Washington Road Surface Erosion Model
   

The Washington Road Surface Erosion Model (WARSEM) is a tool that allows users to calculate average annual road surface erosion and sediment delivery to channels in a standardized manner.
 
The model is intended for use on forest roads in Washington state. It can be applied on a variety of scales, ranging from a single road segment to all roads within a watershed or road planning unit. The model is designed to interface with a GIS system if spatial data are available. The analysis can be carried out at four levels, depending upon the purpose of the analysis and the level of detail of data available for the roads.
 

Levels for carrying out WARSEM Analysis

 
Level 1 – Screening. Assessment tool for determining relative sediment contributions from roads using little site-specific information for the roads. Useful for screening road system to prioritize field work. 
 
Level 2 – Planning-level Assessment. Assessment of erosion and delivery appropriate for road maintenance planning or sediment budgeting using minimal site-specific information for the roads. 
 
Level 3 – Detailed Assessment and Scenario Playing. Detailed assessment of modeled erosion/delivery using field-verified data on each road segment. Ability to determine reduction in sediment delivery resulting from applying potential road maintenance practices or best management practices to road segments (scenario playing). 
 
Level 4 – Site/Segment Level Monitoring. Ability to track changes in road segmentattributes and modeled erosion/delivery resulting from road maintenance or best management practices through time. Used to document and monitor reduction in road surface erosion resulting from Road Maintenance and Abandonment Plans (RMAPs) and to compute Forest and Fish Rules performance metrics. Can be used for watershed-scale evaluations. 
 
Data for the road system or segments is entered into a data management application (Microsoft Access) for calculation of the modeled annual road surface erosion and sediment delivery to waterways. Data can be entered and edited within the Microsoft Access application, or imported from another source, such as a GIS data file, Excel file, or SEDMODL2 run (SEDMODL2 is a GIS program that calculates road surface erosion). The application stores road information in a database and computes the amount of modeled road surface erosion delivered to streams. Road records can be updated as new information becomes available from field inventories or improvements to the roads. The model produces output reports detailing input parameters and the results of erosion and sediment delivery 
 

Before Downloading WARSEM: 

 
Below are links to the files necessary for installing WARSEM on your personal computer. WARSEM is a Microsoft Access database application for Windows 98 or higher. If you have Microsoft Access installed on your computer then you should first determine which version you have. You can do this by opening Access and clicking on the About menu selection located under the Help menu selection.
 
Beginning with Access 2000, Access has adopted a structure that is different than earlier versions. IMPORTANT: Be sure to select a WARSEM installation option that is compatible with the version of Access installed on your computer.
 
Washington Road Surface Erosion Model Download
WARSEM Manual