A spatial–temporal optimization approach to watershed management: Acid mine drainage treatment in the Cheat River watershed, WV, USA

Most water management studies concentrate on the inter-temporal allocation problem or, more recently, spatial dynamics – but not both. While early spatial–temporal studies focused on the allocation of water quantity, this paper presents an approach to water quality analysis that incorporates both spatial and temporal dynamics in a watershed framework. The acid mine drainage (AMD) problem in the Cheat River watershed of West Virginia, USA, serves as a case study and provides an opportunity to test the modeling approach developed. The empirical models are written in General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) and solved using the CPLEX mixed integer programming package. The results suggest that available investments should be concentrated in heavily impaired stream segments. The model can be used to assess the economic implications of alternative watershed Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) implementation or other management strategies.

Research highlights
► The investments in AMD treatment are distributed among severely impaired stream and moderately impaired streams in the Cheat River watershed, WV, USA.
► Not all severely or moderately impaired streams are given remediation in any time period.
► Although investments are allocated in a certain time period, the treatment occurs not only in the treatment period but also in the time periods after since the model is a temporal model represented by intertemporal equations of motion.