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Updated: Jul 19, 2026
12:44
Watershed Planning within a Quantitative Scenario Analysis Framework
Published on: July 24, 2016
Using a weight-of-evidence approach for management of watersheds
S C Long1, J D Plummer, T Tauscher
1Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA. long@ecs.umass.edu
Summary
This study identified sources of drinking water contamination in Boston
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Water Quality Management
- Microbiology
Background:
- Drinking water watersheds are critical for public health.
- Identifying contaminant sources is essential for effective watershed management.
- Boston's water supply watershed faces potential contamination risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate sources of contaminants in a drinking water watershed.
- To apply a weight-of-evidence approach integrating multiple tools.
- To inform best management practices for mitigating contamination.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a weight-of-evidence approach.
- Incorporated land use analysis (GIS), sanitary surveys, water quality monitoring, and microbial source tracking (MST).
- Selected case-study tributaries based on elevated fecal coliform counts and sampled seasonally.
Main Results:
- Identified septic systems and a horse stable as microbial sources in the first tributary.
- Determined septic systems from townhouses and a plant nursery (organic matter) as contributors in the second tributary.
- Demonstrated the effectiveness of integrating various methods for source identification.
Conclusions:
- Septic systems and agricultural/commercial activities are significant sources of microbial contamination.
- A combination of GIS, sanitary surveys, and MST is effective for pinpointing contamination origins.
- Findings support the development of targeted best management practices for watershed protection.
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