RiverWeb^SM Water Quality Simulator

Students' Corner

About the Indicators

With the RiverWeb computer model you can examine a number of different physical, chemical, and biological indicators of water quality in the river basin. Find out what the indicators "indicate" about the environmental health of the watershed.

Non-Point Pollution

What is non-point pollution? Where does it come from? How does it differ from say, point pollution? Check here for answers.

About Land Uses

The ways land is used by people affects how pollution moves over it. You can investigate how different land uses affect water quality, as evident from the different indicators we've included in the model.

Best Management Practices

Communities can modify how they use the land in order to improve water quality, with impacts not only in their area, but throughout the river basin in which their local streams drain. Learn what Best Management Practices are, how they alter the behavior of different indicators. Make your own judgement about the costs and benefits of implementing a Best Management Practice.

Resources

Here we describe links to outside resources that provide important background information as you explore the watershed model. We hope you find them useful!

Glossary

We've included a list of definitions of important words and concepts you'll encounter as you investigate the RiverWeb computer model.