ABSTRACT
The use of computer models in watershed management as an evaluative and predictive tool is expanding. Models allow partnerships to ask “what if” questions. Watershed planning involves the consideration of how different strategies for activities, land uses, and system designs might affect and improve the health of a watershed. In an atmosphere of constrained budget, limited data, and insufficient time, many planning committees are turning to models to aid in the evaluation of impacts associated with various alternative management strategies. The increased availability and accuracy of models now make them a more valuable tool in quantifying waterquality goals. For example, the development of TMDLs often requires the use of watershed loading models to evaluate the effects of land uses and practices on pollutant loading to a waterbody. A model can provide a frame of reference for considering this problem within a watershed context.
