BASINS
Gov-Public
EPA's watershed assessment suite — HSPF continuous watershed-quality modelling with GIS and data access built in.
Water Quality & EnvironmentalDormantWater Quality ModellingWatershed Delineation
AQUATOX
DormantEPA's aquatic ecosystem model — fate and ecological effects of nutrients, toxics and stressors together.
by US EPA
- Pricing
- Gov-Public
- License
- US Government (public domain)
- Commercial use
- Permitted
- Ecosystem
- Standalone
- Platform
- Windows
About AQUATOX
AQUATOX is unusual: it simulates the aquatic ecosystem itself — algae, macrophytes, invertebrates, fish — together with the fate of nutrients and organic toxics, so management scenarios propagate from chemistry to biology. Questions like "what does a 30% nutrient reduction do to the fish community" are its niche.
It is free EPA software with a real learning curve and a parameter appetite to match its ambition. Active development has slowed, but it remains the most complete free ecosystem-effects model available for freshwater risk assessments.
Where it fits in the workflow
TerrainCatchmentRainfallRunoffRoutingHydraulicsMappingReporting
Alternatives to AQUATOX
Other water quality & environmental tools covering similar workflow stages.
CE-QUAL-W2
Free
The standard 2D reservoir and stratified-river water-quality model — temperature, DO and eutrophication.
Water Quality & EnvironmentalActiveWater Quality ModellingReservoir Operations
EFDC+
Freemium
Open-source 3D hydrodynamics and water quality — the EFDC lineage modernised, with a commercial GUI option.
Water Quality & EnvironmentalActiveWater Quality ModellingCoastal Modelling
EGRET
Open Source
USGS R package for long-term water-quality and streamflow trends — home of the WRTDS method.
Water Quality & EnvironmentalActiveWater Quality ModellingR Hydrology
QUAL2K
Free
The classic river water-quality model — DO, nutrients and algae along a 1D stream network.
Water Quality & EnvironmentalDormantWater Quality Modelling
WASP
Gov-Public
EPA's Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program — eutrophication, toxics and sediment in rivers and estuaries.
Water Quality & EnvironmentalActiveWater Quality ModellingContaminant Transport