Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) models for the Cape Fear River Basin used to simulate future streamflow and irrigation demand based on climate and urban growth projections

As part of the Coastal Carolinas Focus Area Study of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Census Program, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to develop models for the Cape Fear River Basin, North Carolina, to simulate future streamflow and irrigation demand based on land use, climate, and water demand projections. SWAT is a basin-scale, process-based watershed model with the capability of simulating water-management scenarios. Model basins were divided into approximately two-square mile subbasins and subsequently divided into smaller, discrete hydrologic response units based on land use, slope, and soil type. The calibration period for the historic model was 2000 to 2014. The best available data on water-use from [...]