Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources for the Commonwealth of Kentucky updated for 2019

In 2009, the Kentucky Water Science Center completed the Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER-KY), which provided the ability to simulate streamflow for the period 1980-2000. This model integrated TOPMODEL (Beven and Kirkby, 1979) for pervious portions of the landscape with simulation of flow generated from impervious surfaces (USDA, 1986). Associated products included a flow-duration curve, load-duration curves when water-quality data were available, and general water balance. WATER-KY required a dedicated ArcGIS license with the Spatial Analyst extension, which made it difficult to use for some cooperators and limited integration with other hydrologic approaches. This new version translates the abilities of WATER to a format that can be used without proprietary software or local updating of software. Additional functionality has also been added to include hydrologic response units (HRUs) that are defined based on three fundamental land-use categories: forest, agricultural land, and developed areas, based on subsequent development of WATER for the Delaware Basin (Williamson and others, 2015). Beven, K.J., and Kirkby, M.J., 1979, A physically based, variable contributing area model of basin hydrology / Un modele a base physique de zone d'appel variable de l'hydrologie du bassin versant: Hydrological Sciences Bulletin v. 24, p. 43-69, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02626667909491834. U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA], 1986, Urban hydrology for small watersheds: Natural Resources Conservation Service, Conservation Engineering Division, Technical Release 55, Revised June 1986, Update of Appendix A January 1999, https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1044171.pdf. Williamson, T.N., Lant, J.G., Claggett, P.R., Nystrom, E.A., Milly, P.C.D., Nelson, H.L., Hoffman, S.A., Colarullo, S.J., and Fischer, J.M., 2015, Summary of hydrologic modeling for the Delaware River Basin using the Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5143, 68 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20155143.