These models are being developed as a valuable watershed planning tool, assisting state and local resource agencies in evaluating alternatives for soil conservation and non-point source pollution prevention. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Great Lakes Region), in cooperation and coordination with the Great Lakes states, is working to develop sediment transport models for Great Lakes tributaries that discharge to Federal navigation channels or Areas of Concern (AOCs). By supporting state and local measures that will reduce the loading of sediments and pollutants to tributaries, this work is helping to reduce the need for—and costs of—navigation dredging, while promoting actions to delist Great Lakes AOCs.

The objective of the program is to develop a tool for watershed planning that is usable and will be used by stakeholders who make decisions about soil conservation and non-point pollution prevention measures, and by other stakeholders who might support these activities. Before any model development is started for a particular tributary or watershed, a working group is convened with representatives of agencies and organizations from the watershed, including groups representing soil and water conservation, Remedial Action Plans (RAPs), navigation, municipal and county planning agencies, state and federal resource agencies. This working group helps to define the scope and focus for the model to meet individual watershed needs.

A Cooperative Initiative

		Models that have been developed are already being used by local, state, and Federal agencies for a variety of purposes, including watershed and ecosystem planning, forestry management, navigation maintenance planning, and water quality compliance evaluations. Learn more!

The Great Lakes Commission provides technical and administrative support to the Corps in the implementation of this important initiative, as directed by Section 516(e) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 (PDF). The Commission helps to facilitate the Corps' coordination with the Great Lakes states and the Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control, a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant program for soil conservation that is managed by the Commission.

Planning and Prioritization
A program strategy was developed after surveying state priorities for tributary model development in both 1998 and 2001. Modeling has been initiated at priority tributaries based on state input.

Funding
This program has received between $800K and $1M annually for the past nine years and has been supported in the Administration’s Budget. In FY 2009, the program received $900K. For FY 2010, $1.5 million could be used to accelerate completion of ongoing modeling at Great Lakes tributaries.

Future Directions
In its first few years, the program has made substantial progress in supporting the needs of Great Lakes states, conservation districts and local agencies and groups related to soil conservation and non-point pollution prevention. The Corps continues to seek partnerships to encourage the use of these models within watersheds to reduce the amount of sedimentation and pollution that occurs within Great Lakes tributaries. The value of this program will grow as model development becomes more integrated with watershed planning, TMDL evaluations, RAPs and Lakewide Management Plans (LaMPs).

The Corps recently finalized a report to Congress on the status of this program. In addition to completing the development of models for Great Lakes tributaries, the report recommends the development of web-based tools that can continue to support watershed planning at smaller tributaries and sub-basins.

Download the Great Lakes Tributary Modeling Program Fact Sheet (09-2009)