CRT--Cascade Routing Tool to define and visualize flow paths for grid-based watershed models

Abstract

This report describes a new computer program-the Cascade Routing Tool (CRT)-to define surface and subsurface flow paths within grid-based watershed models. CRT was designed specifically for use with the U.S. Geological Survey Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) watershed model and the GSFLOW coupled groundwater/surface-water flow model. CRT includes an ArcGIS based toolbox-the Cascade Routing Visualization (CRV)-that can be used to visualize cascade flow paths. The performance of the programs has been tested in a variety of applications, some examples are documented in this report. Future applications, however, might reveal errors that were not detected in the test simulations. Users are requested to notify the U.S.