WEPS NRCS Implementation Issues: Resolved

Development of the Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS) was initiated by USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in response to customer requests, especially Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), for improved wind erosion technology. WEPS is intended to replace the predominately empirical Wind Erosion Equation (Woodruff and Siddoway, 1965) as a prediction tool for those who plan soil conservation systems, conduct environmental planning, or assess offsite impacts caused by wind erosion. WEPS incorporates improved technology for computing soil loss by wind from agricultural fields as well as providing many new capabilities such as calculating suspension loss, estimating PM-10 emissions and specifying the direction soil leaves the field (Wagner, 1996).