Urban Water Scarcity Assessment Using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool Model and the Water Footprint Concept

In this study, vulnerable sub-watershed locations in urban Gwacheon City were analyzed using the hydrological health index for land components. The evaluation used the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution, which is a multicriteria decision-making method, and the Entropy method for weight determination. The index incorporates hydrological factors from the soundness assessment elements presented by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, including total runoff, surface runoff process, soil moisture process, and groundwater process. The index was calculated by constructing a Soil and Water Assessment Tool model, and entropy analysis results showed increased weights for groundwater recharge, percolation, and groundwater-related factors. Based on the vulnerability assessment, the upstream area of the watershed was identified as the most vulnerable, as all runoff from the highlands was believed to have flowed out before infiltration. Therefore, to control for topographical influences, vulnerable areas were reevaluated only for watersheds within 68% of the normal elevation distribution.