Load Apportionment Modelling and Reporting Services

Tender description

To assist with WFD characterisation and identification of appropriate programmes of measures, the EPA has invested significantly in catchment modelling tools through the EPA STRIVE funded Pathways Project and the subsequent Load Apportionment Modelling (LAM) Research Fellowship. These tools will support more comprehensive characterisation of the flow pathways, give greater detail on the pressures, and therefore the significant pressures impacting on the water environment, and will improve the WFD risk characterisation process. An annual lumped nutrient Load Apportionment Model (LAM) has been developed for the Suir Catchment. The model combines information on the contributions of nutrients from agriculture, urban wastewater, industry, DWWTS, and forestry to surface waterbodies and highlights what the potential significant nutrient pressures are at a subcatchment and catchment scale. This model has been developed using ArcGIS, Arc Model Builder, Python and R statistic package. Support services are sought to apply this LAM model to subcatchments and catchments nationally following the framework and methodology used in the Suir Catchment LAM. As well as assessing load apportionment under annual average flow conditions, the support services will also apply the methodology to assessing load apportionment at low flow conditions. The support services will provide an interpretation and analysis of the LAM output for subcatchments and catchments nationally, and nutrient loads graphics and statistics to inform characterisation and form part of the subcatchment characterisation assessments and reporting. This support should be provided by one person available to work in EPA Offices in Richview as required for 60 days over a one year period.