Integrated Water Quality Modelling of the River Zenne (Belgium) Using OpenMI

Abstract

The modelling of the different catchment processes is key for integrated water resources management. Constructing a single model for all the catchment processes may not always be a feasible option, and it does not make appropriate use of existing models. The Open Modelling Interface (OpenMI), which allows time-dependent models to exchange data at run-time, might just be useful for such proposes. We used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) for simulating rural and urban catchment processes, respectively. We also used SWMM to model the river processes. To link these models in OpenMI, both models were migrated to the OpenMI platform. As the water quality processes in SWAT are based on the QUAL2E process description, a new OpenMI compliant water quality module that is based on the same principles was developed to simulate the water quality processes in the river. The latter model, which uses a river network that is similar to that of the SWMM river model, is then also linked to the SWMM model using OpenMI. We tested this integrated model for the river Zenne in Belgium. The integrated model results show that such integration can be very useful as a decision support tools for integrated river basin management approach.