CEE 486/586: Home Assignment 3

* Note: Submit your assignment report as MS Word file on Blackboard [-2 pts, if not followed].
Name it LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_A3.docx [-1 pts, if not followed]. Always explain all
intermediate steps so that anyone could use your answers as tutorials, if they wanted to! One
guiding template are the class labs. It generally has enough detail for anyone to complete the task.
For example, if your step is to use Mosaic To New Raster functionality in ArcToolbox, you should
clearly write “Next, ArcToolbox > Data Management > Raster > Raster Dataset > Mosaic To New
Raster is implemented”. Italicize the tool name. Report all the parameters that were input. Provide
relevant intermediate results (in form of numbers/maps/steps implemented etc., as appropriate).
Have all the files (after important steps) ready to be produced at short notice, until the assignment
has been graded and returned. Follow all instructions communicated earlier in regards to the
appropriate academic conduct.

a) You work for a logistics company that has been consulted to identify a site for a volatile
fuels lab. The lab should be situated within 5 min. of driving distance from fire stations.
Using the road network and the fire stations provided in Lab 16, obtain the total polygon
area within which your lab should be situated. Show all primary intermediate results/steps
so that one can reproduce your results [10 pts.]
b) As an employee of the EPA, you have been asked to assess the nitrogen output from
watersheds. Estimate the total nitrogen output that is reaching the outlet of Eno river
watershed (data of Eno watershed is presented in Lab 18) assuming the following:

The nitrogen loading rates based on LULC are the following: 


1
LULC Loading (Kg/yr/Hectare)

Agricultural and croplands 30

Urban 10

1.25
Forest

Others 0

1hectare=10000 square meters.

Assume an atmospheric deposition rate of nitrogen of 1 Kg/yr/ hectare distributed
uniformly over the entire Eno watershed. You have to generate the net loading map i.e. the
spatial distribution of net nitrogen load over the watershed grids, and the report the total
nitrogen at the watershed outlet [2.5+5.5 = 8 pts]
For graduate students only (undergraduates may obtain bonus points by attempting this):
Soil erosion is a big problem in agriculture land management and water quality modeling.
The USLE equation is often used to calculate soil loss in a year. The equation is:
A = R x K x LS x C x P
As an employee of Department of Transportation, your goal is to obtain soil loss map , A
[5 pts.], i.e, the estimated average soil loss [t ha-1 yr-1] for the Eno River watershed. The
watershed is located near Durham, NC.
The R value is the rainfall and runoff factor based on the value of rainfall in (MJ
mm hr ha-1 yr-1) for a year. R is generally obtained from the isoerodent map (see below):
-1

The K value is the soil erodibility factor. It is a function of the soil type and was obtained
from SSURGO soil database that we talked about in the class. Lets’ assume K value to be
0.1 everywhere in the watershed. The C factor is the “cover and management” factor. It is
a function of the soil loss for a specified vegetation or ground cover management. C factor
for different land cover types is tabulated below:
 The P factor, the last variable in the equation, is the erosion control practice or prevention
practice factor. Due to lack of detailed data within the watershed, we will set it equal to 1.
The LS factor is the slope length and gradient factor. It is a function of the intensity of the
slope as well as the length of the slope.
LS(r) = (m+1) [ a / a0 ]m [ sin(b) / b0 ]n
where a is upslope contributing area per unit contour width i.e., flow accumulation area per
unit grid dimension, b is the slope, m and n are parameters, and a0 = 22.1m is the standard
slope length and b0 = 0.09 is the slope of the standard USLE plot. The values of m (=0.4)
and n (=1.4) were empirically derived.
Appendix:
A = estimated average soil loss [t ha-1 yr-1 , M L-2 T-1]
R = rainfall-runoff erosivity factor [MJ mm hr-1 ha-1 yr-1 , M T-4]
K = soil erodibility factor [t hr MJ-1 mm-1 , L-2 T3]
L = slope length factor
S = slope steepness factor
C = cover-management factor
P = support practice factor