Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Development Of A Reservoir Embayment Characterization Process To Prioritize Water Quality Improvement., Terry Shannon O'Quinn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To simplify water quality improvement in reservoirs, it has been suggested that efforts should be focused on smaller and more manageable units such as reservoir embayment areas. Embayments are prime locations to locate marinas, parks, beaches, and residential homes. Current data and information on reservoir embayments in Tennessee was assembled into a GIS-based database. Embayments of 11 main reservoirs were mapped and digitized in ArcGIS. Initial characterization criteria include watershed size, embayment area-watershed ratio, maximum residence time, and stream influence on embayments. The characterization process was then applied to the mapped reservoir embayments in Tennessee to identify and prioritize embayments …