APPLICATION OF DRAINMOD-GIS TO A LOWER COASTAL PLAIN WATERSHED.

This article reports a case study for applying DRAINMOD-GIS, a DRAINMOD-based lumped parameter watershed model, to Chicod Creek watershed, a 11100 ha coastal plain watershed in North Carolina that is not intensively instrumented or documented. The study utilized the current database of land use, topography, stream network, soil, and weather data available to state and federal agencies. Methods for collecting, evaluating, and formatting watershed data for model input are described. The study demonstrated that the lumped parameter model may be used to characterize the hydrology and water quality of Chicod Creek. Hydrology predictions were within 5% of the measured data. Predicted mean monthly nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) loads compared well with the measured data. Mean annual delivery ratios of each field ranged from 81% to 99% with a watershed mean of 90%. Application of the model to evaluate the effects of changing land use is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]