| Project Phases |
Phase I work involved general surveys of 400 utilities and subsequent follow-up personal communication with 60 utilities. Raw water data (TOC, SUVA, UV254, metals, general organics), hydrological data (reservoir characteristics, stream flow patterns) and GIS boundaries and land use data were requested and/or gathered from other sources for these 60 utilities and is still underway. These 60 utilities draw water from watersheds falling within 160 USGS defined HUC watersheds, which have been highlighted in our work as the chosen representative areas for historical data analysis. Utility data supplements the national water quality data obtained through the USGS and EPA (STORET) clearinghouses. For each clearinghouse TOC data were downloaded, formatted and georeferenced with latitude/longitude coordinates. For the historical or “Legacy” dataset (1960-1999) TOC data was downloaded from the 160 representative watershed HUC stations. For the “Modern” dataset (1995-present) TOC data across the country from all available stations was downloaded and analyzed separately. . All the collected data were assembled and examined using basic statistical summaries and GIS analysis to describe regional and national trends. This gave a general impression of the utility raw water and watershed characteristics that allowed us to decide if the utility was optimal for our second phase of more detailed analysis and modeling. |
