Modeling of the Upper Colorado River, Concho River, and Wichita
River evaluated the feasibility of using brush management within each
watershed to increase the water yield to downstream municipal water
supply reservoirs. The SWAT model was calibrated to historical flow
records and then brush removal was simulated to assess the effects.
Using ground control points (GCPs) collected by NRCS field staff, the
land use and cover was classified from Landsat satellite imagery. The radiometrically and precision terrain corrected imagery was selected to
obtain relatively cloud-free scenes during the growing season for the
project areas. A supervised maximum likelihood classification of the
image was then performed with the spectral signatures for various land
use classes. The GCPs were used to perform an accuracy assessment of the
resulting image. NRCS field personnel further verified a sampling of the
initial classification. The use of remotely sensed data and the process
of classifying it with ground truthing resulted in a current land
use/land cover GIS map that included more detailed brush cover
categories (classified by species and density).
As a result of this study, the Texas Legislature appropriated funds for
cost sharing brush removal
with landowners. |
Click on map for larger view. |
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