Distributed Hydrologic Modeling Using GIS

Download or read book Distributed Hydrologic Modeling Using GIS written by Baxter E. Vieux and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-14 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During ten years serving with the USDA Soil Conservation Service (SCS), now known as the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), I became amazed at how millions of dollars in contract monies were spent based on simplistic hydrologic models. As project engineer in western Kansas, I was responsible for building flood control dams (authorized under Public Law 566) in the Wet Walnut River watershed. This watershed is within the Arkansas-Red River basin, as is the Illinois River basin referred to extensively in this book. After building nearly 18 of these structures, I became Assistant State Engineer in Michigan and, for a short time, State Engineer for NRCS. Again, we based our entire design and construction program on simplified relationships variously referred to as the SCS method. I recall announcing that I was going to pursue a doctoral degree and develop a new hydrologic model. One of my agency's chief engineers remarked, "Oh no, not another model!" Since then, I hope that I have not built just another model but have significantly advanced the state of hydrologic modeling for both researchers and practitioners. Using distributed hydrologic techniques described in this book, I also hope one day to forecast the response of the dams I built.