USACE CWMS - Blackstone River Watershed

The Corps Water Management System (CWMS) includes four interrelated models to assist with water management for the basin:

- GeoHMS (Geospatial Hydrologic Modeling Extension)
- ResSIM (Reservoir System Simulation)
- RAS (River Analysis System)
- FIA (Flood Impact Analysis)

The Blackstone River Basin is located within the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Of the 547 square miles that make up the basin, 147 square miles, or 27% of the basin, is in Rhode Island. About 400 square miles or 73% of the basin is located in Massachusetts. The basin is heavily urbanized characterized by a hilly terrain comprised of lakes and ponds. Elevations within the Blackstone River Basin range from 1200 feet in the northwest to about 3 feet above mean sea level at the mouth of the Seekonk River.

The coastal location of the Blackstone River basin exposes it to the effects of cyclonic disturbances and coastal storms in the region, resulting in periods of heavy precipitation. On an average, this basin receives approximately 48 inches of rainfall annually. The average annual snowfall in Worcester, MA is about 64 inches, which is representative of the headwaters of the Blackstone River Basin.The average annual snowfall in Providence, RI near the mouth of the Seekonk River is 346 inches.

Blackstone River extends from its headwaters in Worcester MA to its confluence with Abbott Run in Central Falls RI creating the Seekonk River. The Seekonk River discharges into the Providence River eventually draining into the Narragansett Bay. Some of the major tributaries to the Blackstone River include Quinsigamond River, Mumford River, West River, Branch River, Mill River and Peters River
The key inflow gages in the Blackstone River basin include Kettle Brook at Rockland Street near Auburn MA, Quinsigamond River at North Grafton MA, Mumford River at Uxbridge MA, West River below West Hill Dam near Uxbridge MA, Branch River at Forestdale RI, Mill River at Harris PD Outlet at Woonsocket RI, Peters River RT 114 Bridge at Woonsocket RI and Abbott Run at Valley Falls RI.

There are two USACE dams located within the Blackstone River Basin. They include the West Hill Dam on the West River and Woonsocket Falls on the Blackstone River. West Hill Dam is a dry reservoir that is typically run of river. Channel capacity of Mill Creek in this area is 425 cfs. Woonsocket Falls Dam was modified with tainter gates to control reservoir stages. A hydropower facility pulls water from the reservoir and discharges the same flow back into the Blackstone River channel downstream of the Woonsocket Falls gates.

The Blackstone River basin land use is largerly characterized by forest land (52% of the basin area) and residential development (22% of the basin area) with significant industrial development along the Blackstone River in Worcester MA, Woonsocket RI, Pawtucket RI and Central Falls RI. Much of the water-powered industrial development along the rivers in the Blackstone River basin stemmed from the first successful textile mill in America, the Slater Mill in Pawtucket RI constructed in 1793.Less than 2% of the basin’s land use is considered cropland or agricultural.

The Corps Water Management System (CWMS) 聚合了四个相互关联的模型，旨在协助流域的水资源管理：

- GeoHMS（地理水文建模扩展）
- ResSIM（水库系统模拟）
- RAS（河流分析系统）
- FIA（洪水影响分析）

Blackstone 河流域位于马萨诸塞州和罗德岛州境内。该流域总面积为547平方英里，其中罗德岛州占据147平方英里，约占流域面积的27%；而马萨诸塞州占据约400平方英里，占流域面积的73%。该流域地形以丘陵为主，拥有众多湖泊和池塘。Blackstone 河流域的海拔高度从西北部的1200英尺至Seekonk 河口的平均海平面以上约3英尺不等。

Blackstone 河流域地处沿海，易受该地区气旋性扰动和沿海风暴的影响，导致降水周期性加重。平均而言，该流域每年约接收48英寸的降雨量。马萨诸塞州伍斯特的平均年降雪量约为64英寸，代表了Blackstone 河流域上游的情况。罗德岛州普罗维登斯市（Seekonk 河口附近）的平均年降雪量为346英寸。

Blackstone 河从马萨诸塞州伍斯特市上游源头开始，直至与Central Falls RI的Abbott Run汇合，形成Seekonk 河流。Seekonk 河最终流入Providence 河并汇入Narragansett 湾。Blackstone 河的主要支流包括Quinsigamond 河流、Mumford 河流、West 河流、Branch 河流和Mill 河流以及Peters 河流。

Blackstone 河流域内的关键流量测量站包括位于马萨诸塞州Auburn MA的Rockland Street附近的Kettle Brook、位于马萨诸塞州North Grafton的Quinsigamond 河流、位于马萨诸塞州Uxbridge的Mumford 河流、位于Uxbridge MA West Hill Dam下游的West 河流、位于罗德岛州Forestdale的Branch 河流、位于罗德岛州Woonsocket RI的Harris PD Outlet附近的Mill 河流以及位于Woonsocket RI的Peters River RT 114 Bridge和位于RI Valley Falls的Abbott Run。

在Blackstone 河流域内，设有两座美国陆军工程兵团（USACE）大坝。它们分别是位于West River上的West Hill Dam和位于Blackstone 河上的Woonsocket Falls 大坝。West Hill Dam 是一个干水库，通常采用河流运行模式。该区域Mill Creek 的渠道容量为425 cfs。Woonsocket Falls 大坝经过改造，安装了可调式闸门以控制水库水位。一个水力发电设施从水库抽水，并在Woonsocket Falls 闸门下游将相同流量重新排入Blackstone 河道。

Blackstone 河流域的土地利用主要特点是森林（占流域面积的52%）和住宅开发（占流域面积的22%），在马萨诸塞州Worcester、罗德岛州Woonsocket、Pawtucket 和 Central Falls 沿Blackstone 河一线有显著的工业发展。Blackstone 河流域沿河的水力工业发展大多源于美国第一座成功的纺织厂——1793年建于Pawtucket RI的Slater Mill。该流域的土地利用中，少于2%为耕地或农业用地。