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Tuesday 18 October 2005: Session 2, 9:00:00 AM
Hydrologic and Predictive Land Use Model Integration for Improved Rural Land Use Decision Support
Presentation Abstract
As population growth continues to increase, rural governments throughout the U.S. are experiencing pressure to develop open spaces for residential land use. Emerging state- developed growth management legislation have sought to effectively plan and guide future land development in a sustainable, environmentally, and socially responsible manner. As rural land uses are converted to urban uses, watershed hydrologic response may change through an increase in surface water runoff during storm events. This research investigates the opportunity to integrate a predictive land use model (What If?) with a hydrologic model (HEC-HMS) to assess the impacts that future comprehensive land use plans may have upon hydrologic responses of an urbanizing watershed. The synergistic product of this model integration provide land use planners with the opportunity to assess the possible hydrologic impacts that future land use plans may have upon developing watersheds prior to implementation.
Speaker Biographical Information
Chris McColl : RGIS-Pacific Northwest, Center for Spatial Information - Central Washington University
Chris graduated in 1997 from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada with a B.Sc in Environmental Science. In 2002 he completed a certificate of GIS Technology at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, B.C., Canada. Currently, he is completing his M.Sc in Resource Management at Central Washington University (CWU) where he is employed as a GIS Research Assistant with the Center for Spatial Information (CSI). Presently he is involved with integrating planning support systems with hydrologic response models (HEC-HMS). Products of this integration will provide land use decision-makers with improved insight concerning the potential hydrologic impacts different zoning policies may have upon future stormwater runoff volumes and stream channel hydrographs. This additional information will enhance land use planners’ ability to develop improved land use zoning policies that minimize future stormwater runoff and in doing so, reduce potential flood hazards and maintain/improve existing stream water quality.
