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The Institute of Water Research has received funding from the Army Corps of Engineers
(ACOE) for the following project, Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Reduction Web Tool
System. The ACOE Great Lakes Tributary Modeling Program, under Section 516(e) of
the Water Resources Development Act of 1996, is an important initiative, which
complements other programs designed to reduce sediment delivery to rivers and streams.
This Program has funded numerous modeling efforts intended to encourage watershed
planning and other local actions to control sediment movement and impacts. However, to
achieve optimal reduction of pollutant loadings in water quality-impaired watersheds and
to maintain water quality in others, there is an increasing demand for tools that provide
accurate assessment of best conservation practices to apply and prioritize risk prone sites
in these watersheds.
The goal of this project is to create a more detailed soil erosion and sedimentation
reduction web tool system utilizing new web-based information technology capabilities
that use spatial data and models, plus economic and policy perspectives for more
effective support of state and local efforts to reduce sediment and pollutant loadings to
tributaries in the Great Lakes Basin. The ACOE Great Lakes Tributary Modeling
Program can generally be considered at the mid-point of its effort to economically reduce
sedimentation in the Great Lakes Basin. This project initiates the building process for a
scalable, long-term public website system. This system will incorporate much of the
web-based and stand-alone tools developed to-date with emphasis on general delivery
available under the Digital Watershed web system. In addition, there will be new
modules developed for the system over the next several years. Other key features include,
a live help desk/hotline to answer questions and provide technical assistance relative to
the system and the continual application of new approaches to minimize soil loss and
sedimentation. The combined results of previous and future planned efforts wrapped into
a long-term public website will be the essence of a sustainable support system for the
continual minimization of sedimentation to our rivers, ports and lakes.
This project needs advisory input and feedback to aid the direction and evolution of a
long-term sediment reduction public web site development effort. The make up of the
advisory input will be diverse and incorporate both those interested in sediment reduction
programs and those involved in putting practices on the land to reduce soil loss to or in
our waterways. |
