BASINS- Better Assessment Science Integrating point & Nonpoint Sources

BASINS is a customized ArcView GIS application designed to be used by regional, state, and local agencies to perform watershed- and water-quality-based studies and as a system for supporting the development of total maximum daily loads (TMDLs). The system is designed to support analysis at a variety of scales using the assessment tools that are integrated into the software (TARGET, ASSESS and Data Mining). Through the use of GIS, BASINS has the flexibility to display and integrate a wide range of information (e.g. land use, point source discharges, water supply withdrawals) at a scale chosen by the user. Utilities include local data import, land use and DEM reclassification, watershed delineation, and management of water quality data. Through the graphical user interface, users can access national environmental information, apply assessment and planning tools, and run a variety of nonpoint loading and water quality models. Models that have been incorporated into BASINS include HSPF, TOXIROUTE, and QUAL2E. Post-processing tools for use in visualizing and interpreting the results of the water quality modeling are integrated into the software.