An Integrated Assessment Model for Valuing Water Quality Changes in the US
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) often requires expertise from environmental assessors, hydrologists, economists, and others to analyze the benefits of regional and national policy decisions related to changes in water quality. This led EPA to develop two integral components in a water quality Integrated Assessment Model (IAM): (1) the Hydrologic and Water Quality System (HAWQS), and (2) the Benefits Spatial Platform for Aggregating Socioeconomics and H2O Quality (BenSPLASH). HAWQS is a web-based interactive water quantity and quality modeling system that simulates the effects of an extensive array management practices and terrestrial landscapes on several key water quality parameters. The BenSPLASH modeling platform is designed to quantify the economic benefits of changes in those key water quality parameters. This paper discusses the development of the models and applies HAWQS and BenSPLASH to a case study in the Republican River Basin.