Assessment of the Impacts of the Impervious Surface Change in the Farm Region on Watershed Hydrology

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used in this study to evaluate the hydrologic impacts by the impervious surface change in the farm region. The model was calibrated and validated by using four years (1999-2002) of measured data for the Gyeongancheon watershed in Korea. The simulation results agreed well with observed values during the calibration and validation periods. Land use scenarios including various changes of the plastic film house area in the farm region were applied to assess their effects on watershed hydrology. The results indicated that the surface direct (5.6%~14.0%) and total runoff (0.8%~1.5%) increased, but the groundwater discharge (10.7%~27.7%) and evapotranspiration (1.5%~3.3%) decreased as the plastic film house area (5.7%~12.4%) increased.