New Nonpoint Source Pollution Product for Coastal Resource Managers
As pollution and sediment levels from point sources and nonpoint sources continue to mount, coastal and inland water quality issues are of increasing concern among water resource managers and planners worldwide.
That's why the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center developed the Nonpoint Source Pollution and Erosion Comparison Tool (N-SPECT). This easy-to-use, geographic information system (GIS) tool helps managers and officials predict potential water quality impacts to rivers and streams from nonpoint source pollution and erosion.
To use this tool, a resource manager would first enter land cover, elevation, precipitation, and soil characteristics for an area of concern to create the base data layer. Then, the user could examine different land cover change scenarios (such as a development) to get information about potential impacts to surface water runoff, nonpoint pollution, and erosion.
N-SPECT was initially created as a decision-support tool for the Waianae area of Oahu, Hawaii; however, it is designed to be portable to any watershed. Data provided with N-SPECT cover the Waianae region, located on the western side of Oahu, and include U.S. Department of Agriculture soils data, U.S. Geological Survey digital elevation model data, and NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) land cover data.
For more information, point your browser to www.csc.noaa.gov/nspect/, or contact Dave.Eslinger@noaa.gov.
