Application of the WEPP Model to a Small Sicilian Watershed

Runoff and erosion in upland watersheds can have significant negative on-site and off-site environmental impacts. The choice and design of appropriate erosion control measures can be aided by reliable predictions of watershed response under different land use scenarios. In recent decades several simulation models have been developed in order to estimate and analyze soil erosion by water. Although many experiments have been conducted to evaluate the use of available watershed models, additional work is needed to assess and improve model reliability in environmental situations that can differ from those where the models were developed. The WEPP model is presently among the widely applied physically based models around the world. Several projects are being carried out to evaluate its capability of reproducing natural phenomena and to enhance its flexibility and reliability in different environments. In order to set up a database for the assessment of the performance of erosion models in Mediterranean areas, a monitoring program on a small mountainous watershed started in Sicily some years ago. In this paper the results of preliminary applications of the WEPP model to a sample period were analyzed in order to assess model implementation and performance in the experimented conditions of that site.