DSSAM Model

The success of this flagship model contributed to the Agency's broadened commitment to the use of the underlying TMDL protocol in its national policy for management of most river systems in the United States.

The DSSAM model establishes numerous stations along the entire river extent as well as a considerable number of monitoring points inside the Great Basin's Pyramid Lake, the receiving waters of this closed hydrological system.

Although the region is sparsely populated, it is important because Lake Tahoe is visited by 20 million persons per annum and Truckee River water quality affects at least two endangered species: the Cui-ui sucker fish and the Lahontan cutthroat trout.

When expansion of the Reno-Sparks Wastewater Treatment Plant was proposed, the EPA decided to fund a large scale research effort to create simulation software and a parallel program to collect field data in the Truckee River and Pyramid Lake.

Earth Metrics conducted the software development for the first generation computer model and collected field data on water quality and flow rates in the Truckee River.