TREX: spatially distributed model to assess watershed contaminant transport and fate

Contaminant releases from upland areas can have adverse water quality and stream ecology impacts. TREX (Two-dimensional, Runoff, Erosion, and Export) is a spatially distributed, physically-based model to simulate chemical transport and fate at the watershed scale. TREX combines surface hydrology and sediment transport features from the CASC2D watershed model with chemical transport features from the WASP/IPX series of water quality models. In addition to surface runoff and sediment transport, TREX simulates: (1) chemical erosion, advection, and deposition; (2) chemical partitioning and phase distribution; and (3) chemical infiltration and redistribution. Floodplain interactions for water, sediment, and chemicals are also simulated. To demonstrate the potential for using TREX to simulate chemical transport at the watershed scale, a screening-level application was developed for the California Gulch watershed mine-waste site in Colorado. Runoff, sediment transport, and metals (Cu, Cd, Zn) transport were simulated for a calibration event and a validation event. The model reproduced measured peak flows, and times to peak at the watershed outlet and three internal locations. Simulated flow volumes were within approximately 10% of measured conditions. Model results were also generally within measured ranges of total suspended solid and metal concentrations. TREX is an appropriate tool for investigating multimedia environmental problems that involve water, soils, and chemical interactions in a spatially distributed manner within a watershed.