Abstract
Management decisions related with water quality in lakes and reservoirs require a combined land-water processes study approach. This study reports on an integrated watershed-reservoir modeling methodology: the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to estimate the nutrient input loads from the watershed, used afterwards as boundary conditions to the reservoir model, CE-QUAL-W2. The integrated modeling system was applied to the Torrão reservoir and drainage basin. The objective of the study was to quantify the total maximum input load that allows the reservoir to be classified as mesotrophic. Torrão reservoir is located in the Tâmega River, one of the most important tributaries of the Douro River in Portugal. The watershed is characterized by a variety of land uses and urban areas, accounting for a total Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) discharge of ~100,000 p.e. According to the criteria defined by the National Water Institute (based on the WWTP Directive), the Torrão reservoir is classified as eutrophic. Model estimates show that a 10% reduction in nutrient loads will suffice to change the state to mesotrophic, and should target primarily WWTP effluents, but also act on diffuse sources. The method applied in this study should provide a basis for water environmental management decision-making.
Highlights
Water quality in rivers and reservoirs is controlled by numerous anthropogenic and natural factors [1,2]
This study focuses on predicting the changes in the water quality of the reservoir by acting on the nutrient loads from the watershed
The ability of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model in simulating the behavior of the system is compared to river flow data
Summary
Water quality in rivers and reservoirs is controlled by numerous anthropogenic and natural factors [1,2]. Management decisions related with the water quality in lakes and reservoirs require a combined land-water processes study approach. The complexity of these systems and their interrelated compartments can only be adequately addressed with numerical models [7,8,9]. This study provides such an example for the Torrão reservoir and watershed in Portugal (Figure 1)
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More From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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