Photo: Jennifer Idol
Cypress Creek Decision Support System (CC-DSS).
The Meadows Center developed a decision support that incorporates information from modeling efforts, stakeholder input and priorities, and watershed characteristics to allow the stakeholder group to assess best management practice (BMP) options to maximize their impacts on reducing NPS pollution. Through an iterative, collaborative process involving stakeholders, the DSS is being developed to incorporate a database management system, biophysical and socioeconomic models, evaluation criteria developed in stakeholder workshops, and a graphical user interface to aid decision makers in understanding the results of the model outputs. Training will be provided for how to use the DSS and on how to modify the model(s) and evaluation criteria so that it may be adapted to changing future needs. The Stakeholder Committee will work to continue using the CC-DSS during implementation. As 85 new data is collected and added to the CC-DSS decision makers will be able to use the results to see the effects of new development and urbanization and make decisions that protect water quality based on the science used to develop the watershed protection plan.