Research and Development Office

Evaluation of Potential and Development of a Real Time River Basin Operations Tool

Project ID: 7200
Principal Investigator: Roger Hansen
Research Topic: Water Operation Models and Decision Support Systems
Funded Fiscal Years: 2008
Keywords: None

Research Question

* Is there a possibility to adapt a river basin operations model for use as a real-time operations tool?

* Is there an opportunity to incorporate remote sensing data into such a model?

* If so, can remote sensing be incorporated into the display capabilities of such a model?

Need and Benefit

While a lot of use has been made of river basin operations models for planning and mid-term operation uses, the possibility of using these models for real-time operations seems to have received relatively little attention. A modeling framework like RiverWare appears to lend itself to implementation as a real-time operations tool and, if it can be implemented in such a way, the benefits for Reclamation end users, partners and stakeholders could be very substantial. In addition to just facilitating day-to-day operations decisions, the model could incorporate corporate knowledge of current operators who will sooner or later retire or move on to other opportunities.

The incorporation of remote sensing data into such a river basin operational model could substantially improve its usefulness for operators and stakeholders. When operating on a real-time basis, it is logical to have the most current data from remote sensing--use of noncurrent data would defeat the purpose of real-time operations.

Neither of these capabilities has been investigated to our knowledge and both levels in this investigation would require discussions not only with the operators, stakeholders, and partners, but also with the developers of RiverWare at Center for Advanced Decision Support for Water and Environmental Systems (CADSWES). Because the development of a RiverWare model on Huntington/Cottonwood Creek has involved active participation by stakeholders, operators and partners, this would be an excellent study area at which to evaluate the potential for future improvements. The subject area is located within the San Rafael River Basin, a tributary to the Colorado-Green River system.

Once the discussions have been completed, the outcomes and conclusions need to be reported--not just to operators, stakeholders, and partners on the Huntington/Cottonwood Creek basin, but also to operators and managers throughout Reclamation.

If there is deemed to be sufficient potential to develop a real-time operating tool, the group will work to make improvements to the current Huntington/Cottonwood Creek modeling framework to allow for more real-time operating capabilities to operate the system.

This would be accomplished through the concluding report to be submitted to the Science and Technology (S&T) Program with copies to operators and managers in key Reclamation offices.

Contributing Partners

Contact the Principal Investigator for information about partners.

Research Products

Please contact research@usbr.gov about research products related to this project.

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