Characterizing and Assessing Military Activities and Disturbance Impacts: A Conceptual Approach Demonstrated within the Fort Benning Watersheds.

The primary goal of out study was to develop a watershed modeling system for Fort Benning using the EPA BASINS framework that addresses impacts on watershed hydrology, water quality and related ecosystem functions resulting from military activities and natural resources management. The watershed management model provides a tool to understand and to perform analyses that satisfy the Installation’s requirements under the Clean Water Act. In addition, the developed Fort Benning model will allow base managers and planners the ability to forecast the impacts of proposed land use changes within the watershed. Research is currently focused on integrating existing DoD research products into BASINS; development of an initial calibrated model of Fort Benning; and identification of apparent model/system limitations. The conceptual approach develops and applies modeling strategies that allow for the inclusion of military activities within the BASINS modeling framework. An additional requirement is to characterize military disturbance across the landscape resulting from those activities. This research includes: 1) the development of a military activity versus hydrologic/water quality process matrix; 2) a matrix describing the base training activities (intensity, duration, and location); and 3) a scheme to highlight areas of greatest potential concerns for environmental impacts. The result is a map of military disturbance by training compartment and activity responsible for the disturbance. The approach allows us to establish key model enhancements within BASINS required to adequately represent military and training activities with the threat of greatest disturbance and watershed impacts. The model enhancements will be incorporated into the BASINS framework so that applications to other installations can be efficiently and effectively tested, refined and applied by installation personnel.