Issue    

Solution    

To achieve the DEP's goals, Malcolm Pirnie developed a risk-ranking methodology to address several water quality variables: phosphorus, total suspended solids, pathogens, and toxics. The key to the analysis was the comparison of risk of water quality impairment among sub-basins, and the methodology was an effective tool for evaluating the differences among subbasins with respect to their potential to impair water quality. This information is being used to prioritize areas that require management strategies.

A management decision support tool was also developed to assess the impact of future management actions on pollutant generation and transport. The risk-ranking methodologies are applied in the context of a Geographic Information System (GIS), allowing the analysis to incorporate spatial data (e.g., point sources, land use), and to provide enhanced graphical representation of the scored subbasins. The graphical representation provides a visual indication of the distribution of "high-risk" subbasins across the watershed, and also provides sufficient detail to identify localized areas of concern on a parcel basis.

BenefitS    

The risk-ranking methodology and the GIS provide the DEP with a tool to track ongoing activities within the watershed, and to objectively prioritize existing programs as well as newly developed watershed management strategies.