of the next several weeks, the AKRF team will be developing pollution reduction targets for the watershed, and modeling the reduction capabilities of the projects proposed as part of the watershed-based plan. This process will help to focus management actions based on the cost and efficiency of the proposed projects. In addition to pollution reduction values associated with place-based practices, the final plan will also include general percent removal factors typically associated with non-structural activities (land use change, wildlife management, etc).
To determine load reduction targets, we will use WinSLAMM software to establish baseline conditions for each sub-watershed. Baseline conditions will be defined by pollutant loads associated with a watershed comprised of woods in good condition. Our reduction targets for N, P, TSS, and fecal coliform will be the difference in loading between the existing condition models (Phase I) and the baseline condition models.
Once completed, this phase of the project will link the proposed management actions with existing conditions in the watershed. It will also also help us gain a better understanding of the cost/benefit associated with different methods of pollution control, and will help us to develop performance criteria.
Research by Dr. Robert Pitt of the University of Alabama provides the basis for the WinSLAMM modeling approach.
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