Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2007MI103B

Evaluation of SWAT and HIT Models in the Kalamazoo River Watershed, Michigan

Institute: Michigan
Year Established: 2007 Start Date: 2007-03-01 End Date: 2008-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $10,355 Total Non-Federal Funds: $20,914

Principal Investigators: Steven Safferman, Dean Baas, Rosemary Fanelli, Steve Miller, Glenn O'Neil

Project Summary: Non-point source nutrient loading to streams and lakes poses a significant threat to water quality. In an area that is predominantly agricultural, such as the Kalamazoo River watershed in southwest Michigan, pesticide and manure run-off from farmlands exacerbates the problem. Technologies exist to quantify the threat and identify where the areas with the highest rates of nutrient contribution. However, a lack of detailed and reliable stream monitoring data has made it difficult to calibrate and compare the different technologies and subsequently discern their respective reliabilities within a Michigan environment. This project proposes running the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) and HIT (High Impact Targeting) models on the Kalamazoo River Watershed, where thorough monitoring efforts have been underway for several years. These efforts would make significant strides in improving the reliability of non-point source models for Michigan environments.