Publication Date
4-8-2008
Abstract
Estimates of watershed impervious cover are widely used in research, engineering, and policy studies that examine the hydrologic and environmental impacts of urbanization. Increasing availability of GIS tools and datasets has led to the development of many different methods of estimating the amount of impervious cover in an area. Four commonly used impervious estimation methods are compared for 25 watersheds in Eastern Massachusetts exhibiting a wide range of urban cover. Relationships between flood flows and percent imperviousness from each method are explored to document the impact of the choice of method on discharge estimates. In addition, a meta-analysis is presented comparing studies that show a correlation between watershed imperviousness and peak streamflow.