Hydrologic Modeling of the Iroquois River Watershed Using HSPF and SWAT

              This project was funded through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois State
Geological Survey. Illinois State Water Survey Contract Report 2004-08.
Hydrologic Modeling of the Iroquois River Watershed
Using HSPF and SWAT
Jaswinder Singh, H. Vernon Knapp, and Misganaw Demissie
Watershed Science Section
Illinois State Water Survey
Abstract
Watershed scale hydrologic simulation models HSPF (Hydrologic Simulation Program –
FORTRAN) and SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) were used to model the hydrology of
the 2150 square mile Iroquois River watershed (IRW) located in the east central Illinois. Both
models are part of the BASINS modeling system that facilitates pre- and post-processing of data,
as well as data input to the models using an ArcView GIS interface and GUI. HSPF has been
widely used for different watersheds all over the US. SWAT was added to BASINS in 2001 and
is currently under evaluation. Based on the completeness of the meteorological data, a nine year
period of 1987-1995 is used for model calibration, and a 15-year period of 1972-1986 for model
validation. Time series plots as well as statistical measures such as Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency
(NSE), coefficient of correlation (r), and the percent volume error between observed and
simulated streamflow values on both monthly and annual bases were used to verify the
simulation abilities of the models. Calibration and validation results from both HSPF and SWAT
show that the models generally predict daily, and average monthly and annual stream flows close
to the respective observed stream flows.
Introduction
Nutrient and sediment inputs from agricultural as well as urban areas result in elevated
concentrations of these pollutants in a river. Sufficiently high concentrations of these pollutants
can impair a river/stream’s water quality and cause excess biological growth. Major restoration
efforts are underway in the State of Illinois to improve the hydrology, reduce sediment loads and
nutrient concentrations, and improve habitat along the Illinois River and its watershed. Proper
understanding of the Illinois River watershed’s hydrology is important to guide and evaluate the
impacts of proposed or ongoing restoration efforts in the watershed. The objective of this study is
to assess the suitability of two popular watershed scale hydrologic and water quality simulation