Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Modeling Bacteria Fate And Transport In Watersheds To Support Tmdls, Brian L. Benham, Claire Baffaut, Rebecca W. Zeckoski, Kyle R. Mankin, Yakov A. Pachepsky, Ali M. Sadeghi, Kevin M. Brannan, Michelle L. Soupir, Matthew J. Habersack

Michelle L. Soupir

Fecal contamination of surface waters is a critical water-quality issue, leading to human illnesses and deaths. Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), which set pollutant limits, are being developed to address fecal bacteria impairments. Watershed models are widely used to support TMDLs, although their use for simulating in-stream fecal bacteria concentrations is somewhat rudimentary. This article provides an overview of fecal microorganism fate and transport within watersheds, describes current watershed models used to simulate microbial transport, and presents case studies demonstrating model use. Bacterial modeling capabilities and limitations for setting TMDL limits are described for two widely used watershed models (HSPF …