The purpose of this study is to determine the applicability and feasibility of using the GIS preprocessor, CRWR-PrePro for modeling water runoff for the Scioto River using the hydrological modeling tool HEC-HMS. The Scioto River Basin is an important water resource for the population in central Ohio. The Scioto River Basin is also the second largest basin in Ohio providing the main source for public water supply, industry, and agriculture.
The data for the study were obtained from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S.Geological Survey, and the National Weather Service. The GIS pre-processor, CRWR-PrePro was developed by the Center for Water Resources at the University of Texas (Austin). The inputs for the preprocessor included a digital elevation model (DEM), STATSGO soils, land use and precipitation data. The input land and river characteristics and the precipitation distribution were modeled by the GIS preprocessor. These data were then converted to HEC-HMS readable format.
HEC-HMS, developed by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers Hydrological Engineering Center, is a hydrologic modeling tool used to calculate flow rates. The input data files needed for the HEC-HMS model were output by the GIS preprocessor. The water runoff for two selected subwatersheds in the Scioto River Basin was predicted using the HEC-HMS model. The model results were compared with the measured flow rates at two USGS gaging stations for an August 1995 series of rainfall events.
Based on the model results, the GIS preprocessor was an effective tool for developing land and river characteristics and for modeling the precipitation distribution for input to the model. The HEC-HMS model showed reasonable results for calculating the flow rates in the Upper Scioto River Basin.