MODELING WATER BUDGETS FOR NATURAL AND RESTORED WETLANDS USING WETBUD

Accurately predicting the hydroperiod for mitigation wetlands presents many challenges. Water budgets, summations of inputs and outputs normalized to site conditions, improve hydroperiod prediction accuracy but methods for quantifying and reporting various components of the water budget can vary wildly making the assessment of design effectiveness difficult. Furthermore, precipitation patterns in recent years are complicating predictions of anticipated conditions. Recognizing these challenges, the Resource Protection Group, Inc. (RPG), a non-profit, has been funding research projects and field studies to improve wetland water budget models and develop the Wetbud software package. Building on the method developed by Gary Pierce, Wetbud integrates the findings of RPG-funded research to statistically determine typical dry, normal, and wet precipitation conditions from regional NOAA weather data and uses that weather data to estimate the various components of the water budget. Model output can be directly compared to packaged reference hydroperiod data derived from monitoring wells from wetlands located in Virginia and North Carolina or user-defined target hydroperiods to make it easier for designers and regulators to assess the potential for meeting design goals. This presentation will summarize the efforts and findings of the many graduate students and researchers that contributed to the development of Wetbud. Wetbud is available as freeware for our regulatory cooperators.