Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2016LA106B

Satellite-Assisted Approach to Adaptive Water Quality Management of Lower Boeuf River

Institute: Louisiana
Year Established: 2016 Start Date: 2016-03-01 End Date: 2017-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $16,200 Total Non-Federal Funds: $33,081

Principal Investigators: Zhi-Qiang Deng

Abstract: Water quality improvement in Louisiana and in the Gulf of Mexico region is generally achieved through the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs). While extensive efforts have been made in the implementation of BMPs in Louisiana, there was no significant improving trend in water quality in terms of fully supporting the three primary designated uses (Primary Contact Recreation, Secondary Contact Recreation, and fish and wildlife propagation) in the past 15 years (2000 - 2014). This is particularly true for FWP (fish and wildlife propagation) use. A basic hypothesis involved currently in the implementation of BMPs is that the pollution sources identified in the development of total maximum daily loads would not change with time. This is not true particularly for nonpoint source pollution that caused impairment to the Lower Boeuf River. Land cover change could significantly increase pollutant and nutrient loading and thereby cause the impairment to river systems. Since the land use and land cover change occurs with time, it is important to implement adaptive BMPs, calling for the adaptive management of water quality. A key barrier to the adaptive management of water quality is the lack of an effective approach to linking the land use and land cover change to the water quality change. This is a critical regional and state water quality management problem needing to be addressed. The overall goal of this project is to develop a new approach, called satellite-assisted approach, to linking the land use and land cover change to the water quality change and to the subsequent adaptive implementation of BMPs and the restoration of water quality and the sustainability of designated uses of Louisiana water bodies, addressing the critical regional and state water quality problem. The proposed strategy is to test and demonstrate the new remote sensing-based management approach by the adaptive implementation of BMPs in the Lower Boeuf River (subsegment LA080901_00) Basin. The specific objectives of this project are (1) to detect land use and land cover change in the Boeuf River Basin from 1972 to the present using Landsat data, (2) to determine correlation between the land use and land cover change and water quality change in the Lower Boeuf River using stepwise regression analysis, and (3) to define adaptive BMPs for achieving designated use of the Boeuf River under changing land use and land cover using the US EPA watershed modeling tool HSPF. The proposed project has broader implications for adaptive management of water quality and environmental restoration and sustainability in Louisiana and in the nation as well. This project will provide a new approach for environmental and water resources management agencies (such as Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality) to link land use and land cover changes to water quality changes. While this project focuses on the Lower Boeuf River, the remote sensing-assisted adaptive approach to BMP implementation can be easily extended to other watersheds in Louisiana and in the nation. In addition, the project provides potential research and educational training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students. This proposal is intended to address the two research priorities: (1) Adaptive management of Louisiana’s water resources and (2) Total maximum daily load (TMDL) calculations in Louisiana water bodies, identified by the Louisiana Water Resources Research Institute (LWRRI) in LWRRI’s Research Priorities for 2016.