A water quality monitoring network design methodology for the selection of critical sampling points: part II.
In order to resolve the spatial component of the design of a water quality monitoring network, a methodology has been developed to identify the critical sampling locations within a watershed. This methodology, called Critical Sampling Points (CSP), focuses on the contaminant total phosphorus (TP), and is applicable to small, predominantly agricultural-forested watersheds. The CSP methodology was translated into a model, called Water Quality Monitoring Station Analysis (WQMSA). It incorporates a geographic information system (GIS) for spatial analysis and data manipulation purposes, a hydrologic/water quality simulation model for estimating TP loads, and an artificial intelligence technology for improved input data representation. The model input data include a number of hydrologic, topographic, soils, vegetative, and land use factors. The model also includes an economic and logistics component. The validity of the CSP methodology was tested on a small experimental Pennsylvanian watershed, for which TP data from a number of single storm events were available for various sampling points within the watershed. A comparison of the ratios of observed to predicted TP loads between sampling points revealed that the model's results were promising.
Strobl
R O
RO
Water Resources Department, Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, Enschede, The Netherlands. rostrobl@yahoo.com
Robillard
P D
PD
Day
R L
RL
Shannon
R D
RD
McDonnell
A J
AJ
D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012107:Research Design; D014876:Water Pollution