COMPUTATION--Watershed Simulation Models
In Reply Refer To: October 31, 1983
EGS-Mail Stop 415
SURFACE WATER BRANCH TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM NO. 84.03
Subject: COMPUTATION--Watershed Simulation Models
The Surface Water Branch, with Alan Lumb as coordinator, is taking a more
active role in the support and development of watershed simulation techniques.
Attention is being given to distributing the software, providing assistance
in the use of the software, setting goals for future software, and providing
test cases for quality control of software. With the Distributed Information
System (DIS) we have become keenly aware of the difficulty of these tasks.
Your support and cooperation is vital. Each of these tasks are described so
that you may understand how we plan to provide assistance and how you might
assist our efforts.
Currently, four software packages are being distributed on tape by the Surface
Water Branch. They are DR3M, HSPF, PRMS, and ANNIE. DR3M and DR3MQUAL are
the Distributed Routing Rainfall-Runoff Model--Version II and the Multi-Event
Urban Runoff Quality Model which are described in Water-Resources Investigations
Report WRI 82-344 and WRI 82-764, respectively, that were developed for
small urban watersheds. The Hydrologic Simulation Program-Fortran (HSPF) is
a more comprehensive watershed model especially useful for large drainage
basins and water-quality simulations. HSPF is being supported in cooperation
with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Precipitation Runoff
Model System (PRMS) is described in a WRI report that has just been submitted
for Director's approval. PRMS is especially useful for smaller watersheds
to analyze impacts of land use. ANNIE is not a watershed model, but an inter-
active program (that is user friendly and programer friendly) for managing
data associated with the use of the watershed models. ANNIE can plot data,
reformat data, create a time-series data base to be used by the models, and
create, check, and update input to the models. ANNIE is modular, with a set
of utility subroutines to make it easier to add new features. ANNIE is a
relatively new product although it has been in test stages for almost a
year. New, upward compatible features are continually added to ANNIE and
will continue to be added over the next several years. A draft users manual
and programers manual for ANNIE is available from the Surface Water Branch.
Assistance with watershed simulation models will be provided by the Regional
Surface Water Specialists, the Surface Water Branch, and research groups.
Questions on what model to use for a given application and problems with
specific applications should be referred first to the Regional Surface Water
Specialists. Problems with the software should be referred to the Surface
Water Branch. If there is a problem with the hydrologic process algorithms,
the problem will be referred to the Branch and then to the appropriate research
group for resolution. The research groups particularly need to be informed
when model algorithms do not appear to represent the observed process. Until
the plans and details of the DIS supported library are imlemented, the Branch
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will continue to distribute the watershed modeling software. Thirteen Districts
and three Regions have requested and received tapes of the software. Since
the software and test runs involve almost 200,000 records, the software is
being distributed by tape. Updates also can be received by tape. A file of
tape distributions is maintained by the Branch so that it is known who has
what version. For this reason all updates should be received from the Branch
and not another District. If updates only involve a few lines of codes,
those updates may be transmitted by phone or memorandum. Additional PRIMOS
command files are on the tape so that code can be easily edited, compiled,
and segmented at the site. When the DIS network is implemened, the policy
on updates for watershed simulation models will be revised.
Test runs are developed for two of the software packages and are being developed
for the other two packages. Continued improvement to the test runs will be
made so that each option in each model is tested. It is expected that each of
these tests would be performed upon receiving a tape or updates to the models.
Goals and designs for future software are being addressed by the watershed
simulation models group composed of Research and Surface Water Branch staff.
This group will be expanded to include representation from the Districts.
Our goals are to provide a single modular software package that uses a common
data base and standard Fortran. Meeting these goals should ease the task of
software to other computer systems, and make enhancements more readily avail-
able. There is both a long-term and a short-term goal. The short-term
goal will provide an intermediate integration of the four models so output
from a process in one model could be used as input to a process in another
model (see attached Figure). This will be accomplished with ANNIE and a
common time-series data-management system.
Current software is quite adequate for most watershed simulation needs such
as record extension, evaluation of the impacts of urban development or surface
mining, and forecasting reservoir inflows. Water-quality algorithms include
sediment, nutrient cycles, dissolved oxygen, pH, conservatives, pesticides,
and temperature but have not been tested as thoroughly as the water-quantity
algorithms. Watersheds from 1 acre to 62,000 square miles have been used.
Much remains to be added to the software packages, especially preprocessing
and postprocessing of time-series data by ANNIE. This is where assistance
is needed. Attached sheets summarize the status of the software plans.
Please let us know of any additions you may have for this list and of any
District staff that would like to work on any of the tasks outlined in the
software plans. A 2-day workshop in January 1984 will be given to explain
the Fortran coding conventions and use of the utility subroutines in ANNIE.
Marshall E. Moss
Chief, Surface Water Branch
Attachment
Distribution: A, B, FO
SOFTWARE TASKS
Task Assignment Date
PRMS test runs Branch December 1983
Utility subroutine for ANNIE Contractor October 28, 1983
to more easily read/write
from/to TSS file
Output simulated flows Kate Flynn November 1983
from PRMS to file of
PLTGEN format
Add J407 to ANNIE to Kate Flynn November 1983
read PLTGEN files for
flood-frequency analysis
Add Tektronix, Houston Branch December 1983
Instrument, Zeta, and Tab
Graphics plotting to ANNIE
Add selected statistical Unassigned January 1984
analysis of time-series
to ANNIE using recently
acquired proprietary software
Add existing subroutines to Unassigned December 1984
ANNIE to fill in missing
precipitation record
Add error analysis and Unassigned February 1984
sensitivity subroutines
to ANNIE
Add to ANNIE subroutines to move Branch December 1983
data directly from the interim
WATSTORE files to the TSS file
Test Fortran version of A634 Georgia District January 1984
Add the Fortran version of A634 Unassigned January 1984
to the group of models, ANNIE
and TSS file
Reformat simulated data from the Unassigned Summer, 1984
TSS file to files for unsteady-
flow models
Add subroutine to ANNIE to read Branch November 1984
new NOAA tapes with "element"
format
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Task Assignment Date
Include DR3M in ANNIE and Kate Flynn Janaury 1984
the TSS file
Include PRMS in ANNIE Linda Saindon January 1984
Utility subroutine for ANNIE for Contractor December 16, 1983
multi-response to question
Add subroutines to ANNIE to Unassigned March 1984
compute potential ET and solar
radiation from other meteoro-
logic time series
Provide interface to GIS soft- Unassigned Fall, 1984
ware to determine watershed
characteristics
Add software to utilize radar Unassigned 1985
to improve rainfall input
to watershed models
Add utility routine to ANNIE Unassigned April 1984
for low-flow frequency
analysis of simulated flow
data
Add utility routines to ANNIE Unassigned February 1984
to plot results of flow-
duration analysis
Add utility routines to ANNIE Unassigned February 1984
to plot observed vs. simulated
peak flows, storm runoff
volumes, annual flows, and
monthly flows