SWAT Literature Database for Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Title:Evaluation of SWAT and HSPF within BASINS program for the Upper North Bosque River watershed in central Texas 
Authors:Saleh, A. and B. Du 
Year:2004 
Journal:Transactions of the ASAE 
Volume (Issue):47(4) 
Pages:1039-1049 
Article ID: 
DOI:10.13031/2013.16577 
URL (non-DOI journals): 
Model:SWAT 
Broad Application Category:hydrologic and pollutant 
Primary Application Category:model and/or data comparison 
Secondary Application Category:pollutant cycling/loss and transport 
Watershed Description:932.5 km^2 Upper North Bosque River, located in north central Texas, U.S. 
Calibration Summary:Jan. 1994 - June 1995 daily/monthly E values: flow = .17/.50 TSS = -2.50/.83 nitrate = .04/.29 ortho P = .08/.76 org. N = -.02/.87 part. P = -.74/.59 total N = .01/.81 total P = -.08/.77 
Validation Summary:July 1995 - July 1999 daily/monthly E values: flow = .62/.78 TSS = -3.51/.59 nitrate = .50/.50 ortho P = .45/.40 org. N = .69/.77 part. P = .59/.73 total N = .68/.75 total P = .63/.71 
General Comments:SWAT was compared with HSPF using topographic land use and soil data obtained from the USEPA BASINS 3.0 package. SWAT was found to be easier to parameterize and execute than HSPF. HSPF tended to provide better (temporal?) daily predictions of flow and sediment. However, SWAT was generally a better predictor of daily and monthly nutirent loads during both the calibration and validation periods. Both models performed well in predicting monthly flows and sediment loads. 
Abstract:USEPA’s water program staff and their counterparts in state pollution control agencies increasingly emphasize watershed and water quality-based assessment and integrated analysis of point and nonpoint sources of pollution. BASINS 3.0 (Better Assessment Science Integrating point and Nonpoint Sources) is a system developed to meet the needs of such agencies. This study was conducted to evaluate the major watershed-scale models, SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) and HSPF (Hydrological Simulation Program - Fortran), included within the BASINS 3.0 system. SWAT and HSPF were calibrated and verified with data from the Upper North Bosque River watershed (UNBRW), an intense dairy producing region located in central Texas. The model output was calibrated for daily flow, sediment, and nutrients measured at five stream sites within the UNBRW for the period of January 1994 through June 1995 and verified (daily and monthly time-step) for the period of July 1995 to July 1999. Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency (E) and mean error (ME) were used to evaluate the accuracy of the models. The average daily flow, sediment, and nutrient loading simulated by SWAT were closer to measured values than HSPF during both calibration and verification periods at the outlet of UNBRW. As indicated by E values, the temporal variations of daily flow (E = 0.72 and 0.70 for HSPF, while E = 0.17 and 0.62 for SWAT during the calibration and verification, respectively) and sediment (E = 0.11 and 0.23 for HSPF, while E = -2.50 and -3.51 for SWAT during the calibration and verification, respectively) were better described by HSPF during the calibration and verification periods. However, the model efficiencies of both models for monthly flow (E = 0.91 and 0.86 for HSPF, while E = 0.50 and 0.78 for SWAT during the calibration and verification, respectively) and sediment (E = 0.72 and 0.88 for HSPF, while E = 0.83 and 0.59 for SWAT during the calibration and verification, respectively) significantly improved. SWAT generally proved to be a better predictor of nutrient loading during both the calibration and verification periods. 
Language:English 
Keywords:Agriculture, Dairies, Models, Nutrients, Sediment, Water quality