Water Quality Scenario Planning
The Water Quality Scenario Planning Dashboard supports the summary of a previous study between WQCD and OWSI that assessed the effects of climate change, increasing population, land use change, reduction of irrigated acres, and adoption of advanced treatment technologies and conservation practices on total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) levels in surface water bodies across the state. Three primary sectors are examined:
- Wastewater treatment facilities
- Municipal separate storm sewer systems
- Irrigated agricultural fields
Using currently available data, baseline conditions and future scenarios in this analysis represent the range of conditions described in the Colorado’s Water Plan (CWP) assessment scenarios. Climate, population, and technology adoption variables differ across each scenario. The study develops high-resolution climate, land use, and population data products for analysis and modeling purposes that are fully consistent with the CWP scenarios. A suite of data-driven and modeling tools is developed to estimate point and nonpoint nutrient loads from municipal and agricultural sectors at the field to river basin levels for each of the five future CWP scenarios.
Application
- Display and summarize CWP growth scenarios
- Display and summarize drivers of growth per CWP scenario
- Summarize water quality nutrient impact projects per CWP scenario