CUENCA hydrologic model

The CUENCA link-and-node hydrologic model was developed as research tool to test and quantify hydrologic processes in agricultural, urban, and rural contexts. CUENCA consists consist of a link-node system based on physical processes (Hromadka et al. 1985, Muñoz-Carpena & Parsons, 2004) where the watershed is divided into unique hydrological and land use sub-basins contributing water to nodal points that are linked by different hydrological processes: rainfall-runoff to the sub-basin outlet is based on rural land-use type (USDA−NRCS, 1986), channel flow and stream routing between pairs of downstream nodes, flow-by structures (i.e., river/canal plus lateral seepage or extraction into agricultural ponds), flow-through structures (reservoir), pipes, and water use abstractions (crop water and rural water use, and stream seepage). The sub-basin characteristics (farm and other land use, crop rotations, management practices, topography, climate, soils) can be obtained from existing remote sensing product and local field measurements. 

As we continue adding functionality to CUENCA, it has great potential for use in green stormwater infrastructure and smart stormwater applications. Using city- or county-level GIS systems and infrastructure databases, stormwater systems could be easily modeled to test development and climate scenarios for resilience planning. It is currently included on future research proposals and is under testing for use with water supply reservoirs and dams with collaborators at the Technical University of Madrid. 

This model was developed at University of Florida under the advisement of Dr. Rafael Muñoz-Carpena for initial use in the assessment of tillage and irrigation scenarios in Laikipia, Kenya.

References

Hromadka, T.V., T.J. Durbin, and J.J. Devries. 1985. Computer Methods in Water Resources. USA: Lighthouse Publications.

Muñoz-Carpena, R., and J. E. Parsons. 2004. “A DESIGN PROCEDURE FOR VEGETATIVE FILTER STRIPS USING VFSMOD-W.” Transactions of the ASAE 47 (6): 1933–41.

USDA-NRCS. 1986. Urban Hydrology for Small Watersheds. 210−VI−TR−55, 2nd ed. Washington, D.C.: USDA-NRCS.